The Nigeria Of My Dream

BY RICHARD OKORO EWEKA

We’ve heard of beautiful stories of Nigeria in the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Sometimes It’s difficult to believes some of such stories because of the present state of decay in our societies.

Nigeria in time past have beautiful road network and the roads across the Land were smooth devoid of po+t holes, good infrastructural facilities, a functional educational sectors with foreign and well qualified teachers and Lecturers, stable electricity supply which boost the productivities of our industries across the country. Our industries were very functional and were contributing immensely to the development of the nation.

The security level was good and we lived then in a crime free society, you can go to bed with both eyes closed. Then, we have good, clean and drinkable water. Before graduating from school, companies and industries come looking for potential employee that will add value and help grow the companies and industries. Even those who were not picked in school are very sure of good jobs out there as they graduate from the school system. Youths prefer to stay in the country rather than traveling to other countries for greener pasture.

Well, all these appeared to be in the past as it seems to be a good and interesting stories that was told by those who witness it and wish it was still the present state been experienced in the nation.

The once wonderful country called Nigeria has turned into decay and corrupt society that is not worth living in, youths now prefer to travel abroad for greener pasture since their own country could not provide the needed and desired stability for progress. Is this the Nigeria of my dream? A country we were all once proud of?

A country where life was meaningful and bearable? A country where prostitution and robbery were done in secret? A country was corruption was an abomination to hear? Ho! Where is the Nigeria of my Dream? Is she dead or a live? Life was more meaningful during the era of the Colonial masters, when we were yet slaves to the white man, life was sweet. Perhaps, the only mistake we made as a people is to fight for our freedom because after Independence in 1960 what followed is not freedom but enslavement by our own so called indigenous leaders

They came in, tasted power and influence became intoxicated in it and took law into their own hands, they do what they wants whether right or wrong nobody was bold enough to question them. This selfishness, self centeredness led the boys in uniform to cease power by force promising to put things right rather they made issues more worst and difficult for the people. The culture of corruption, negligent, violence became the order of the day, a once peaceful and well coordinated country became a war zone of all sort.

Talking about violence, by 1964, violence had crept into the political system of the country with the introduction of political party thugs operating within the national political landscape.
The situation was most severe in the Western Region where the might of the Federal Government was being used to undermine the regional government.

Operation wetie was introduced, in which properties of perceived opposition politicians were set on fire using petrol and in extreme cases, politicians themselves were set on fire. In an act of political violence, the Federal Government declared a state of emergency in the Western Region and appointed a civilian administrator to rule over the Region. The unrest in who Region finally led to the first military coup on 15 January, 1966.

This was followed by the Revenge coup of July 1966 which was staged by Nigerian soldiers from the Northern Region who perceived the first coup and its aftermath as being directed against the interests of their Region Then there was the mindless violence of serious attack carried out in the Northern Region against civilians of non-northern origin resident in that Region. The massacre was directed particularly at civilian of Igbo origin. This led to the declaration of the Republic of Biafra and its attempted secession from Nigeria. This attempt was eventually crushed after a 30 month civil war from July 1967 to January 1970.

Nigeria has been under the Jackboot of the military continuously from January 1966 until May 1999, except for the brief period of civilian rule under President Shehu Shagari from October 1979 to December 1983. The military turned violence into a means of changing government (by way of coup), and also as an instrument of governance.

Even now that we are under a civilian administration, many former military men are in top position at the local, state and national level, our former president was a military head of state and a retired general same is applicable to Plateau State Governor e.t.c

They continue to demonstrate that old habit of authoritarianism that are characteristics of the military. These men and other evil, corrupt, selfish and self centered politicians have jointly infected the nation with a culture of violence, corruption, assassination, kidnapping and a whole lots other wicked activities that has put the life of the electorate at risk under the mercy of poverty, unemployment and a low standard of living.

Where is the Nigeria of my dream? A place where all can go about their business peacefully without fear of molestation from robbers, thugs, assassins e.t.c. A peaceful atmosphere void of crime, prostitution, fraud, corruption e.t.c. is my country dead or alive? Do there hope for the youth of the generation. Do they have a future?

Can they even become leaders of tomorrow? Since we are use to recircling leaders where is the place of the youth in leadership? Ho’ God come and help my beloved country from destruction in the hands of our evil leaders who know nothing other than destroying the future of the youth. Ho! God kill our selfish leaders the way you killed Abacha, “Amen”, Expose them the way you expose former IG Tafa Balogun, “Amen”, humilace them the way you humiliate Bode George, “Amen” Take power from them the way you did to former Speaker Patricia Etteh “Amen” bring their wicked act to the open the way you did to Rev. King “Amen”. These and many more we pray “Amen.