I love my country and am very hopeful someday we'd be a better evolved and developed nation. This hope might seem vague with current persistent vices that have plagued us as a people but change we say is constant.
This piece you are about to read will give you an insight into the state of my country using my community as a magnifying lens.
Here we go;
I live in a godly community or should I rather say, a communal domain of a religious populace, comprising prosperously of a high caliber of professionals – professors, doctors, lawyers, high ranking ministry official’s, military and para-military personnel’s, business men, clergies et.al, which could tempt you to believe such inspiring blessing of intellectual human resources would make my community a role model exemplar to others.
In a society embellished with a strong believe in God’s influence on human activities and destinies, you would expect my community to depict what most of us hope an ideal society in Nigeria should be. A community of love, peace, integrity and progressive minds for unity and development; sanctified with a propensity for growth.
If I hear someone say “There’s hope for Nigeria, that Nigeria will be better and will be among the greats someday,” I will retort, “Amen.”
That isn’t a prayer, you might say, it’s a positive confession. But will you forgive me when I say they are ear itching rhetoric's.
We pray it, believe it and confess it but we wonder how come our numerous religious centers and prayer grounds with teeming populations haven’t transformed our society for a greater good; instead our values have degraded with their enormous increase for our long years span as a country.
When mature men gather in small discussion groups in my community, they would be talking sports, politics or community issues.
Of all such discussions, issues on politics are the most intense.
Criticisms and bias bedevils most of their insinuations about politicians, governments and leadership.
“They are corrupt!” You’d hear them scream on top of their voices. “We need better leaders not sycophants, inept, clueless, rigid and selfish bigots and chauvinists who squander our collective resources.”
When I listen to their assertions and complaints, I would prefer these cerebral minds proffer solutions rather than endlessly reel out the weaknesses and ineptitude of our leaders.
It becomes catchier and more interesting when comments glide about community developments. Betrayals, mismanagement of funds and incompetence of some of the community leaders are among the many grumblings and grievances they frequently express.
Maybe these misgivings of my community can be forgiven. Humans are not perfect you may say. We are all subject to mistakes, errors and it’s just normal for us to err.
The big question to be asked is, “If a highly religious and educated assembly of community folks like mine cannot successful govern and develop their community but can interminably complain about government leaders.
What is the hope of the larger Nigeria society?
What baffles and bewilders me more is the just concluded community executive committee elections.
These people complain about our general elections and the inefficiency and inadequacies of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But can you believe the number of votes at the just concluded elections in my community exceeded the number of accredited voters?
The people claimed the elections were rigged?
“How come you may ask?”
I will prefer not to bore you with details of counter claims by varying supporters which followed the election results.
What’s dipping is how the losing parties wished they concocted similar rigging mechanisms for their preferred candidates. This depicts an overwhelming ideology of my country people for victory at all cost without counting or estimating the devastating costs on the society.
It is worthy to note though, that there were few people who stood clear of this perilous minded tendencies of my country people and insisted on transparency, but they are a negligible few.
Before I end this piece need I say, dysfunctional families make dysfunctional communities; dysfunctional communities birth dysfunctional societies and these all cumulates into a dysfunctional nation.
Unfortunately, that’s part of the story of my country.
