I can see it, I can feel it, I can imagine the D day. Dancing, munching, laughing, hosting and celebration renting the air. Arrival of guests in Diaspora. Presidents, Prime Ministers, TV Jingles etc. Mighty men, politicians and powerful men all adorned in beautiful regalia. So much to eat, drink and take away. Lo and behold the giant of Africa is 50. Attainment of the Golden jubilee.

I can also see him, at Akin Adeshola Street, Victoria Island, holding his brush and soapy water in bottle ready to wipe my car windscreen with or without my consent dressed in tatters hailing me to give alms all for independence. He looks 9 years old in age. His body built after the similitude of poverty. Rugged and turgid from years of hustling for survival. Prominent are his eye balls, bulgy and piercing. He looks trained in the psychological art of discerning to pilfer. A handful of look alikes swarmed the ever busy road in excitement. Obviously they can hear and feel the beautiful drums far away in the capital city. They have also been caught in the frenzy of the moment. Products of a decayed society.
What a country.
The scenarios above draw tears from my eyes. What are we celebrating?
Dearth of our educational system
Decline of true leadership
Hunger
Poverty
Poor remuneration of Government Officials, men of the forces, teachers and health workers
Outrageous remuneration of lawmakers
Influx of mass shanty settlements
Spurious Political Killings
Ritual killings
Slow pace of development
High crime rate
Deplorable state of our roads and highways – worthy of mention is Lagos - Ore – Benin Expressway
No power supply
Unemployment
Corruption
Poor Health system
Religious crisis
Kidnappings
Militancy
Deplorable state of our once vibrant Sporting sector
Inflation
Economic crisis
The compromised state of our judicial system
Poor foreign image
High mortality rate
Incredible elections
Dearth of expertise, adeptness and skilled labour
Exploitation
Human abuse and brutality by men of the forces
ETC

The list can go on and on. I strongly believe that the purported sum set aside for this celebration can be channelled towards alleviating the suffering of Nigerians by providing one or more functional basic amenities. October 1 should be spent in the solitude of our homes with sober reflections and effective debate on how to move forward in the next phase of our nation’s history. It is imperative we set realistic, measurable and achievable milestones bound by time.

We need not waste so much money purchasing data capture machines and indulging in sophisticated election processes when the voters are extremely hungry. It will be a case of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’ because rigging will be inevitable and the masses will sell their conscience for a bowl of rice. Provide food on the day of election, we will all queue appropriately and register our votes for our preferred candidate. Barring violence, the votes if counted will state the mandate of the people. Moreover the most free and fair election in this country was held in 1993 without all this paraphernalia. I am only recommending that the money be spent for a tangible project at this stage.

Reappraise possible ways to tackle unemployment. We were taught that the Government is the largest employer of labour. These days I tend to believe the reverse is becoming the case. Ascertain cost saving measures and expand the budget to include details and not ambiguous sharing quotas. It is pertinent to outline the purpose of capital budgets. E.g. itemise the road allocation by stating roads to be upgraded or repaired or created within the budget. Total length and other useful parameters. This can positively affect our economy other than mere figures with no plan in place which end up being embezzled.

I will want to stop here. The breakdown structure above of anomalies in our society should be our checklist for a new Nigeria. We should review each item and proffer ameliorating ways to replace each one with an antonym. GOD BLESS EVERY WELL MEANING NIGERIAN.

@Topic,

A year gone by and nothing has changed