The abduction of about 200 Government Girls Secondary School students last month by the Boko Haram insurgents has shown that our problem is not in religion, nor in ethnic leaning but on the leadership and management of this country. There is no part, religious group in this country that is not praying, wishing the return of these young girls to their family members. Many persons, groups, within and outside Nigeria have shown deep concern, organized protests demanding from the Nigerian government and their home countries to do more in the rescue of these little children. Nigerians, the world are worried, disturbed at what could be happening to these girls in the thick forest of Sambisa?
Nigerians are very loving, caring and kindhearted people, we are ever patriotic and loyal to Nigeria but our leaders are the biggest problem we have. It was late Chinua Achebe, who put it very succinctly that, ‘the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.’ Sometimes, I wonder what, why it is so difficult for our leaders to fix Nigeria.
Many have submitted that corruption is the canker worm destroying the fabric called Nigeria while the government would deny such. But, a close look would reveal that truly corruption is it. With all the available resources to the security agencies since 1999 till date, the trainings and re-trainings, equipment requested for, bought and made available, array of senior officers, we still have not tamed the Boko Haram militants. Certainly, government is made up of human beings, Nigerians from all nooks and crannies are likely to be aware of the problems bedeviling their communities. One then ponders why our elected representatives would continue to provide us with borehole water and be advertising it as an achievement or dividend of good governance in this 21st century. In this country, those we elected into government office will buy wrapper, ram, and rice, ground-nut oil to share amongst citizens and claim they are performing wonderfully in government.
The government must use Chibok abduction as an eye opener. It has come to the point our leaders must be firm and resolute in pursuing the transformation of Nigeria. We need to learn from the Singapore experience, leaders who are patriotic and loyal to Nigeria would be dedicated at its genuine transformation. Our institutions must be allowed to get stronger than individuals for optimum result. Virtually no institution in Nigeria works with its rules and regulations except the few individuals in power at the centre and in the states give orders which in most cases runs contrary to laid down principles.
Uzodinma Nwaogbe,
Community Defence Law Foundation, Ikeja, Lagos.