Friday, April 15, 2011

When will CHANGE Come?

“How was the National Assembly Elections in Kano” I asked Musa as we drove out of the airport into the city. ‘Elections were fine” he said, ‘the Fi-di-fi won in most flaces and we like it like that’ he continued. I asked him why they had not voted for Shekaru’s party (A.N.P.P) and he responded saying ‘we don’t like Shekarau again, he try small when he is gobnor but he can’t porse a new gobnor on the fi-ful”. Apparently Ibrahim Shekarau chose a successor the people are not happy with and as a result the electorate is switching allegiance to the PDP in the Elections.

That’s an example of the popularity that the biggest political party in Africa (according to The Economist) still has in the continent’s most populous country. Since 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party has ruled Nigeria without being able to affect the lives of the populace positively. Marginal achievements which include privatization of the telecommunications sector, political ‘stability’ and ‘major reform’ have been touted as achievements of the party since it came into power but majorities of the people remain impoverished. More than 75% live on less than $2 a day, the state of Education in the country is appalling, graduates roam the streets with no jobs, the deregulation of the power sector is taking forever (despite spending hundreds of billions of Naira with no results), decent health care is non-existent, inflationary trends remain while Labour appeals for an increase in minimum wage, corruption remains a huge problem and the future still looks bleak for majority of Nigerians.

What bothers me the most about this party is that it provides a safe haven for some of the most unscrupulous elements in the Nation’s history. Men who have looted the treasury over and over again and have failed at various positions of service are being held aloft and allowed to take decisions that would largely determine the future of Nigeria. These guys have amassed so much wealth and have grown so old that you can’t but wonder why they are still tussling for power. Will they leave voluntarily? No! Will Nigerians get rid of them in the forthcoming elections? It doesn’t look like we will. It is this bewilderment that prompted my writing this article.

Ironically, our optimism rides on the fact that elections in the country had been marred with irregularities and wide spread rigging since the advent of democracy. This rigging which was driven by the chief of the electoral body, Professor Maurice Iwu, made PDP’s control of power seem inevitable. After the 2003 elections, seen as the worst in the Nation’s history, the late president promised electoral reform. Upon his demise, President Goodluck Jonathan courageously appointed a honest and credible man, Professor Attahiru Jega, as the boss of the electoral body thus giving us hope that credible elections will be conducted in 2011. This along with renewed vigor in opposition parties, namely Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) increased the hope that Nigerians would be able to legitimately select the most credible leader from the available alternatives.

Now presidential elections have come and Nigeria is deciding, we anticipate that it will be relatively free and fair and indications from the already conducted NASS elections reinforces this expectation. However, if results from the NASS elections are anything to go by, Nigerians really are not keen for a change and would likely endorse another 4 years of a PDP government. What does this say about Nigerians? Are we content with how the PDP has run the nation over the past 12 years? Is there any possibility that we would at some point realize the ills of this democratic disaster and move aggressively for a change? Why will the Nation not take a cue from the people of Ogun, Oyo & Osun states by aggressively advocating change and revolting against the whims and the evils of the PDP?

I have nothing against Goodluck Jonathan as an individual. His story highlights how an individual can emerge from the doldrums of obscurity to achieve greatness and it has increased the resolve of Nigerians (especially Christians) to fast and pray more with the expectation that the Lord will replicate the miracle of ‘Goodluck’ in their respective lives. Whether or not this is what Nigerians need is a discussion for another day but his rise to power if nothing has giving individuals hope that a bright future still awaits them. Rhetoric like ‘if God can do it for Jonathan, he can do it for me’ is common amongst the masses and that unrepentant hope is what has kept the Nation together up till now. Despite this, the catastrophe called the PDP has discredited any positives the emergence of Jonathan as a leader might have and as we know, a leader never leads in isolation. The underlying principles of his political party and the leaders of the party would largely determine how he leads, the policies he adopts and ultimately the success of the leadership. Also, Jonathan does not give the impression of a strong leader, someone who rather than take an easy and more acceptable route would adopt a hard line to effect change in the country despite the disapproval of his PDP associates.

Nations around the world have advocated for change as their prosperity seemed to wane and economic conditions became unfavourable. This resulted in the election of Barack Obama in U.S.A, David Cameron in the United Kingdom and more recently, Alassane Quatarra in Cote D’ Voire. Incumbent governments are naturally held responsible for the prevailing economic conditions in the nation and are promptly voted out of office. We would have thought we finally had an opportunity to do this given our expectation of credible elections but reality suggest otherwise meaning that Nigerians, and by Nigerians I mean individuals that can’t afford decent education for their children, can’t afford a decent home, are jobless, experience erratic power supply, can’t afford decent meals and largely live impoverished lives, would go out and once again cast their votes for a party generally referred to as Poverty Development Party.

Some say the process is gradual and other say people vote for individuals and not parties but I think the major problem is the level of illiteracy in the country, a problem that if not solved would ensure that PDP remains in power for at least the next 50 years. The people while expecting miracles from their God have almost no expectation that an improvement in their living conditions will be brought about by a responsible government. Instead they are carried away by propagandist rhetoric that creates achievements where there are none and makes promises even though none was fulfilled in the past. I say it time and again, snail paced change isn’t what a Nation like Nigeria requires. If there is going to be any change, it will have to be focused, radical and sporadic prioritizing education and agriculture and ensuring that the changed achieved is felt in homes nationwide and not in indices released periodically by the National Bureau of Statistics.

As I tipped Musa when he dropped me off at the airport on my way back to Lagos, I couldn’t help but wonder what the next four years of a PDP led government had in store for him and his family.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Gains of “The Game”


Soccer, a game of 22 people playing a ball around a field with the sole aim of scoring in the opponent’s goal is one that brings excitement to people world wide. The love of the game is so intense that during soccer tournaments you find men, women and children entirely caught in the frenzy. During periods like this, we forget we are made up of over 500 ethnic groups and for a change we see ourselves as one Nigeria. This reminds me of the Coca-Cola advert where the tree-cutter hugs the tree, the balloon falls in love with Spikey and Albert Einstein becomes a friend to his specimen when a goal is scored. Those are the gains of the game that initially comes to one’s mind.


Then we have Club soccer followers, this is another level of soccer fanaticism and this is the group where I find myself. It often is debated, what are the gains of being a fan of a particular team and following that team so ardently even though one has no physical relationship with the team? Questions such as “do they pay you for your support?” or “Are any of your relatives in the team?” are usually asked by people who think we merely waste our time.

Often times I have asked myself, “Are they right about me wasting my time? But when I leap for joy after Louis Saha puts the ball past Cudicini in goal, I am reminded they couldn’t be more wrong.


What would they rather have us do? Gloat over the problems that beset us as a nation and have proven unsolvable even though we claim to have a democracy? , or argue about who will become the next president of our country when our opinion doesn’t really count? , or go around with a sullen face and give ourselves a heart attack thinking about our problems when we know they won’t help in proffering a solution but only make things worse?


The world today is one that has gone absolutely crazy, we can’t tune to the news except we want to see gory sights of bomb blasts, mutilated bodies, famine, pestilence and war. Good news is strange and bad news has assumed normalcy. We are forced to watch egoistic men in either suits or agbada trying to gain supremacy over one another and enforce their will on the masses. Are these the sort of things I am supposed to pay rapt attention to? It is true that most times we can’t help but get caught up in the happenings in our environs but we can ease the tension a little bit when our favourite teams line up against oppositions every weekend, when our hearts, mind and passion are focused on nothing but the game. And during periods when our teams excel past our expectations and win trophies, what joy envelopes our heart. If you do not understand this, ask Barcelona fans how they felt when their team lifted the champions league last season or Liverpool fans how they felt when they won the champions league two seasons ago. Of course our teams do not win all the time and when they don’t we are unhappy, but that doesn’t reduce the joy and excitement that come with the game. No matter how woeful their performance is, we as fans would always hope for an improvement in the next game and that is the same hope, we as a people have when we wake up and we feel like the world is on our shoulders.


There are lots of other things that inspire in soccer and are characteristics of people and teams that have been successful. I learnt from the 1999 champions league victory of Manchester United that it isn’t over until it is over (once there is life then there is hope), and the career of Sir Alex who took over the reins at Old Trafford in 1986 only to claim his first league trophy almost six years later teaches that resilience and hard work would eventually pay. The Career of Jose Mourinho who only about 10 years ago was Sir Bobby Robson’s interpreter in Barcelona but today is one of the greatest Managers in the world. The completeness of teams like Chelsea and Arsenal only emphasizes the importance of team work. I could go on and on about how much one could learn from “the game”.


All in all soccer is beautiful, from the players to the managers to the owners of these clubs there is always something interesting and for me, no matter how bad my week goes i always look forward to the weekend when I’d be seated, watching with all attention the red devils and supporting them to victory, same goes for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and all other soccer fans.

I am a soccer fanatic, it is a part of my life and I am very proud of it, at least it’s better than being a political, religious or any other kind of fanatic. People look at me and make comments condemning my love for the game but you would be amazed at the sort of frivolities and excesses these people engage in. They are no more than mere hypocrites.

I owe nobody any explanation, but for those of you who have a similar view, great minds think alike, for those of you who don’t agree with me, you’re entitled to your opinion and for those who think this article is outright crap, maybe you just read the vain babblings of a soccer fanatic.


* Wrote this article in the NYSC Editorial Publication in 2006