Brampton, Ontario, Canada
yemiadegbite@yahoo.ca
March 24, 2009

I looked at the meaning of the word “change”, these are some of the words I found and they all jumped at me: transformation, revolution, adjustment, conversion, amendment, difference, etc.
I juxtaposed these words against the events in Nigeria under the so called “agent of change” and “listening” government led by Alhaji Ya’adua, nothing comparable in all purpose and intent. That made me to quarry the intent of this government. Does this government really mean what it says? Is the government communicating in the language that people do not comprehend? Sometimes, it appears that the government is confused, confounded and often times indulges in self delusion.
When Ya’adua came to power via a questionable selection process, he confessed that, his election left a bad taste in people’s mouth, and he promised to make the election process in the country more credible and acceptable. In his own wisdom, he promised to overhaul the system; people accepted and gave him the benefit of the doubt. He appointed a commision that will proffer a workable solution to our protracted “electoral jaundice” in the country, but, what did the presidency do with it, they jettisoned all the meaningful recommendations and substituted them with their “last cards” that will secure them another questionable victory come 2011. If this government thinks it can fool Nigerians again, then, people in this administration should get their heads examined. They can hide things, and Nigerians can seek things out. It is very sad that our leaders have a very bad reputation for insincerity, and they have a pathological propensity for corruption and outright insensitivity no matter what people think about them. When a poor Nigerian steals bread, he got short or sent to jail, affluent or government functionary steals millions, he goes to the National Assembly!
He bluffed about “rule of law”; he toyed with the concept of transparency and now is talking about, re-branding Nigeria. If he must know, words alone do not make any difference except they are followed with action; I mean credible and visible action! the whole events unfolding in Nigeria daily did and could not convince anybody with a modicum of intelligence that any real change is taking place, if this government thinks is changing anything, that means the meaning of the word “change” is messed up in their dictionary. All I can see is the same madness going on unabated, people who make real change don’t blow their own trumpets, when changes are visible, there and then, people will talk about it, not the type of “change” that this is government is talking about. The change people can see right now is dwindling supply of goods and services, inadequate power supply, un-motor able roads, hyper-inflation, perennial oil scarcity and acute unemployment rate in the country.
The government talked about “Rule of Law”, what we see on grounds is arbitrary actions without recourse to the ordinary law of the land. The presidency look warm attitudes towards the masses predicaments made many people including myself to ask this 10million naira question about what manner of change is Yar’dua talking about? Everything that this government professes to do and prides itself over is a mirage, all we have seen happening on the grounds are sadly the opposite that is why people do not take their word for it. Talk about corruption, it is still going on massively in the government; this government can be described as everything but change. Many progressive people in the government have been shown the way out. Extra judicial killings are still rife in our society, standard of living in the country is going from bad to worse, the global meltdown has even made it unbearable, and workers are in for the worst period in the history of our nation. There is no plan put in place to mitigate the effects of the hardship on the people.
Now the government is talking of rebranding the country “good people great nation” and what? Corrupt, shameless and insensitive leaders! Rebranding is not a function of words of month. It is far beyond that, it is about selfless and sacrificial leadership, it is about visionary and practical leadership, it is about altruistic leadership ready to risk all for the advancement of his country, ready to stare even death in the face for the sake of his people and gives it all he has for his fatherland. No true re-branding can come out of this type of hide and seek leaders that we have in the country right now. What we have are leaders who do not and cannot identify with the masses because they have not experienced what ordinary Nigerians experienced and still experience in their day-to-day lives. They can only feel it if they have experienced it, period!
What we need is real, transparent and a renewed war against corruption on the part of the government, not this mental gymnastic or any rhetoric for that matter. the government should go into an over-drive and move out of “go-slow” or “stand still” if you will and make a plan on how to save and shield Nigerians from the full burden of the global meltdown instead of spending a lot of money that could be better spent on something else on mere slogans that will not take us any there. Any nation that is as desperate as we are is a danger to itself, all the great nation crab we are talking about now will not improve the lots of my people unless there are coordinated efforts on the part of government to effect a real change of attitudes in the presidency. When the head is in good shape, it shows all over the body. Yoruba people say “bile ba san ni, awo, laa wo” that is, when you come from an affluent home, it reflects on your body.
The greatness of Nigeria can only come to light through the type and nature of the leadership we put in place. Words of month do not make any nation great, but the content of the character of its leadership. Leaders make their nation great by what they do in private as well as their public lives. What is the national character of our leaders? The character they portray is that of pride, arrogance, intolerance, obnoxious, selfishness.
Almost 3 years into his first term, what we got instead of change is stagnation, degradation, deprivation, and incapacitation. For light, we got darkness, for pipe borne water, we got dry taps, for good roads network, we got death traps all over, deaths in the hospitals and tragedy in our schools.
A word is enough for the wise!
By the way, our Safe Nigeria Project (SNAP) is moving on, for more information, contact info@nigeriahorizon.com

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