{"id":22536,"date":"2014-02-09T14:43:32","date_gmt":"2014-02-09T13:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=22536"},"modified":"2014-02-09T14:43:32","modified_gmt":"2014-02-09T13:43:32","slug":"we-are-the-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/we-are-the-government\/","title":{"rendered":"We Are The Government"},"content":{"rendered":"

*By Philip Amiola*
\nWhen I wrote an article titled *Failed Government or Failing Citizens *in
\nJanuary 2013, I expected a reverberation of mixed comments. I was not
\ndisappointed. In that piece, I attempted to challenge the belief system
\nthat makes us channel our creative energies towards blaming the government
\nrather than taking responsibility for effecting change and proffering
\nsolutions wherever we can. While I got some degree of positive feedback, a
\nsection of my audience seems to believe that I am either “part of the
\nNigerian Government that has failed us” or I am “not exposed to the
\nrealities of a responsible government.”
\nThe backlash notwithstanding, I still believe that poor performance on the
\npart of the government should not breed indifference in the way we live our
\nlives and conduct our personal affairs. My position was further
\nstrengthened on a recent trip to Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. Entering
\nthrough the *Iwo Road-Ojoo* axis, I was impressed with positive
\ndevelopments that have sprung up since my days as an undergraduate at the
\nUniversity of Ibadan. For a city which was listed by the Financial Times of
\nLondon in 2012 as one of the “Big 5” cities in Africa, one shouldn’t have
\nexpected any less.
\nHowever, my excitement soon gave way to disappointment as I approached the
\nUniversity precincts. All the way from *Barika *to *Agbowo, *the median on
\nthe dual carriageway was adorned with bags of solid waste in place of the
\ncustomary rows of ornamental plants or neatly kept lawn. It was an
\nincredibly disgusting sight – so incredible that I had to stop and take
\nsome pictures.
\nMany questions began to flash through my mind. At first I wondered if Oyo
\nState has any agency that is responsible for waste management. Upon
\nrealisation that it does, I wondered what kind of mindset would prompt
\nsupposedly enlightened Nigerians to dump household waste right in the
\nmiddle of the road. Although I happened to have sighted this in Ibadan,
\nsimilar situations exist across the country; and this has contributed in no
\nsmall way to the outbreak of diseases and incidence of so-called natural
\ndisasters.
\nWhile we must hold our political office holders responsible for fulfilling
\nour legitimate expectations, I believe that as responsible citizens of this
\ngreat nation, we should also hold ourselves responsible to basic standards
\nof propriety regardless of the effectiveness or otherwise of government
\nagencies and public systems. Like I have often said, we must realise that
\nthe most important things are not the things that the government will do
\nfor us. To create the *New *Nigeria, each Nigerian must take personal
\nresponsibility, realising that we are the government. We will get it right
\nsomeday.
\nGod bless Nigeria.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\r\n\"pix1\"\r\n<\/a>\"pix2\"\r\n<\/a>\"pix3\"<\/a>\"pix4\"<\/a>\"pix5\"<\/a><\/pre>\n
*Philip Amiola is a teacher, writer and campaigner of empowerment. He blogs\r\nat www.philipamiola.org<\/a> <http:\/\/www.philipamiola.org<\/a>> and tweets from\r\n@PhilipAmiola.*<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
*By Philip Amiola* When I wrote an article titled *Failed Government or Failing Citizens *in January 2013, I expected a reverberation of mixed comments. I was not disappointed. 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