You Are Not A Tree

Tunde Odediran, former journalist with Guardian, Concord and Punch, edits againstbabangida.com.

Nigeria has been blessed with more bad leaders than good ones. This could be a very contentious statement, but what can be more consistent with reality? Cast a glance at the present National Assembly. How many of these honourables are statesmen? We have a group of people making decisions about our lives who can collect bribes openly about an issue that most of us are unhappy about. Look at the federal executive, the judiciary, the police, the governors, the Houses of Assembly and  the local governments. Identify the trustworthy ones. You probably can count them all in one hand.

Just a few weeks ago, we read reports of how President Olusegun Obasanjo was distributing mint-new Naira notes in government offices in Abuja to national lawmakers in an attempt to buy their votes. The other week we also read about a scarcity of dollars in Lagos, because some politicians in Abuja had come to scoop all the dollars in the black market. Dollars are now the most acceptable legal tender for prime bribery. It was so bad that the dollar exchanged for over $150 that week.

Nigerians in Diaspora who ship luxury cars to Nigeria know a fact: you can only make big money if you take it to Abuja. And what does Abuja have? Plenty of petro-dollar flowing from the seat of government. Though the money flows, it dries up before it reaches the ordinary Nigerian.

There is, once again, a lot of national income as a result of the sudden turn-around in the international oil market. And the money is flowing in under a democratic government. What better fortune can befall Nigeria? If at any time in our history we would have expected good governance, it couldn't have been at a better time than now. Nigerians have been through so much. We have suffered so much in the hands of the rulers since the austerity measures were introduced in 1982 by the Shagari administration.

People have died because money is not available to buy drugs. Schools have been turned into delapidated buildings housed by hungry teachers and left-behind pupils. Roads have been turned into death traps. Aircrafts have become molues. University campuses have become camping grounds. Nigeria has been badly damaged by poverty.

The poverty, to some extent can be blamed on reduced oil revenue, but mostly on lack of good leadership. We lacked leaders who could anticipate problems and plan ahead. Leaders with vision. Leaders who are problem-solvers. Leaders who love the people they serve. Leaders who care about good legacy. Great leaders.

Instead of having leaders, Nigerians have been ruled by arrogant pilferers and mindless captors. Even where there was little, they went ahead anyway to line their pockets. With Nigerians in the pangs of death, Abacha still stole billions. Babangida stole so much, he is so rich no one can even tell by how much. When there was not any more to steal, Babangida told the Central Bank to print him bank notes.

Nigeria is making a lot of money as we speak. The price of petroleum has risen by over 150%. Nigeria is rolling in money once again. In the past years, Nigeria has made enough money to turn the economy around permanently. We heard Obasanjo's government has spent as much as 15 trillion naira since he came back. I have been to Nigeria twice in the past year. I just didn't see any sign of meaningful change. People still looked as weary as they always looked. People needed help as they always did. It seems the money, once again, is not getting to the streets. The hijackers are still at work.

Yet, the likes of Babangida have an eye for power. If Sani Abacha were still alive, I bet he would also want to be president. Everybody who has stolen before wants to steal more, leaving Nigerians in a vicious cycle of poverty and the rich in the delightful cycle of plenty.

It is left for us ordinary folks to decide how we want our destinies to be shaped. We can sit back while the dirty rotten scoundrels mess up our future. Or stand up and take it in our own hands. If you don't like the way things are, you better stand up. You are not a tree.