By
Kabiru Danladi Lawanti
“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” ~ James Oppenheim
On October 1, 1996, I was sitting and listening to a programme on the BBC World Service. At the time, I was told that if I wanted to speak good English, I had to listen to natural English speakers. I had stopped listening to presidential speeches because I considered them useless.
Suddenly, one of my brothers came running to announce that Gombe had become a state. That was 30 years ago. This alone is enough to remind us that we are getting old. Some of the issues people are raising today with so much emotion are things we have been talking about since then. I remember my teacher warning me at the time, asking whether I was not afraid of Abacha, given the way I wrote and criticised the government on VOA Hausa.
It is only now that I fully understand, especially after Buhari’s eight years in office, how we were deceived into believing that paradise awaited us once Nigeria returned to democracy. Today, 27 years after the return to democratic rule, we remain trapped in virtually the same problems we complained about 40, 50, 60 and even 66 years ago. These include corruption (which, unfortunately, is no longer even treated as a serious issue), hunger, poverty, energy crises (fuel shortages, high prices, etc.), which were then attributed to government monopoly 😉, bad roads, electricity challenges, crises in the education and health sectors, and inadequate road and rail infrastructure.
Notwithstanding, Nigeria is not as hopeless as some people make it appear. Much of the ranting we see today is actually politics, especially during this campaign season. As long as someone is not their preferred candidate, everything is bad. We have seen how good men suddenly become bad, and bad men become good, all within a single election cycle.
Understanding this can save you a great deal of frustration with the way the country is governed. Nigeria is 66. Even 666 years from now, if we continue this way, Nigeria may remain largely the same.
Those who are fortunate enough to get into power, whether at the state or federal level, often become defenders of the system. Once they are kicked out, or the people they support are removed from power, they suddenly become critics, until they are eventually invited back to the table.
I believe Nigeria will eventually crash because the pillars holding the country together are rusty and worn out.
Happy birthday Gombe State
Happy Independence Day Nigeria.