Feb 29, 2024

• By Reporter

The giant of Africa, Nigeria, has been left tottering, with many pontificating that the country is on the precipice of an implosion. In fact, many believe the country should have gone asunder decades ago. And despite denials, it is widely believed in the country that the United States, based on FBI predictions, had scheduled Nigeria to break up since 2015, among others. And within the country, such breakup forecasts are legion, among them that of the leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, who gave it a 2035 deadline if President Bola Tinubu fails to restructure it.

So, does the 16th and current president of the country, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have the magic wand with which to reverse the misfortunes of the country, especially in the face of the myriad of problems besetting the nation, whose populace appear to be losing hope in its continued survival as a united and prosperous country endowed with a multifarious resource base that any nation will need to develop, stand tall and able, cherished and recognised in the comity of nations.

But alas, hardships, insecurity, uncertainty and whatnot have for centuries seen the educated, able-bodied youth of the country – its leaders of tomorrow – Andrewing to japa-ing to secure and greener pastures – forced into abandoning family, friends and indeed their fatherland.  

  But before Tinubu, a coterie of other leaders have taken to the stage, held sway and did their stunts but sadly, all left without fanfare – none of them – mostly because of seeming efforts that were premised on failed policy and programme summersaults hinged on a lack of earnest political will and endemic corruption that has sunk their teeth in the heart of the nation.

They and their cronies end up bleeding the country of the resources that should have gone into the provision of the good things of life that other less-endowed nations have made readily available to their citizens, and at times even visitors.

Corruption, a scourge that has plagued the country for decades, continues to gnaw away at its foundations, syphoning off resources meant for public good and fostering an environment of poverty and impunity.

Agriculture, electricity and fuels, education, health, security, transportation of all modes are now beyond the reach of the majority of the people. It is trite to say society needs the aforementioned to enjoy peace and progress. But these the leaders of this great country have failed to provide thereby triggering a cascade of hardships that is now threatening to overstretch the resilience of the populace.

Of course, solving a country’s woes is not the sole responsibility of the government; it requires collective effort and sacrifice from all stakeholders. But the basics have to be ensured by the authorities to kickstart and ensure smooth and sustainable developmental strides to greatness.

To many, however, the country has always been like this. A stakeholder recounts that in 1974, scarcity of fuel brought about long queues in filling stations across the country.

He recalled that at one of the fuel stations in Yaba Lagos, Nigerians were practically begging for fuel; a product that is said to have placed the country as one of the highest producers in the world.

“The 1974 fuel scarcity is evidence that Nigeria has been so unlucky with leadership. Nigeria has never had an articulate-minded president. The leaders Nigeria ever had from time immemorial to date have no plan for the future of this great country,” he said, adding that “Just like Nigeria claims to be the giant of Africa, a claim I believe in force.

“If this fuel scarcity started long before now and is yet to be experienced now and then, and in recent times, then Nigerians should not take their leaders, past or present, seriously. It is a shame.”

There is an admixture of sadness and hope in the feeling portrayed, which can be encapsulated in the saying that there is imminent light at the end of the tunnel. But to make that light a reality to bask in here and now, the leadership of the country must borrow a leaf from the founders of the country who fought for her independence; ensured quality education free, good agric practices and marketing of produce, industrial development, selflessness, and unbridled patriotic zeal. That light is at arms’ length, if not even closer. All it takes to bask in it is a change of heart by the country’s leaders. An adage says when the head is rotten, the rest of the body is affected.