By Prince Ejeh Josh.
The typical Nigerian man seems unperturbed in the face of an imminent doom. He seems not to see it. He pretends all is well. He stands in akimbo and looks on. Yes, he has learnt how not to learn from history. However, caught in the web of his unpleasant silence, he goes about gnashing, cursing and hissing. Will that solve his problems? Well, he has to live with it since he got himself mired in it in the first place. That Nigerian man is you and I. We deserve no sympathy when the whirlwind breaks out from our conspiracy of silence.
Exactly four years ago, the man at the helm of affairs got talking rough and tough. He presented himself as the long awaited messiah. He raised the green flag purportedly telling us that hope and confidence would be restored through him. It was “Sai Baba, Sai Buhari” renting the air. You dared not stand his way? You would be lynched with human cruelty. Many of us were fanatic about our newly found bride. Like a blindfolded lamb being led to the abattoir for slaughter, we were overjoyed about this self-proclaimed messiah. “Behold, our beloveth incorruptible despot whom we were well pleased” was the hallucinatory voice coming from no where.
“Shhhhhhhh, don’t talk before he would change his mind and go back to his Daura village. He is the man sent by Allah to rescue Nigeria”, some would say. “Yes, Mr Integrity” others would trumpet. He was, indeed, a turbulent messiah. To millions of Nigerians, their economy would soon surpass Singaporian and American economies combined. He was going to inject his Buharimonic economic wand. His body language alone would transform Nigeria and compel structural and disciplinary obedience in all the strata. Like a king, we crowned him and carried him shoulder high. We were unconcerned with his despicable fart that had polluted the air in his junta days. We had that strong conviction in his magical medications. We contributed and bought him a ticket. It’s now time to hit the ground running. It’s time to equal a Naira to a Dollar. Time to negotiate with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to hike and stabilise the international price of crude oil. Time to eradicate poverty. Time to create 23 million jobs in a year. Time for Nigerians to bid farewell to poverty. Time to see the hangmen doing justice to the corrupt. Time to be free of Boko Haram, kidnappers and insecurity. Time to be truly proud of being a Nigerian.
But he told us to wait. “Patient” he roared. He was telescoping and calibrating the magnitude of Nigeria problems. He wanted to ascertain the speed at which he would fire the ballistic missile. We all nodded in agreement even though time was ticking away, waiting for nobody. The zeal was still burning like fire. He was out there scouting for saints to work with. St. Ameachi, pray for us. St. Babachair Lawal, pray for us. St. Tinubu, grand commander of the fantastically corrupt and godfatherism, pray for us. St. Kyari, Maina, Adeosun, Mamman Daura, (all grand saints of kleptocracy) pray for us to Buhari.
It took Nigerians almost 7 or more months of anxiety, suspense and fear to have their venal, crooked but holy ministers presented to them by the holy one. These selected few were those who had washed themselves in the blood of venality and are not only criminally minded but also celebrated rogues. They had been found worthy to have a feast on the flesh of Nigerians. After 7 months, we were presented with a Trojan horse. It never occurred to us that Buhari was deceptively packaged by some dubious elements and spent billions in advertising and marketing him to us. After 7 months, we saw the defective nature of our demi-god. Before we could wake up and realise the extent of damage and the troubling waters staring menacingly at us, it was already an economic recession. A Great Depression where many lost their life-earnings, and suicide became an alternative to living.
To cushion this effect, they resorted to a psychological warfare. They spent dearly in demonising past administrations through their blame game technique, fake news and lies. The media bought into this duplicity and it was advertised in every corner of the country. No doubt, brown envelopes had exchanged hands. They blame anybody and anything they saw as responsible for the failure. Even when corruption festered like a plague among them, they blamed Jonathan. When the Fulani herdsmen went unabated terrorising, they blamed the armless farmers being slaughtered in the farms as responsible. When Boko Haram threatened to capture Buhari alive, they blamed Obasanjo. The blame game really worked! When their subsidy scam running into trillions of Naira was leaked, they blamed ordinary Nigerians hustling on the street to make a living.
Four years down the lane, the system had become so miserable. Life becomes short arising out of the brutal and nasty nature of the country. The country keeps running on a treadmill. It becomes the capital poverty of the world. The government lost grip of the system and has no answer, no explanation and no understanding to anything. It’s like, “if you ask me, na who I go ask”.
Yet again, Buhari has sluggishly started his second tenure on the wrong footing, having no idea of whom or those to be appointed. Perhaps, Nigerians should resort to the cabal for a quicker solution or dissolution. No single appointment yet. It shows the government isn’t ready for any business. Sadly, the CBN just warns of another looming recession. If I may ask; when did we get out of the last recession? Nothing positive has changed since then. It could have been more hardship that is being predicted. Is another Buhari possible? Is a new Nigeria still possible under Buhari? Questions.
___________________________________
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on our opinion page are those of the writer and do not represent the position of INSIDER or any of its reporters/editors.