Babachir and his Food for the Boys

A Cross-section of Participants at the Confab

 

The current secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria recently demeaned the confab on Nigeria's political future that was organized by the Jonathan administration a couple of years ago. He derisively referred to the conference as "food for the boys." Since he did not define what "food" he was referring to, or who the "boys" were, we have to assume that he means the conference was just a junket to provide some monetary manna for those who attended and contributed their insights at the meeting. In the Secretary's statement lies the power and glory of governmental irresponsibility and perfidy in Nigeria. 

Governance in Nigeria has become a game of denigrating all preceding governmental policies; good or bad, a relegation of people-oriented schemes to carefully managed tokens while disguising every current action as progress. If the moon race between Russia and the US had happened in Nigeria, you can assume that the next president after Kennedy (US) would have scuttled space exploration, either because it is too far from Sokoto, or some holy book says it is a sin to fly so close to God.

Despite all attempts at hiding the obvious, honest Nigerians know that the country, as presently constituted is rigged in favour of certain groups and power brokers whose interests are diametrically opposed to the progress of the nation.

If according to reports, "…more than 492 delegates consisting of distinguished citizens and professionals, as well as other core stakeholders rose above any narrow interest to painstakingly discuss and proffer realistic solutions to issues constituting impediment to Nigeria’s unity and progress" then the secretary to the Federal Government should have been more charitable. But the SGF appears to be speaking the mind of his principal who obviously does not mind the confab report ending up in a refuse dump with all the billions spent.

The oligarchy in the north has never been interested in an integrative approach to nationalism in Nigeria. They brazenly advocate a self-first approach, which despite its effectiveness at weakening the rest of the country politically has not produced any meaningful national development. Most of the recommendations in the confab report could at least serve as starting points for a fully integrated nation where everyone has a sense of national belonging. 

Nations and laws should evolve according to changing times and there is nothing sacrosanct or unchangeable in the way Nigeria is currently constituted. Only those who gain from its prostration and staticity have evolved condescending terms such as "Nigeria is non-negotiable." If the country is non-negotiable, who determined that status: the military, traditional or political leaders? Well, Nigeria's "non-negotiability" imposition by those who think they own it has currently led to a nation without future. It has resulted in a nation in search of itself in wrong places, where poverty, insecurity and crass disregard for human life is the order of the day. 

The Secretary to the government seats atop a rubbish heap while deluding himself about the status of his political clout. If a man of his status can trivialize what some of the best in the land sat together for nearly half a year to put together as recommendations for moving the nation forward then Nigeria is in a worse situation than meets the eye. Telling us that the exercise that gulped millions, if not billions of Naira of taxpayer's money is nothing but a smart way to share the nation's wealth is a national insult.

The north is currently unstable, the middle belt is seething and the south is restless. Insecurity stalks every Nigerian and there are some places in our so-called modern cities that you dare not drive through at night. In parts of Kwara State, the situation has degenerated to armed, grown men, stealing pots of soup from the stove and yet our leaders are not losing sleep.

It befuddles the average Nigerian that a corrective regime appears to have worsened an already bad situation.  All we hear is that things are bound to get worse before they get better; but such impossible platitudes are increasingly looking like a galling case of cluelessness. You'd think that the current regime should at least take off from where the last one reached in failure but how do we explain a situation where we are refailing all over again? There is too much activity in the easier aspect of shining light on the cockroaches (corruption) while paying lip service to the task of nation building.

Irrespective of what PMB or his SGF feel about examining the root of Nigeria's current parody of nationhood the country would probably outlast them. But during this brief moment in time, that might not come again, they owe it to themselves and posterity to honour the yearnings of every citizen by making every one of them matter.  The task is surely not for boys but battle-tested men ready to do the right thing.