Some two weeks ago, elder Amaechi of Mkpor, Anambra state, in an interview with the Daily Sun newspapers, could not hold back his frustrations at the deteriorating life and the hopelessness that define today’s Nigeria. Barely a week later, General Alani Akinrinade, a Yoruba elder, also, voiced out against the continuing existence of a nation that doesn’t work. He specifically demanded that this country be re-structured into regions as it was before the military struck.
These frustrations are not only understandable, they are legitimate. The best times, in our history, were in the days of regional governments, when the regions competed in developing their regions: the western region, the eastern and the northern regions. The problems associated with this present arrangement is so much that even if it was designed by God, we should start to pray God can have mercy on us and change this design. Everything we have today and a lot more that had been destroyed through rascally governance were acquired in the days of regionalism.
Growing up in the western region was particularly interesting as things worked. Both young and old had hopes in a great future, as all institutions ran normally- the schools, the health institutions, the public works, (am, here, reminded of the PWD). Salaries were being paid and pensioners enjoyed their old age, in comfort. Very close to my St Patrick’s RCM School, in the next community of Ikosu was a district council dispensary, which provided, very efficiently, health care delivery services for a few communities, including mine-it was never short of drugs (no fake drugs). In terms of sheer attention and stock, it compared favourably with a teaching hospital of today. The district council was the equivalent of today’s local government-this same local government that has become a mere burden to the polity, being run by visionless party thugs. A little more distance away, in Ido Ekiti, was a general hospital, which handled referral cases, from the dispensaries. In terms of service delivery, staff commitment, efficiency, facilities, the general hospital, in Ido, was far better that all these things we call teaching hospitals, put together, in Nigeria, today.
My primary school, though nonresidential, engaged pupils both during and after school periods, sufficient to keep them off the streets. My secondary school was a highly regimented residential institution where we were allowed to go out, only on the last Saturday of every month, so we could buy toiletteries and other needs. Looking back, today, I am full of thanks to the almighty God for taking me through that path. This was the experience of most youths in the then western region and, I guess, everywhere, else.
Parenting within the community was, largely, communal as the entire community paid attention to the behaviours of every child and meted out corrective-sanctions if and when necessary. Every community put in place, effective mechanisms for rewarding good and sanctioning evils-those mechanisms were accorded sacred authorities for the good of the communities.
For reasons which, till date, remain in the realm of conjectures, the military took over governance of Nigeria, in what it called federal military government, posting governors into the states from a central point-I am not a political scientist but this terminology looks contradictory to my limited understanding of federalism. What remains, clearly, incontrovertible is that the military, who established force, as opposed to intellect, as a tool for negotiation thus destroying anything about our culture and dignity, within the period its reign lasted. As if not done yet, it foisted, on the nation, a group of rascals it called, new breed (aka new geed) politicians. This group, made up of the worst characters anywhere: foreign jail breakers, gamblers, con men, liars, certificate forgers, over pampered children of irresponsible but loot-wealthy parents, etc came to complete the ongoing destruction of our country. Today misery and tears with no hope of relief, in sight, linger in our communities, as our people are deprived of basic necessities of life: water, food, shelter and education, while the crook-leaders, (Fela called them vagabonds in power) live in satanic-opulence, having stolen our common wealth.
Visiting Ibadan, for the first time, in my life, after my secondary school, I found that city favourably comparing with the city of London, which I knew, later-today Ibadan, like many other urban centers of Nigeria are huge-slums with odours oozing out of every corner until Ajimobi came to do his ongoing reconstruction, may God bless him, for me.
These facts legitimize our elders’ frustrations and lamentations-five decades walking the same path, without success does not portray us as reasonable human beings-we need to restructure and redefine this federation. Let’s see unity in diversity at work.