“For decades, there had been a cry of distress in our beloved country Nigeria. Interestingly, It has been the cry for change, the cry for justice, the cry for righteousness, the cry for a new Nigeria and national re-birth. In anguish, fear, and humiliation had his love been born, but the birth-pangs had been as brief as they were intense. Nigeria is at the cusp of a political transition.
Let me begin with the testimony of Martin Luther King Jr. an American Baptist minister and activist who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.
It symbolized the fact that a new order was coming into being and an old order was passing away. So I was deeply concerned about it. I wanted to be involved in it, be a part of it, and notice the birth of this new nation with my own eyes.
“For decades, there had been a cry of distress in our beloved country Nigeria. Interestingly, It has been the cry for change, the cry for justice, the cry for righteousness, the cry for a new Nigeria and national re-birth. In anguish, fear, and humiliation had his love been born, but the birth-pangs had been as brief as they were intense. Nigeria is at the cusp of a political transition. Millions of our compatriots home and abroad who chafe and suffer under the weight of excruciating pains and multidimensional poverty caused by our political leaders’ maladministration, want a change for the better.
Our dear country Nigeria continues to confront numerous issues such as; security, economic, political, and social challenges. More than ever witnessed in many homes, the present situation is bleak and many cannot celebrate. Hence, the issue of national re-birth.
Regardless of the present situation; there is hope for a brighter future and the promise that this new era,
The presidency of Tinubu’s ‘Unity-Trinity’, will provide a good turning point for our country and its people.
We should all look forward to the bright side of life with the hope that Nigeria’s so much-talked-about vast potential will soon turn into reality.Undoubtedly, May ’29, 2023 shall mark the beginning of a great revolutionary change for the better in all ramifications in Nigeria. This is what I termed “Deconstructive or disruptive permutations”.
Its dynamism is positivism, stirring up insatiability in the new frontiers in attitude, behavior, character, culture, creed, knowledge, and most humanely, our humanity. “A challenge to all and sundry or simply put, a paradigm shift in panache”.
Expectedly, there will be the issue of push-back to contend with.Sadly, our beloved country Nigeria is messed up because the majority is in selective amnesia.
To refresh our minds, find below the examples of some of the reasons why we have not made progress on the issue of Nation-building:
1. One of the instances of Nigeria’s dilemma was exposed when Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, the minister of Niger Delta, revealed that NDDC contracts were given to federal legislators, The chairman of the probe panel practically begged him not to spill the beans.
This was reflected in the infamous “Is okay, off the mic, is okay” consistent interruption. In the meantime, Godswill Obot Akpabio who is now “controversially” a returning senator, refused to honor the invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) severally feigning illness, making him a fugitive of the law.
2. There is the case of a former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, Sokoto, Major-General Hakeem Otiki.
Otiki had in July 2019 sent five soldiers to transport a large sum of money from Sokoto to Kaduna by road where it would be taken to Abuja, part of the money meant for fighting insurgency. The money was reportedly stolen by soldiers conveying the cash. After the trial by the military court, Otiki was found guilty of N400 million theft and was demoted and dismissed.
This is one of the examples of the Army of Fortune benefiting from corrupt activities that made fighting insurgency unachievable. Other atrocities include oil thefts.
3. The rot in the police establishment is exemplified by (DCP) Abba Kyari (who was the toast of many, particularly the unsuspecting gullible fellows excited about magic and heroes).
He was regarded in Nigeria as a super cop, and he is always there when there is a need to unravel or bust a kidnap gang. His prowess in crime fighting is unrivaled. He is the nation’s pride of what a police officer should be. But now he seems to have been catapulted from the pinnacle of success down the abyss of failure and corruption. Ultimately, Kyari turned out to be a case of super criminal.
4. What is more, people who confidently pad their expense returns on official trips; renew driver’s licenses without showing their faces at the premises of the FRSC; bribe NYSC officials to change National service postings of their relatives to choose ‘lucrative’ companies in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt; pay huge sums to “people at the top” to get jobs for their mentees in the Customs, NPA and other lucrative MDAs; adjust their electricity billing meters (if they can); brag about their connections that enable their relatives to leapfrog higher scoring but not connected candidates and get into those highly sought after courses in the Universities of their choice; under-report their incomes in order to pay lower taxes and cheat on their spouses and partners with impunity; have suddenly become pious preachers of probity, accountability, and integrity.
In conclusion, the significance of national re-birth, reorientation, ethics, and mind restructuring cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, as we usher in a new era much is expected from the new administration with the hope of a new dawn.
Richard Odusanya Mind Restructuring Enthusiast.
