The Immorality of Nigeria Leaders

Just as I sat down to write this message; I remembered that my beloved country Nigeria will be 52 years tomorrow. No wonder I woke up this early Sunday morning disturbed about the state of infrastructural decay in our public schools. If you noticed I called Nigeria my beloved country because it is indeed beloved. Like what one of my Jamaican friends once told me “Jamaica is in his heart”. I say like my Jamaican friend, Nigeria is always in my heart, although I may be thousands of miles away from its shores. That is the reason I dream of it most of the time. Nigeria as a nation does not have problems, it is Nigeria leaders that are the problem and they are the ones who have made Nigeria to be what it is today – a banana republic or a near failed state.

Let’s go back to the burden that I woke up with. The infrastructural decay in Nigeria public schools to say the least is very frightening. To my British readers, public schools are what we call state schools in the UK. These are schools that are maintained and run by the government. I am concerned about the millions of children born by the poor masses of Nigerians. These are innocent children who due to no fault of theirs are (permit to use this word) unfortunate to be given birth to by poor parents who cannot afford to send them to fee paying private schools.

I thought of myself and other millions of children in my generation (incidentally most of them are present day Nigeria leaders) who went to primary and secondary schools in the 70s through early 80s. The standards of education were almost at par in every part of the country: from Lagos to Osi Ekiti, to Igbokoda to Port Harcourt, to Twon Brass to Nsukka, to Akwaga to Abukuru, to Potiskum to Jalingo to Kaura Namoda, just name it. Then as primary school pupils we did a national common entrance for admission into Federal Government Colleges. You will find pupils from interior villages passing these entrance examinations and gaining admission into reputable schools. Those of us who went to state secondary schools were not bothered. We were equally happy in our schools because the standards were at par. Infact many of us in state schools also passed entrance exams into Federal Government Colleges but our parents felt it was risky allowing kids of 10 – 11 years living in boarding schools hundreds of miles away from home. These public schools were almost free, if not entirely free. We had qualitative and qualified teachers who not only taught us academics but morals. These teachers were there for us. They saw us as their children and treated us as such. The serenity of my secondary school was totally different from its immediate environment: well cut lawns, playing fields etc. It was while I was in secondary school that I was taught how not to cross lawns. It was an offence punishable with some strokes of the cane for you to cross lawns or the field. This has lived with me to date. When compared with its immediate neighbourhood, my school was like heaven and hell co-existing side by side. We had children from different family backgrounds: high, middle and low income earning parents growing up together. It was fun. But all this is gone.

Recently an old school mate e-mailed the present state of my alma mater to me. I was close to tears like Nehemiah when he was told about the condition of Jerusalem. I was too ashamed to show my wife. Showing my children was unthinkable. It was a horrific sight. I couldn’t look at it. I felt like throwing up. It was that bad. Not even animals can be kept in such a condition. It is dehumanising. I see the pupils of my old school as endangered species because the buildings can cave in at any time (God forbid).

But what was most annoying was this: just less than 150 metres away from my old school is the old school of Tunde Fashola, the current governor of Lagos State. His old school was not only refurbished but rebuilt with high rising buildings dotting its landscape. Not many universities in Nigeria can boast of such physical infrastructure. I said it then and I say it again, this is not only immoral but wicked of a state governor to have his school rebuilt, while another state school a shouting distance away is in such a condition. Does he not see how this disparity can affect the psychology of those children from the neighbouring schools? Would the pupils of the neighbouring schools not feel inferior to pupils of his old school? But that is Nigeria where anything goes. The above is an indication of the condition of most public schools in Nigeria. It is also an indication of its leaders’ mindset. The public schools are for the children of the poor masses. I have just mentioned the physical infrastructural decay. What about the quality of teachers, equipments for learning etc? Your guess is as good as mine. Balderdash!

The present crop of Nigeria leaders are one of the most wicked leaders on planet earth. They are extremely immoral and selfish. Every one of them is only concerned about his or her own. I read recently that the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi gave his old school Kings College, Lagos N50 Million Naira for refurbishment. This is Nigeria people’s money not his own money. If he says it was his money, then the source of that money should be probed. Nigeria money I strongly believe should be spent for the common good of all not a selected few. I perceive that many of you reading this article will say “he is crying because his school is affected. If he gets there he will do the same thing.” To such persons I will advise that you expunge yourself of this mentality. It is not a matter of whether I will do the same or not, but a matter of addressing whosoever is there to do the right thing. A leader must be fair and equitable to all.

Our founding fathers did not rule Nigeria the way this present crop of leaders are leading Nigeria. Chief Obafemi Awolowo provided free education for everyone domiciled in the old Western region, irrespective of which part of Nigeria you came from. Alhaji Lateef Jakande did the same thing in Lagos State. Sir Ahmadu Bello gave Northerners free and qualitative education and awarded many Northerners scholarships to study both within and outside Nigeria. What has the present crop of Nigeria leaders given? Assassinations! Corruption! Nepotism! Infrastructural decay! Hunger! Untimely deaths! Like Fela the afro beat legend would say “they leave sorrows, tears and blood, dem regular trademark”. Evil people camouflaging as leaders.

The availability of free qualitative education to all Nigerians irrespective of social status or religious background is a right and not a privilege. Every Nigerian child irrespective of his or her town of domicile in Nigeria has the right to be given free qualitative education to a minimum of SS3. If education is free to this category of Nigerians, more than 75% of parental challenges will be solved. This is because the burden of payment of school fees which accounts for most of their spending would have been taken care of. This can lead to increase in life expectancy as some of the deaths stem from all these worries of school fees payment.

I am and will remain an unrepentant advocate of free education because I benefited from it and have seen how its availability made a lot of potential area boys to become lawyers, doctors, engineers, professors etc. Many today who are in leadership in Nigeria whose parents could not afford to buy their school shoes cannot be where they are but for free qualitative education. I ask, is it a parent who cannot buy school shoes for his child that can afford to pay school fees? Nigerian leaders have climbed the ladder of free qualitative education and have thrown the ladder away. You see why I said that Nigeria leaders are wicked and immoral? Answer me, is it not a wicked and immoral person who will collect millions of naira as salaries and benefits (even higher than the President of US) while their fellow citizens live in penury and abject poverty?

I recently asked one of the children of the owners of Nigeria who school here in the UK, now that you have finished your first degree, I’m sure that you will move on to your Masters programme. He said “yes pastor”. I guess he may later do his PhD. After which he will return back to Nigeria and his father will hand over the baton of oppression to him to continue from where he stopped like Solomon did with his son Rehoboam. But most unfortunately for the children of today’s Nigeria elites, like it happened to king Rehoboam the son of king Solomon so will it happen to them. I say to the present day owners of Nigeria, just as the Northern kingdom of Israel rose up against Rehoboam because of Solomon’s oppressive reign which Rehoboam wanted to perpetuate on a higher scale (2 Chr 10:1-19), so will the children of today’s oppressed Nigerians rise up against your children. The children whose parents you have oppressed to the point of stupor, most of whom you have removed food from their tables, made naked and sent to their untimely graves will one day rise up against your children. Then there will be no hiding place for your children. It must surely happen! Rehoboam never saw it coming! It was very sudden! The people of Israel spoke as one person. One day Nigeria people will speak as one person. The 200 million mumu (apologies to Lagbaja) will one day say “we have had enough”. That blessed day Nigerians will throw away their religious and tribal differences. These two weapons used by the Nigerian elites, especially politicians to manipulate the undiscerning Nigerian.

Before I draw the curtain, let me remind those in authority in Nigeria that as we celebrate our 52 years of independence, God has put you in that position in order for you to make life better for your fellow country men and women. It is a position of trust and one day you will account for every action you took while there. Nigeria people deserve free education to a minimum of SS3, free basic medical care, uninterrupted power supply, good roads and not death traps, security and revamping of decaying infrastructures and building of new ones.

It is better to leave office with a good name and enduring legacy than a bad one. The Bible tells me in Pro 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” Pro 10:7 says that “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” Think about these and happy you will be when you allow yourself to be used by God to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians once again.

He who has ears to hear let him hear.

Happy Independence to all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.

God bless you.

Reflects the immorality of the citizens.
Your leaders are a representation of YOU!

Callotti: Reflects the immorality of the citizens.
Your leaders are a representation of YOU!

I agree!!. The Government in Nigeria is the innocent mirror of the nation. The quality of government and its leaders, is simply
a reflection of the collective consciousness of all the people in Nigeria. In some instances, leaders who came to power as the champions of anti-corruption have themselves been charged with being involved with levels of corruption even more serious than those of their predecessors. If the collective consciousness in Nigeria is disintegrated and negative, and people are not behaving in accord with Natural Laws, then problems and corruption will be an unavoidable phenomenon of government. If, on the other hand, the collective consciousness in Nigeria is positive, integrated, and coherent, then the government will not be influenced by any negativity. If the people in Nigeria wish to be protected from corruption in government, then they must create an integrated collective consciousness. Positivity and harmony should be so strong and dense in national consciousness that negative influences cannot penetrate it.