ON THE 10 BILLION NAIRA FOR INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY
These, indeed, are trying times for Nigerians. They are made harder by the fact that we are superintended by those who have forgotten who they were before we made them what they are today. Today we are back to the familiar turf. The Nigerian masses have become helpless audience in a market where the "masquerade" they robed had gone out of their control. The Nigerian nation is held by the jugular- by the politicians –al-Mulūk; Nigeria is being held hostage by those who are posturing to be its saviours. Our government at the federal level has given practical evidence to the theory that government is the only vessel that leaks from the top.
Nigerians woke up the other day to hear the news that a princely sum of 10 billion naira has been proposed by the federal government to mark the country's independence anniversary. Unlike my "fellow Nigerians", I was highly disappointed over the proposal: I wondered what stopped the initial proposal of 62 million dollars reportedly considered by our late President. I thought that would have spoken more truthfully to the kind of leadership that we presently have in this country. It would also have assisted the Ghanaian politicians, at least retroactively. In 2007, Ghana marked its own jubilee celebration. Ahead of the anniversary the Ghanaian government earmarked a whopping sum of 20 million dollars to be spent within some couple of days. As usual, ordinary Ghanaians rose up to declaim the profligacy; as expected, the politicians in Ghana had their way using their "diplomacy". Aside from the Jubilee House in Accra which was built to mark the anniversary, an ordinary Ghanaian would tell you that the 20 million dollars appropriated for the anniversary disappeared as soon as it was appropriated. It was simply "inhaled" by the politicians.
Thus in budgeting 10 billion naira for Nigeria's 50th independence anniversary, a simple question should be asked: what stops President Goodluck Jonathan from proposing 150 billion naira to mark our transition from colonial to neo-colonial hegemony? A budget of 150 billion naira, I would say, would have been more significant: it would have represented 150 million Nigerians! Thus our politicians would have had more money to spend. For example, instead of N950 million naira which has been budgeted for the anniversary parade including march-past, fleet review and aerial display a proposal of 2 billion naira would have been more "dignifying"; instead of N350 million naira which has been proposed for national unity torch and tour, at least two billion naira would have been better. Our first Lady, Mrs. Patience Goodluck Jonathan, would not have had to exercise any patience when she has five billion naira in her purse as she embarks on her proposed visits to special homes, orphanages, prisons and selected hospitals. Perhaps her Excellency's visit to the University College Hospital in Ibadan – perish the cynic thought you are having now that she may not even venture to the "Oyato" state - would have caused a miracle to occur to the comatose state of infrastructure in the hospital. Her visit may lead to constant supply of electricity to the hospital.
Brethren in faith, I could not but question the economic advisers of our lucky President who proposed just N20 million for special session of the National Children's Parliament. How would over 1000 children to be gathered in Abuja manage 20 million naira notwithstanding the fact that the whole activity may last only for some hours. Remember these are not children of market women in Bodija. They are children of big men and women; they are children of Mr Big, of McDonald!; children of our leaders, our politicians. It is their fathers and mothers who are appropriating our resources; they would be brought to Abuja in order to confer validity on national bankruptcy.
But the story is still unfolding; the budget is still under processing; it is being revised every other day. Our government is still planning. It plans to spend N40 million to organize a Presidential banquet to mark the 50th independence anniversary; N50 million for calisthenics performance; N310m for cultural, historical and military exhibitions while N40 million naira will go for what the government called 'food week'. I beg your pardon! Food week!! Does it mean that during the week of golden jubilee celebration Nigerians would be fed for free by the Federal Government? Or does the "Food Week" refers to a mythical bazaar in which Nigerians would be expected to open their mouths, wherever they are, be it in Onitsha or Yobe, and expect food to appear in the horizon? Does the Federal Government plan to act like Allah by sending manna down from heaven as had happened to the children of Israel? (Quran 5)
Dear Brethren in faith, I was surprised to read that only N30 million naira has been budgeted for the designing and unveiling of our 50th independence anniversary logo. How could such an important logo not cost 5 billion naira? Or is it the case that our leaders have forgotten that once the logo is produced the infrastructural problems confronting us would be a thing of the past? The new logo is the magic wand: the ace that would put an end to the menace of bad roads; the logo that would cost 30 million naira is, as far as our politicians are concerned, the catalyst that would put an end to the abyss and infamy of darkness in our cities. It would put an end to lack of portable water in our cities. The parties the Foreign Ministry would organize would also stop unceasing profiling of Nigerians abroad. It would translate to immediate reversal of brain-drain! The point we are making is this: the decision of the Federal Government to waste 10 billion naira in the name of 50th independence anniversary raises a number of issues for our contemplation. Such might include the problematic of the ideal leader, the utter lack of vision and wisdom on the side of our politicians which often manifest itself when they indulge in profligacy without gaiety, and the uselessness or usefulness of public opinion vis-à-vis governmental responsibility and accountability.
In other words, as this country mark the 50th independence anniversary of its flag independence from her Majesty, one big lacuna in our national history is the absence of that group of leaders who Allah describes as "Muslihun" in contradiction to the "Mufsidun". The former are the social reformers, the conscience of their societies, the latter are the destroyers, the nemesis of the nation; the former are men and women who live beyond the present; men and women who live not for today but for tomorrow. Using Nizam al-Mulk's thesis, the leader a nation like Nigeria needs are men and women with, "comely appearance, pleasing disposition, integrity, knowledge of and expertise in the dynamics of governance, inexhaustible compassion, strictness in the fulfillment of the oath they pledge, sound faith and true belief in the inimitable power of Almighty Allah…"
But presently it appears we have the type of leaders we deserve, not the leaders we should have. The prophet says: "the way you are would determine the kind of leaders you shall have". Our leaders today are emerging from the political class not from the intellectual circle; they are emerging, excepting a few among them, from the streets not from the academy. Some of our politicians, like others in other climes, shine and stink. Majority of them are eminent men and women even though half-educated. Some of them have morals even though we have to grant them the freedom to be loose. The higher the status of some of our politicians have attained, at least going by our recent history in this country, the more debauched our nation has become. I have been searching for the politician who is not treacherous in private friendship, who is not an hypocrite in public life – such may be found in small numbers in our clime. When you meet some of our politicians, you get a sense of meeting the opprobrium of mankind, a landscape of iniquity, a sink of sin. To accuse some of our politicians of being apostates is to lose the opportunity of calling them imposters.
Unto that small but highly conscientious and visionary group of politicians be it in the North or in the South of the country, I join that league of Nigerians who, whenever they see beauty is quick to applaud are appreciative of your effort. As the nation marks its 50 independence anniversary we thank those governors whose activities are impacting the lives of ordinary Nigerians. These indeed are those who are celebrating the independence anniversary. It is along that trajectory that others should travel. (This is a revised version of a piece that appeared in The Guardian on Friday) |
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