Lead us not into temptation, Nigeria - The frustrations of Brother Upright. P3

Did you read Part 2? 

 

Part 3: The Jinx

They say Nigerians are the happiest people in the world, or one of the happiest at least. But I haven't heard those who propose such a claim try to substantiate it. I believe that Nigerians are skilled at laughing at themselves and their problems, giving the observer the impression that nothing upsets them. We make light of even the most serious situations. The average attention span over even the most scandalous issues that make the news is just about two weeks. Afterwards, it's on to the next topic.

We defend such an attitude with statements such as 'I cannot come and kill myself.' We live only for the thrill of the moment. Perhaps this explains how diehard Lagosians survive the hectiness of life in the city.

You'll also be left flabbergasted by how skillfully government constructs defenses against questions arising from its actions. Between the media reports on the issues and the infrequent responses from the government in defending the actions from which the issues stemmed, there is never a clear-cut conclusion, on which one could say the matter has been put to rest.

And it goes on and on. Unresolved problems succeeding and even conflating newer unresolved problems, till we are all overwhelmed and tired from the effort of trying to resolve them. This is the story of Nigeria.

When Nigerians discuss the country's problems, 9 out of 10 occasions, the discussions conclude with a sigh of resignation, a shrugging of the shoulders and a 'may God help us' or 'It is well' or any other iterations of such sentiments.

Lead us not into temptation, Nigeria - The frustrations of Brother Upright. P2

Did you read Part 1 ?

Part 2: A conspiracy?

When the National Conference was held in November 2014, I was hopeful that at last we were commencing the process of doing what we should have done all those years back. Somehow, five years down the line, the existence of a report of that conference is still a matter of speculation. The chances of implementation, if the report should be produced now, are virtually nonexistent.

Why did the colonial masters let us off so 'easily'? Was this an act of 'benevolence'? Callous as it sounds, it seems to me that a bloody rebellion against the colonial authority may have forced the Northern and Southern protectorates, to unite for a common goal, and thus to forge a true brotherhood, borne out of necessity, and mutual understanding of the unique strengths of the constituent groups.

Since 1960, rather than unite in every sense of the word, Nigeria has progressively divided along judicial, tribal and religious lines, producing more factions and boundaries - a nation that started out as three regions!

The misunderstanding that caused the civil war still smoulders, daily threatening Nigeria with a potential explosion. We consistently mull the idea of declaring a state of emergency on security and several other issues, but for now, it's all talk. Apparently, our leaders have some insight into our problems (which the average citizen doesn't) that makes them complacent in response. Or maybe they are just blind. Somehow, the man who would fight the injustice on the streets becomes incapacitated when he acquires actual political power to make even more significant difference.

Perhaps the looting of our national heritage by our leaders on assumption of office, is a reaction to the sudden realization of the desperation of the Nigerian situation. Perhaps they realize that they may need to abandon ship soon, and they need to stock up resources in that event.

Perhaps Nigeria doesn't even truly exist! Perhaps I am getting carried away with this fantasy.

All in all, something doesn't seem right with our country. And it is more serious than we portray.

It caused me to wonder, were we jinxed?

Lead us not into temptation, Nigeria - The frustrations of Brother Upright. P1

Part 1: In the beginning

First, a disclaimer. 

It seems to me that the founding fathers did not carefully consider the implications of the independence of a Nigerian nation - a nation not yet fully formed or structured, a premature birth that almost became a stillbirth only a few years down the line.

They did not consider in Myles Monroe's words, the burden of the freedom they sought.

Infactuated with the idea of sovereignty, not much thought was given to the path immediately following that sovereignty.

The same trend continues today. We seek the glory of Western advancement without laying the foundations to sustain the structure that will reach to the sky. Nigeria complies with literally every global standard, on paper at least. The reality is often far removed.

Even the infinitely wise God portrayed in the Scriptures, in granting us freedom from sin and its debilitating effects, did not leave us in any doubt about the weight of responsibility that was attached to the free gift He gave. The Scriptures labour to impress upon the follower of Jesus, the joys he will find, the peace he receives, as well as the tribulation that will follow his choice, the suffering that will try to frustrate his resolve...

Everything is clearly spelt out.

But our 'visionary' leaders did not see that far into the future. They were young and eager, excited at the thought of revolution. Did they seek counsel?

Today, many of those who were witnesses of the independence Nigeria, and have lived this long, still hold tenaciously to power - perhaps they seek absolution from their consciences for the mistakes of the past, mistakes that have now mutated into a monstr behemoth of trouble that seems suicidal to confront and resolve.

The solution points in one direction - a comprehensive review of our constitution - the definition of Nigeria and what it means to be Nigerian.

For some reason, this solution seems very difficult to implement.

Was there a conspiracy...?

Lead us not into temptation, Nigeria - The frustrations of Brother Upright

Disclaimer

 My allegations may disparage without intent, the memory of our heroes past,
But it is of necessity, in view of my frustrations with the fruit of their labour,
To examine whence the issues that plague and bind us today, stemmed
Every attempt at a consensus on the way forward for Nigeria, ends in a deadlock, a dead end
It's like the dilemma that the question poses;
Who came first, the chicken or the egg?
But today, I retrace my footsteps to the creation story
The answer lies there - the chicken came to be, and then there were eggs.
Follow me on this journey of discovery. May we truly discovers Freedom's Way and deliver ourselves from the mire we have found ourselves in,
This mire called Nigeria.

So, in the beginning...