Date Published: 08/12/09
When will revolution come to Nigeria?
By Nkem Eugene Ejiofor
I have just returned from an August visit to Nigeria. Since 1973 I have made it a habit to visit my family once in 10 years. As at my last visit, friends and family members circumspectly implored I visit more frequently given that the average lifespan in Nigeria is less than 55. From my inquiries about friends and their replies I dare say suffice it to say henceforth a visit every 3 or 4 years seems reasonable.
As I reflect on my just concluded visit and the situation on ground zero, I could not help wondering how the country could figure amongst the 5 th happiest people in the world.
For each time we experienced power failure, water not running, the noise and pollution from the Okada, generator noises both in the daytime and at night, my youngest daughter asked how come Nigerians tolerate the situation and when will revolution come to Nigeria? She reminded me that people in Thailand recently revolted for less.
I could not help recalling what the car pioneer Henry Ford was known to have said. Out of memory, he said: “it is a good thing the people of this nation (America) doesn’t understand our bank and financial system. Because if they did, I am sure, there will be a revolution before tomorrow morning”.
Paraphrasing Henry Ford I said, “it is a good thing that Nigerians are so easy to govern, if they were not docile, impotent and their leaders a bunch of rulers that parade themselves as leaders, believe me, there will be a revolution before tomorrow due to the lack of basic facilities, erratic power and water supplies etc.”.
Much as I try to accentuate the positive in the Nigerian society, it is thought-provoking and disappointing to note that things have gone from bad to worse since I left the country in 1973.
For a starter, I spent 5 days in Abuja in an area called Prince and Princess. There was constant power failure, no water for the period we were there. A lady had her generator on the whole night. I was told her neighbours’ had tried to plead with her to at least put it off between 12 midnight to 6 a .m. to no avail. I was informed it is possible to come to a consensus in some neighbourhood.
Now imagine the sound of generator all day in the office, at the market, when you get home in the evening and also when you sleep! Besides the noise, you have the pollution. Here you see one parameter why Nigerians don’t live long.
If there is any consolation, those that deprive their neighbours from a quiet sleep also are victims of the noise from their generators.
If the understanding is that Abuja is symbolic of the new image Nigeria is desperately struggling to foster, for a visitor to Abuja it does not augur well for Nigeria.
A quick check at the National Bureau of Statistics, it was not possible to deduce what percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GNP) the endemic power failure represents. I am sure Nigerian rulers don’t care. The winners are the generator mafia.
Never expect power at-all a.k.a. NEPA, Power Hijacking a.k.a. Power Holding in Nigeria parlance means gadgets, peoples deep-freezers, appliances etc. don’t last, hospitals can’t function optimally, companies produce at a high costs.
In case the countries rulers’ are economic illiterates I can tell them that both at the micro, macro levels that the consequence’s of erratic power supply are huge.
The country cannot develop as long as that exits. Put bluntly, despite its oil and gas riches, because of the endemic power and water supply Nigeria faces huge development challenges. Only a fraction has access to clean water, adequate housing or healthcare.
Given the fact that one in five black Africans hails from Nigeria, the country ought to be a place foreign investors should be falling over themselves to establish in.
And this coupled with the endemic corruption; it will forever remain one step forward and 40 steps backwards.
If Nigerian rulers’ really want to attract investments and create wealth, enhance social development, steady power and water supply is a key factor.
No responsible investor will consider Nigeria her resources not withstanding.
One thing is certain more companies like PZ will continue to relocate to Ghana, and unfortunately it will still not dawn on her rulers.
Lest I forget, I had a positive experience at the immigration in Abuja, as against my last experience in 1992 in Lagos.
Leaving Abuja, you have to deal with Nigeria’s notorious traffic culture. From Kano to Zaria there were no Police check-points. In Kaduna state the new governor has implemented what they call “Operation Yaki” it means you see a combined force of the police, military patrolling especially Zaria (where I visited) and on the highway. No check points. Meaning you see them along the highway but no checkpoints.
It was quite a different matter travelling East wards from Abuja. The closer you get to the East more the number of check-points.
A case in point is from Nsukka to Oba near Onitsha we counted 30 police checkpoints. This is a distance of under 250 kilo metres.
To put my point into perspective, I can inform the reader that I have travelled wide in the East and West coasts of the US, Texas and Florida included.
East coast: From Worcester to Toronto, Toronto, Niagara-Falls to Washington DC.
West Coast: From Los Angeles to Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion Canyons, Las Vegas, Solvang, San Francisco, Sacramento, Yosemite, San Diego etc., and even Tijuana in Mexico.
The major cities in Florida and this last Easter I visited Texas with a fling to New Orleans a.k.a. the Big Easy.
All in all, I have thus far covered a distance of not less than 20.000 kilo metres in the US. I did not encounter a single police checkpoint or the police stopping me. The same applies travelling in Europe. Yet in the East of Nigeria we were stopped 30 times travelling a “mere” distance less than 250 km.
Any wonder this police harassment is one of the parameters Southerner’s names when they claim of being marginalized.
Before we embarked on our journey to the East, I was afraid of the roads. I must say that most of the roads were pliable. I saw work in progress along the notorious Lokoja road. Because of the number of near misses you encounter even an agnostic, will not forget to thank his/her Guardian Angel for getting to one’s destination in one piece.
I noticed the absence of pavement markings and no shoulders on most of the roads, scary.
The fear of the police harassment in the East of Nigeria precluded me from a renting a car to visit places like Ogbunike cave, Tinapa resort, Obudu cattle range. Although I was informed that Tinapa, Obudu cattle range have not turned out as was intended, I however find the vision interesting and could have loved to grace them with a visit.
I must warn anyone travelling first time in Nigeria that it is really possible to encounter vehicles without rear lights in the night. The scariest experience was to drive behind oil-tankers without rear lights. Travelling from Abuja to Zaria, an official car overtook us (between Kaduna and Zaria ); it was interesting to note that the Police escort did not have a rear-light. Therefore be warned.
I asked besides making sure people put on their seatbelts, what exactly is the duty of the Operation Yaki in Kaduna state if people with impunity could drive at night without rear-lights!
Some people will characterize a failed state as a country with no basic facilities; law an order is nearly non existence. The United States think-tank and an independent research organisation tagged the Fund for Peace, recently ranked Nigeria as the 15 th most failed nation in the world ynk! ynk!!.
I will be generous by emphasising that Nigeria has now reached a point that one can recall what Franz Fanon once said. Hear him, “Every generation must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it” and that “Every onlooker is either a coward or traitor”.
Nigeria is a challenge, nonetheless the task to her intellectuals in particular and her youth in general is to have a stake in what happens in their country and help salvage the country from the hands of political kidnappers who have hijacked the affairs of the country.
Nigeria needs more Gani Fawehinmi’s to take on NEPA or the government for the consequences of the erratic power supply. They can start with the cost of replacing their gadgets, the health hazards of pollution from the generators etc. It is not a job for a single individual.
One problem I noticed with Nigerian intellectuals in the course of my short visit is that they don’t seem to pay attention or be interested on what is happening in the country, and that is a great disservice on their part.
One such intellectual was boasting of his membership of the IBB Golf Club that cost circa 500.000 naira to join. This I overheard while having lunch at the club with another friend whom I will characterize as a concerned citizen.
To sum up my impression of the situation in the country, here is a statement by Najatu Muhammed the widow of Dr Bala Muhammed, the Political Adviser to Second Republic governor of Kano Stat , Malam Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, which came in handy as I make this posting.
She was asked: “Why do you think Nigerians don’t challenge their leaders the way your late husband did? Is it that we are just too docile, as some people have said?
Her reply: “ Absolutely. Nigerians are not only docile, they are impotent. I think what we have are a bunch of cowards as leaders. But what people don’t understand is that there is a difference between the elite and the vast majority of those that are impoverished, illiterate people who are battling with what to eat for the day. They are so totally ignorant of the fact that the government and governance is meant for them, that the treasury is their own. They are totally oblivious of this fact. It is the responsibility of you and I to make them know, but you and I are so selfish and so self-centred. We divert their attention with petty things such as religion and tribe. So, we are part of the problem because we are beneficiaries of the problems in the first place.
She continued that: “Nigerians are so easy to govern, because nobody wants to fight as those that are supposed to fight or are supposed to enlighten the masses are beneficiaries of the situation. This is what has overtaken our country and everybody is paying for it. I say Nigeria is easy to govern because most Nigerians are very obedient group of people. It is the leadership that is lacking (sic)".
(Source: News 20. July 2009).
Najatu Muhammed lives in Nigeria; her observation reflects precisely that of most Nigerians I spoke to while on holiday there early July 2009.
With the above I implore the Nigerian intellectuals and the youths to work for a rebirth of the country. The youths are named here because, legend has it that the best way to build a society is to concentrate on building the minds of the people. The intellectuals should take the lead in building the minds of the people.
They can start by looking towards Lagos. I have seen in many a Nigerian forum the picture of the new Lagos and it has been confirmed from many sources that Governor Fashola and by extension Tinubu are doing a fantastic job. It is after-all possible.
Therefore if the intellectuals fail to help jolt a paradigm shift, they are either traitors or cowards .
No more waste of time, the revolution must begin now.
My standpoint is real the rest is seeming!
Nkem Eugene Ejiofor - Denmark
