Saturday, May 14, 2011

What Future?

It is midnight, I am in Abuja, and it is raining!


I cannot sleep anymore!


The little lady asked for a midnight snack, and I promptly obliged her with the magical, ever faithful, tea and bread! 




As I looked at my daughter, I started thinking about the kind of country I would be handing over to her!




My parents gave me a country that had potentials, but, as if to show that records are meant to be broken, we have succeeded in turning a winning position into one of desperation!


Two generations ago, in this same country, graduates were employed from our universities!


They were wooed with offers of car loans, and and other perks that make life sweet! 




The next were not so lucky, they were the "strike" generation! 


They were the ones who proved to the world that it was indeed possible to complete a four year degree course in eight, despite one not failing a single subject at all! 


The, too numerous to mention, industrial actions by the academia, created an aberration; professional students! 


These were people whose vocation seemed to be ever-going to school, albeit in fits and stops, while not graduating!


And today, the cycle of decay is complete! 


We now have universities that are less than secondary schools in neighbouring West African  countries! 


Our secondary schools  are worse than primary, and primary schools that just kill intellect!


We have managed to achieve this distasteful distinction while increasing our annual budgets in geometric progression! 


Where a member of the house of representatives earns Fifteen million naira every month: and political office holders see the nation as a cash cow, we are surely in dire straits!


Our mantra seems to be "If it works elsewhere, not here!




So I am considering my five year old right now, and ruminating on the future she would traverse, in our refusing to be great nation!


We have pantomimed for fifty years, and pretended progress! 




We drive cars we do not produce, wear shoes we do not cobble, and and even the crude oil we produce, we need outsiders to refine it for us to use! 


If that is not failure, I wonder what is!


We have failed this nation! Yes we have!


Those who looted, and who those awaiting their turn because the opportunity currently eludes them:shame on you!


We too have failed by our conspiracy of silence! 


I believe that Nigeria would fix herself, one way, or another!


One day, we would all wake up, and find that the last straw we thought was nothing, has finally broken her back! 


Then, perhaps, like Esau in the Bible, we would contritely seek our inheritance, and find it comfortably pledged to another!


Its now One a.m! 


MAY GOD BLESS NIGERIA! OUR OWN DEAR NATIVE LAND, FOREVER!



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