If I have the opportunity to govern Anambra State, for example, I am 120% certain that I will make such a mark that even the best Anambra State governor will be envious of my achievements. The reason is simple: Anambra State towns and villages have similar values in life. When you start a policy that agrees with their view, most people will support you. I will not be afraid of taking radical actions that will move the state forward for fear of not offending some sections. If Anambra were an independent nation, it would be easy to propel it to greatness because the people love excellence and have similar views of life.

This is true of many other states in Nigeria.

But if I get the opportunity to govern Nigeria, I cannot guarantee if I will excel despite all my hard work and good intentions. The reason is simple. With the exception of the gay issue, which Nigerians from North and South as well as Christians and Muslims agree on, there is no other issue Nigerians agree upon. If, for example, I push for restructuring, one section of the country will criticise me, while the other part will hail me. If I push for quota system, one part will hail me, while the other will demonise me. If I push for compulsory education or push for punishment for parents who refuse their children to go to school, one part will ask for my head on a platter, while the other part will applaud me. If I push for religion to be divorced from governance, one section will hail me while the other will condemn me.

Any appointment I make will be x-rayed, dissected and interpreted as pro-East, or pro-South or pro-Christianity or an attempt to please the North or Muslims so that they will like me.

Any action I take to move the country forward and pull it out of mediocrity and retrogression will be resisted by one part of the nation and hailed by the other part. Riots will break out and people will be killed so as to ensure that such policies are not implemented.

If you want peace to reign, you just let the status quo remain. And allowing the status quo to remain is equal to allowing the mediocrity, backwardness, and decay to continue.

So anybody hoping that a leader will emerge one day who will transform Nigeria is living in a fool’s paradise.

Structured as it is today, Nigeria can NEVER progress, no matter the good intentions and efforts of any leader. It is not lack of optimism or a curse but simple reality.

The North and the South have opposite and contrastive values on all issues in life except the gay issue.

Corruption is a big problem in Nigeria but it is not the most critical issue. Interestingly, something is fuelling the corruption as well as the non-patriotism, mediocrity, stagnation, backwardness, laziness, decay, intolerance, constant killings and lack of value for human lives bedevilling the nation. If you want to drastically reduce corruption, you must first kill why is causing it. If we don’t solve the fundamental problem causing the problems, we will continue hoping and praying in vain for some ruler to emerge one day and transform the nation.



Azuka Onwuka

http://etimes.com.ng/2017/05/08/will-i-make-a-good-nigerian-president-i-am-not-sure-because-of-this-reason/