By J.S Okutepa, SAN
It is time for those who have given themselves power to govern Nigeria to admit that they lacked the vision and direction to lead us well. Nothing has changed in governance and in the lives of Nigerians. The old stories are what we are being told with daily.
Killings, kidnappings, murders, stealing, and all sorts of things that are on the increase daily. Accusations and counter accusations of budget padding and irresponsible leadership behaviours are still the hallmarks of our society.
As of today, life has become so short, brutish, and nasty that no one wants to invest in this economy and our society. Kidnappers have become so desperately boldened and daring that they can walk to school and pick up Nigerians children up to 200 unchallenged.
They have the effrontery and boldness to make demands of trillions in exchange for the lives of these traumatized children whose only sin was to seek to be educated.
Nigerians are in hell in their only land. Time to stop playing politics and face real governance is now.
The mumbo jumbo packages in the budget must be unearthed, and money rerouted to useful ventures to fight insecurity in Nigeria. Those in power and government must drop their egos and accept the truth that they are not governing us well.
There is uncommon poverty in the land. There is uncommon insecurity in the land. There is uncommon insensitivity on the parts of those in power now in the land. Most of the things being budgeted for the comfort of those in power are unnecessary and an insult to the collective sensibilities of Nigerians. It is irritating and provocative. It is wrong.
Nigerians can not move freely in their land. On a daily basis, our freedom from fear is in jeopardy. Commence and industry are not booming as it should be. Nigerians of all walks of life must come together to salvage our country from the calamity we find ourselves today. These calamities are products of bad governance and injustice in our land.
If our leaders past and present have justifiably used our resources and developed every parts of our land and invest in tourism all the places being used by the Kidnappers and bandits would have been good tourists sites of great commercial and economic values to our people. There lies the need for good governance and accountability in our land.
The way the government is run in Nigeria is simply not productive in development. Very many who venture into politics are doing so to steal and build empires for themselves and cronies. The banks have equally ruined our country.
Nigerians government must be decisive and act fast before these bandits and kidnappers become too dangerous to curtail and curtain. Many things are just wrong with us in Nigeria.
The impunity of those in power must stop. Government exists for the greater good of all. We have reduced leadership recruitment and act of governance in Nigeria to the scale of primordial partisan and tribal sentiments. We are gradually destroying the trusts in our ourselves. There is trust deficit in Nigeria now.
There is religious deficit in our land. The moral fabric of Nigeria is too low for meaningful growth and development. Almost everyone in power is interested in stealing and stealing to satisfy personal comfort. We can not run government that way.
Nigerians of all walks of life must be assembled to tackle the menace of the challenges facing us. We can do it together if no section is marginalized and we have in us patriotic commitment for tomorrow prosperity.
