I do not like to tackle difficult subjects, especially when I dont have ALL the facts but I hate injustice and those who know me will tell you, I will jump in the fray and think about it later! Plus, I am not afraid to pick on issues several times my size, I make up for size by my tenacity! But this subsidy thing humbles me. Not because I am afraid of anyone but because the ramifications and implications are mind boggling. If some of the write-ups I have read since this 'subsidy-gate' began are anything to go by, Nigerians should be sore all over, they have endured the rape of their polity for far too long. Please be aware, I am apolitical, not becos I dont care, but I am too flighty to be immersed and drawn into ideologies and slogans and the like (when I can create my own!) but I hate injustice in any form shape or size (did I say this before?) and will step in when I perceive such is ongoing. This subsidy removal and events following stink of a grand theft. My understanding of it is minimal and so I will not attempt to bore you with facts and figures that have been published and circulated five times around the world since this situation broke but one stark fact emerges in all this.....the subsidy removal is the proverbial last straw that wants to break the back of the Nigerian population.
Aside of its callous timing,which points to a detached and insensitive government, it just does not make sense. I am not just ok with a government that celebrates its 'servants' and impoverishes its people. The government which is made up of upstarts and thieving manipulators who have sold their souls for what their belly can get, and not a single career politician or administrator, get all manner of remunerations for doing nothing and spouting slogans we heard as children (for what they get paid, should they not at least make up new stories to attempt to bamboozle us with? in an attempt to rob us, no?) and thus give away their inability to constructively make change happen for us as a people. The impunity with which they are transformed also makes it easy to know that their belly is their foremost agenda-most come into office looking scrawny as scarecrows and leave looking like over-inflated dolls filled with neon gas. This also underscores (for me) their lack of the necessary discipline and strength of character required to do the needful when it is called for (a man who cant discipline his appetites surely cant discipline much else). The last pointer to the duplicity of this government must surely be the words spoken since it began. Words matter, they are vital tools of communication and they have inherent power to cause effect. The only thing the government has been able to cause since this broke, is pain, sorrow, anger and despair. Pain that we as a people at whatever point in our lives chose these......(please help me Lord, I cant use bad words on here!) jokers to represent us and our interests, pain that these our employees have turned on us much as you would stare in consternation at a cancer found on some body part, wondering, how can this be? Pain that the lowest in our midst seem to be in charge and pain that it took so long to see it. Pain that men can sell their soul for so little and be proud. The sorrow is immeasurable, (at least for me) being a very proud Nigerian, I have never done anything that would reduce the Nigerian nation and the perception of its peoples in my life. I have worn the label even in very bad situations with a high head and erect shoulders because that is the responsibility that comes with the priviledge of being Nigerian and many times, I have cringed becos of the look in the eyes that looked at me becos of that pride becos I did not understand why, but now I know. If the perception of this nation was acquired from any one of these......jokers in government, I now know why some people associate my beloved country with evil and incompetence. I would too. The gross inadequacy of the explanations of a policy that should be clear to the people who are attempting to push it (but isnt) makes me to know there is more to this than meets the eye. These people are attempting to sell us a dummy and we the people are just not buying (forget that we are too broke to do so anyway). The half hearted attempts to explain the merits of a demerit and the insensitivity of a supposed ruling class born out of a population of 'used to be hungry but had no scruples with selling my soul to get a meal' gang of incompetents just sadden me day by day. The anger I feel is that I used to know a different country. I am not that young and so I remember the Nigeria of not too long ago (only vaguely though becos this deterioration has been in place for a long time, I kid you not) when to be a hard worker meant more than being rich, and sharp practices were frowned at collectively. I feel anger becos the decadence that permeates us is such that every facet of life is affected and so we are all culpable even though we all didnt participate. I feel anger becos the young will not get the opportunity to decide how proud they want to be of this nation, haven never known its glory, just its gory. Lastly I feel anger becos of the unfeeling and uncaring stance of those who have made us into this, this -whatever we are today, where human life has become the currency for bargaining without recourse to the soul of the individual, where cars and houses and clothes and jewellery have replaced dignity, forthrightness, perseverance and honour. The number of people who have lost (yes oh!) their lives needlessly since this new crop of 'leaders' (ugh!) emerged makes me shake my head (smh!). No! I dont mean the hapless ones sacrificed by them in their ritual ceremonies at Okija or Abeokuta to pledge allegiance to their gods who cant do much more than feed their bellies with food they could have worked to get anyway, I mean those who died, hoping that the government would care enough to do what it was set up to do-provide the populace with basic amenities so they could get on with the business of life. And by basic amenities, I dont mean electricity, water, access to healthcare and employment (I know that is what it usually means but there are some things more basic than that!). I meant the dignity of life, the pride of country, the right to exist, the ability to try...all of these have been snatched from the Nigerian people is why I am angry (sitting up here at 3am, writing this very far from Nigeria in a place 7hours behind Nigerian time becos my Nigerian body wishes......oh how it wishes!). The despair is sickeningly overwhelming and its not becos I cant be there. Its becos in all of the protests, I see a lack of coordination which may be its undoing. I see a lot of 'worms crawl out of the wood work' and attempt to use this our anger for their purposes and am just wondering if this cycle will never end? When will people who genuinely care come to the fore and do something about this? Have they been so overtaken by the problem that they have given up their ability to make change happen? I wish I had a voice to stir up to action! To call forth those who can (I did say I am apolitical, no?). I have met very few in my years (with this ability) and we so need them now but my fear (and reason for my despair) is that they all have been emasculated by the pain of watching the rape of this nation and have thrown in the towel and decided that its not worth the trouble but I beg you in the name of all that is good, Please dont leave Nigeria to the likes of these inept robbers of her destiny!PLEASE! Dont make it impossible for my children and babies unborn to catch a glimpse of this highly blessed and highly envied but sadly mismanaged country of mine! Everyone who is endued with the ability, please say something, do something (anything!) to deliver and save this nation from these her rapists who will stop at nothing till she rolls over and dies (and even then, may attempt to feed off her carcass, though I pray it wont come to that!). Do whatever you can in whatever way you can to save Nigeria, subsidy or not!!!
Aside of its callous timing,which points to a detached and insensitive government, it just does not make sense. I am not just ok with a government that celebrates its 'servants' and impoverishes its people. The government which is made up of upstarts and thieving manipulators who have sold their souls for what their belly can get, and not a single career politician or administrator, get all manner of remunerations for doing nothing and spouting slogans we heard as children (for what they get paid, should they not at least make up new stories to attempt to bamboozle us with? in an attempt to rob us, no?) and thus give away their inability to constructively make change happen for us as a people. The impunity with which they are transformed also makes it easy to know that their belly is their foremost agenda-most come into office looking scrawny as scarecrows and leave looking like over-inflated dolls filled with neon gas. This also underscores (for me) their lack of the necessary discipline and strength of character required to do the needful when it is called for (a man who cant discipline his appetites surely cant discipline much else). The last pointer to the duplicity of this government must surely be the words spoken since it began. Words matter, they are vital tools of communication and they have inherent power to cause effect. The only thing the government has been able to cause since this broke, is pain, sorrow, anger and despair. Pain that we as a people at whatever point in our lives chose these......(please help me Lord, I cant use bad words on here!) jokers to represent us and our interests, pain that these our employees have turned on us much as you would stare in consternation at a cancer found on some body part, wondering, how can this be? Pain that the lowest in our midst seem to be in charge and pain that it took so long to see it. Pain that men can sell their soul for so little and be proud. The sorrow is immeasurable, (at least for me) being a very proud Nigerian, I have never done anything that would reduce the Nigerian nation and the perception of its peoples in my life. I have worn the label even in very bad situations with a high head and erect shoulders because that is the responsibility that comes with the priviledge of being Nigerian and many times, I have cringed becos of the look in the eyes that looked at me becos of that pride becos I did not understand why, but now I know. If the perception of this nation was acquired from any one of these......jokers in government, I now know why some people associate my beloved country with evil and incompetence. I would too. The gross inadequacy of the explanations of a policy that should be clear to the people who are attempting to push it (but isnt) makes me to know there is more to this than meets the eye. These people are attempting to sell us a dummy and we the people are just not buying (forget that we are too broke to do so anyway). The half hearted attempts to explain the merits of a demerit and the insensitivity of a supposed ruling class born out of a population of 'used to be hungry but had no scruples with selling my soul to get a meal' gang of incompetents just sadden me day by day. The anger I feel is that I used to know a different country. I am not that young and so I remember the Nigeria of not too long ago (only vaguely though becos this deterioration has been in place for a long time, I kid you not) when to be a hard worker meant more than being rich, and sharp practices were frowned at collectively. I feel anger becos the decadence that permeates us is such that every facet of life is affected and so we are all culpable even though we all didnt participate. I feel anger becos the young will not get the opportunity to decide how proud they want to be of this nation, haven never known its glory, just its gory. Lastly I feel anger becos of the unfeeling and uncaring stance of those who have made us into this, this -whatever we are today, where human life has become the currency for bargaining without recourse to the soul of the individual, where cars and houses and clothes and jewellery have replaced dignity, forthrightness, perseverance and honour. The number of people who have lost (yes oh!) their lives needlessly since this new crop of 'leaders' (ugh!) emerged makes me shake my head (smh!). No! I dont mean the hapless ones sacrificed by them in their ritual ceremonies at Okija or Abeokuta to pledge allegiance to their gods who cant do much more than feed their bellies with food they could have worked to get anyway, I mean those who died, hoping that the government would care enough to do what it was set up to do-provide the populace with basic amenities so they could get on with the business of life. And by basic amenities, I dont mean electricity, water, access to healthcare and employment (I know that is what it usually means but there are some things more basic than that!). I meant the dignity of life, the pride of country, the right to exist, the ability to try...all of these have been snatched from the Nigerian people is why I am angry (sitting up here at 3am, writing this very far from Nigeria in a place 7hours behind Nigerian time becos my Nigerian body wishes......oh how it wishes!). The despair is sickeningly overwhelming and its not becos I cant be there. Its becos in all of the protests, I see a lack of coordination which may be its undoing. I see a lot of 'worms crawl out of the wood work' and attempt to use this our anger for their purposes and am just wondering if this cycle will never end? When will people who genuinely care come to the fore and do something about this? Have they been so overtaken by the problem that they have given up their ability to make change happen? I wish I had a voice to stir up to action! To call forth those who can (I did say I am apolitical, no?). I have met very few in my years (with this ability) and we so need them now but my fear (and reason for my despair) is that they all have been emasculated by the pain of watching the rape of this nation and have thrown in the towel and decided that its not worth the trouble but I beg you in the name of all that is good, Please dont leave Nigeria to the likes of these inept robbers of her destiny!PLEASE! Dont make it impossible for my children and babies unborn to catch a glimpse of this highly blessed and highly envied but sadly mismanaged country of mine! Everyone who is endued with the ability, please say something, do something (anything!) to deliver and save this nation from these her rapists who will stop at nothing till she rolls over and dies (and even then, may attempt to feed off her carcass, though I pray it wont come to that!). Do whatever you can in whatever way you can to save Nigeria, subsidy or not!!!
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by, would appreciate reading your thoughts....do drop a comment!