Opinion: A letter to an ailing Nigeria

by Adetayo Adegbemle

Dear Nigeria,

Trust my letter meets you well. Doxology.

Scratch that, because I know you are not well. I am aware that the cancer eating deep into your bone structure is giving you pains, causing you debts, even to your unborn.

Like the proverbial leper, nothing you touch, or touches you, is whole anymore.
This is the mission of my letter. Maybe after calling your attention to some little little things, we might be able to sit down and get a cure to your ailments, TOGETHER.

Nigeria is a place where idealism and idealists are quickly killed, because it is not just “the way we do things here”.

I had a privilege to share my ambition marrying one of your daughters with some elderly folks recently, and could not close my mouth because of what I was hearing. One asked me what Local Government I am from, and on hearing Aiyedaade in Osun State, told me point blank that it is not possible, that I should add another sixteen years to my age, simply because it won’t rotate to my “zone” until then.

Assuming I am the Moses that will lead Osun State out of Egypt, that is how I would have been disqualified without even having the benefit of delivering the message from God?

Then I ask you. Why do your people complain about the Federal Government “quota system” or the Educational policy to benefit the “educationally less developed states”, or even the rent seeking mentality of States with resources that would wait for the handouts from commonwealths of the Niger Delta???

We are all mad, and we have nobody to tell us, right?

Nigeria, the future of your children has been mortgaged by the few rulers you have, while the children has been sent to a Circus to catch some fun.

You see, the sad story is that the people ruling in you, Nigeria, the same generation of men that failed you, the same generation that has nothing to fight for, have decided to go to party on your proceeds, and to share as much as possible within themselves.

Once they see that someone has come to rock the boat, they try to keep the person quiet by all means. If force fails, they blend the person with a “keep quiet share of the pie”. Just Don’t Rock This Boat.

Dear Nigeria, let me tell you the story of a friend who came with all ideas and grandstanding. “No, we will not take it”, “the cheating has continued for too long”, “this cronyism has been on for too long”, “no more Baba so pe” “we will break the jinx this time”, “I will show them the people mattered” mantra.

With so much believe and support, we championed his cause to the last election, actually gave the establishment a run for their money, lost, and in less than a year, the establishment has blended him. I mourn for him. They have blended him.

Dear Nigeria, you do not need people like these. These are not the ones who can promise you a better future, and actually deliver. These ones will fail you once more. These men have no integrity, or honor

In you, Nigeria, everyone takes their turn to piss on you. Everyone takes their turn to take shots at you. It is a Russian Roulette World Out There. When you start feeding your own people on merit? When will people get into power on the merit of their ability, and not because of the zone they come from? Or tribe? Or religion?

Dear Nigeria, you cannot keep doing something for over fifty years the same way, and expect a different result. It has never worked like that before, it won’t work here too. Madness.

Nigeria, Nations behind you in the 1950s are far ahead of you today, building on their strengths. What is yours? When is the giant in your awakening?

You have generations of children today you fed on the diet of “Up NEPA” growing up, today, there is still no solution in sight for the generations unborn.

Ordinary electricity, your people cannot generate more than 5,000MW and your rulers still wants the people to worship them. Sigh.

How do you intend to feed and house millions of children you are giving birth to in another few years? Are you thinking about that at all? Or you are breeding the next set of insurgents and terrorists?

I don’t even want to talk about the hordes of thieves and vipers that sold lies and venom to your children in the guise of Change.

May we never see their types again.

This shame must stop. My dear Nigeria, You NEED to wake up to your motherly role, you need to STOP all these fire brigade approach and Nigerian timing.

Nigeria, you need to deliver on the promise of greatness you have always had.
Nations are built by youths. Rome was built by youths, America was built by youths, and that’s the story all over the world.

Why leave the future of your youths to those who have no part to play in that same future? We can all see the results.

It is time your youths arose to their responsibilities. It is high time we stopped feeding from the crumbs falling from the tables of those who failed you. It is time we started building our future.

It is time your youths stop seeing consolatory positions as the nest they can get from you. What is Personal Assistant or Advisers? How much policy can these effect?

Together, We can. Let’s work together to cover some of these shame. Let us work together to build Nigeria, we have no other love but Nigeria.

My great love, I will drop my pen now, but think about what I have said, I am available, when you are ready, to have a discussion, and plan our way out of this mess.

I remain patriotically yours, and know this, I love you Nigeria.
__________________________
Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Adetayo Adegbemle is a public opinion commentator/analyst, researcher, and the convener of PowerUpNigeria, an Electric Power Consumer Right Advocacy Group, based in Lagos. (Twitter: @gbemle, @PowerUpNg)

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