HOLD HANDS, MARCH ON (2)

We are where we are, but the question that urgently needs to be addressed is 'how do we proceed, with purpose and determination, from where we find ourselves?' As the old adage goes, 'if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.' I submit that the first sane step is to arrest the hole-digging by stopping the hole-diggers. This throws up another salient question, 'how do we stop the hole-diggers?' The simple answer is leadership.

I believe that without courageous, determined and purposeful leadership, the hole-digging will gather momentum and be transmitted from generation to generation, as it has been for over five decades. The time for talking has to be declared over, and political toes don't need to be stepped on, they have to be severed. With a timid leadership, our nation will be confined to the darkness of perpetual impoverishment. The consequences of procrastination are too severe to imagine; it is a statement of fact that Nigeria cannot possibly continue on the path we have been over the last half-century and hope to remain a viable economy in another 20 years or so. The recklessness of the 'political class', past and present, cannot be allowed to be prolonged if we were to have anything salvageable left. We have long reached a crisis point and it is getting direr by the day.

Nigeria, by definition, and for all intents and purposes, is a democracy. Two of the many great benefits of a democracy are (i) freedom of the electorate to choose whosoever they think will have their best interests at heart, and (ii) the intrinsic freedom to express oneself, within the ambit of the law, without fear of supression or intimidation. These building blocks of a democratic state are the lifeline of a truly free people. When both of these fail the acid test, then democracy is but a slogan. Yes, it is true that Nigerians are freer than they have ever been to choose who represent them at each level of government. It is equally true that freedom of expression is better respected than at any time in the past. One could then say, 'we're getting there.' But are we, really? Where was Malaysia, (a country that achieved independence only three years before Nigeria) in 1960? Where was Indonesia (a country of more than 230 million people) in 1960? The former has no oil to rely on; the latter has oil to rely on, but has diversified its economy such that if the oil dried up today the effect on the economy would be minimal. One could go on and on, but the only conclusion that will be drawn each and every time is that we are deluding ourselves by positing that Nigeria is moving forward. At this rate, South Sudan (the newest country on the planet) will be ahead of Nigeria, in every sense of the word, within twenty years!

The issue of leadership will be dealt with in a later post, but in the meantime, let the words of Elie Wiesel continue to reverberate in our ears: "It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government. But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is not an answer. Neither is resignation. Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin, but a punishment."