Dear Mr. President:
I do not live in Nigeria. I pray and hope someday Nigeria becomes the most attractive place to many Nigerians who had accepted the unfortunate fate of living and dying away from home. They say, and rightfully so, that "One's father's home should not pose a dread to one;" but it seems Nigeria is fast becoming an exception to that rule of conventional wisdom. Hopefully, you can change that trajectory. Personally, if I could vote, my vote would have gone to Oluremi Sonaiya, the very impressive candidate of the KOWA party, regardless of the repulsive sting of the party's name. Professor Sonaiya is the only candidate who has clearly articulated her plan of passing the acid test of what could turn a Nigerian president into a responsible and respectable leader, thereby making Nigeria a nation to be given a place of honor in the banquet of modern politics and civilization. She has assured the world that what has turned Nigeria into a laughing stock of the modern world is the first problem she would tackle and win, that is she promised to bring those 300 girls home and wrestle Boko Haram to submission. The small nation of Niger has laughed us to scorn; Chad has pulled its muscle on this matter, and the neighboring Sierra Leone has inflicted damage on the psyche of Boko Haram, relegating them into the whimsical operatives within the boarders of their "powerless" neighbor, Nigeria! What a pity . . . O ma se o!
Sir: Presidency of a nation is not self-edification, self-enrichment, dictatorship, or titular heroism. We are good in the Nigerian political arena at flashing the titles of "Doctor, Chief, Professor, General, and what have you, as if being a President or Senator or Governor is not good enough. You saw for yourself the amount of wasted time and energy on the authenticity of your title and/or certificate. Had Nigeria accepted most of the civilized world's way of discountenancing titles and diplomas, this nonsensical upheaval would have been non-existent. Imagine if we must address politicians in America by their non-politically relevant titles, then 90% would be either "Doctor, Professor or General Somebody." Just imagine how ridiculous it would sound to say, "The president of the United States, Professor Barak Obama," people would start throwing tomatoes and raw eggs - it's that nauseating! That is because all these titles prove absolutely nothing. Why should I care that you were a "professor" somewhere when you never did anything to my country or constituency that demonstrates you professed anything? Please stay away from those childhood neuroses void of any empirical value to our progress. You have to prove that Nigeria exists in reality. You have to prove that Nigeria is a nation to be reckoned with in the annals of great African nations. You have to demonstrate that you care for the citizens of that nation enough to provide what people all over the world take for granted - water, electricity, good roads, quality and mass education, etc. You have to prove that the youth, which constitutes the future of any nation, is not a disenfranchised group, the bulk of which goes around jobless, and having on their resume "NYSC" as the only job they ever had. As a caveat, five young and agile men robbed me, in the company of a friend and two of my daughters, while on a casual visit to Nigeria a few months ago. I bet, from the way they spoke and looked, all of them were university graduates with little or nothing to do but roam the streets of Lagos with deadly weapons, robbing whoever looked vulnerable. Do something about that! Create an economically viable atmosphere. Provide jobs for the young and the restless. Nigeria is a nation blessed with some of the most intellignt people on earth but when intelligence is not harnessed right and utilized maximally, you reap the harvest of mayhem and anarchy. Believe me, there is fire on the roof and you dare not sleep easy. If your title of "Mr. President" holds any water, you should address these matters, but first and foremost, BRING OUR GIRLS HOME!!!
Michael O. Afolayan
USA
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