By Chibuike Ugochukwu Ozuzu
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The response of Nigerians to the massive corruption, mismanagement and abuse of power by this generation of leaders is difficult to explain. Normal human beings would have long exhausted the ability to absorb pain and suffering, but how can one explain Nigerians?
Would it be right to assume Nigeria is cursed or that Nigerians are simply fools to think of a second term for these rogues? Trying to understand the behavior of Nigerians is difficult, but some seem to think the people are simply confused.
Let’s begin with the choice of the leaders by Nigerians. Knowledge is a powerful source of power, and wealth. Knowledge also becomes easily outdated and one can fall behind in today’s knowledge explosion. Little wonder, people are constantly updating their knowledge.
More adults are acquiring more education as can be seen with many evening programs, online programs etc.
In Nigeria today, hunger, starvation, insecurity, lack of health and hospital facilities, lack of pipe borne water, fake drugs, un-motorable roads, non- payment of salaries, lack of electricity, fuel scarcity, high unemployment are being used as legitimate instruments of governance– thanks to this generation of leaders. High inflation haspriced essential commodities out of the reach of the common men and women, coupled with unpaid salaries for as much 7 months and up to one year and this is true– Nigeria is the fifth largest producer of crude oil in the World
How have Nigerians been coping in the face of a deplorable standard of living? To answer this question, one has to look back to the era of the new found oil wealth. There was plenty of money embezzlement and corruption
and ostentation became the order of the day.
Contracts were awarded to friends and family with no experience and mobilization fees were paid out and the party began for a few privileged people. Then the military struck on July 29, 1975 led by Murtala Muhammed and
his gang of anti-corruption crusaders. Among the crusaders were Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Muhammadu Buhari and others.
Murtala did not live long enough to show his true colors but the members of his gang that still live today are living testimonies of what that regime may have turned out to be. By 1985 when Babangida finally took over, corruption
became institutionalized and the decline of the economic fortunes took a steady course with
only a few beneficiaries.
Again, how have the people coped with hungerand starvation over the decades of misrule?
Schools began to be shut down as teachers were unpaid, government began to owe workers and pensioners salaries, children began to hawk drinking water to help their parents make money to survive, some turned to armed robbery, others became more creative by developing scams and 419 scoops etc., others fled Nigeria in search of green card for survival.
The vast majority of Nigerians unfortunatelybelong to the group that has children hawking water and other small wares to make a living in the face of months of unpaid salaries. The irony is that this suffering in the land cuts across ethnicities and different religions.
These leaders are leaders with no conscience; no wonder why Gani named his party, NATIONAL CONSCIENCE PARTY.
All the ingredients necessary to trigger off a revolution are present in Nigeria . If a democratic process fails, then a revolution isinevitable. THIS WICKED GENERATION OF LEADERS includes most members of the senate,
the House of Representatives and most of theState Governors and Executives and legislators.
Only God knows what the future holds for Nigeria- a nation held hostage by a WICKED
GENERATION OF LEADERS.
