By Owei Lakemfa
Events of monumental proportions are happening in the world. The assassination of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasarallah, may signal the commencement of all-out war in the Middle East.
Those who love conquest would
celebrate his elimination. Those who seek peace would recognise that his death
drives humanity closer to an avoidable war.
Since we all agree that we now live in a global village, we should be concerned about such events in the world. But Nigerians are not prepared for such a fall-out.
Surely we have Nigerians living
in Lebanon who would need protection. But we have no ambassador there who can
protect out interest or keep us well informed. We also have no ambassador in
Israel who can advance our interest.
Definitely, this is a proxy war
in which the United States and its allies like France and Britain are providing
Israel with logistics and timely intelligence which has always given it an
advantage in armed conflicts with its neigbours. But we do not have ambassadors
in any of those countries who can advance our views and interests. Nor do we
have in Iran which is providing logistics and support for Hezbollah.
In fact, we have no ambassador
anywhere in the world except in the United Nations system and Niger Republic.
Tragically, our best diplomats
are at home, rotting away behind bare office desks, waiting to be posted. After
one year of waiting, some of them may never make it to the pinnacle of their
career as retirement may catch up with them.
Yes, the Tinubu administration
has a Four-D foreign policy of Development, Demography, Democracy and Diaspora,
but without ambassadors in a competitive world to make our case in various
countries? We are concerned about Diaspora, but leave our citizens in all
countries like sheep without shepherd. Then we stroll to the UN General
Assembly podium to say we want to be a Permanent Member of the Security
Council. Who will take us serious?
What is quite painful in this is
that it was quite avoidable. We had ambassadors across the world when President
Bola Tinubu was sworn in on May 29, 2023. After about four months, he recalled
all of them with the perceived intention of replacing them. Now over one year
later, he has either been incapable of doing so, or has not had the time. Why
such self-inflicted injury by the so-called Giant of Africa?
It is also unlikely that this
wound can be well treated this year because currently, the focus of the world
is on UNGA, then our 64th Independence Anniversary and, we are approaching
Christmas season or end-of-year activities. Again, even if new ambassadors are
appointed today, they will need to undergo screening by the Senate, training
and a period of acceptance by the receiving countries.
So, effectively, Nigerians are orphaned on the
international stage.
We are also dispossessed in the
country. Nigerians are a mass of alienated, hungry and angry people in a
country so richly endowed with resources, including oil and gas and,
unarguably, some of the best brains in the world.
We do not add value to our products
like oil, are incapable of repairing existing refineries, yet go about
destroying what are called ‘illegal’ refineries. In the last one year, the cost
of petrol has gone up at least 400 per cent, yet we have to queue for hours to
buy the product. We find ourselves being played like football between the new
Dangote Refinery and the Federal Government. Talking about the latter, we live
a lie that we have a federal system when what we run is a unitary system. A
political system in which no group or nationality is happy or at ease.
Another lie is that we run a
democracy when we are incapable of even conducting a state election
successfully. We just had an election in Edo State where victory went to the
highest bidder with ‘federal might’.
We know that the monthly
allowances distributed in the National Assembly are illegal, that the
constituency projects cannot stand the most rudimentary scrutiny and that our
annual budgets are padded, yet we expect the same body to carry out oversight
functions. Can a compromised National Assembly check the Executive or call
public officials to order?
What, for me, is the most
worrying is the growing insecurity in the land with terrorists, bandits and
separatists over- running vast swathes of the country. But rather than
concentrate on this serious challenge to life and property and the very
existence of the country, the military is bogged down with diversions such as
stopping public protests on the state of the country. Worse still, the generals
bog themselves down with the conduct of elections. What was the business of the
Chief of Defence Staff with the state election in Edo? What threat existed
there that the police or Civil Defence could not handle? The misuse of the
military for civil matters is a danger to the country’s democratic process.
The state of insecurity has
become even more frightening after various accusations were made against the
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. Those making the accusations
include the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, who accused his predecessor
of keeping bandits in the Government House and receiving ransom on their
behalf. Yet, all Matawalle could do was to swear by the Quoran.
Every aspect of our national
life is down. The education sector is virtually in comatose and the cries of
the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, about the sorry state of
education in the country does not appear to have receptive ears in government.
As for the people, all they
experience are astronomical increases in the prices of goods and services, more
taxes and higher tariff for poorer services like electricity.
The country is in a mess and the
government must know that people are no longer listening to the trite that
things will get worse before they get better. That has been the sing-song of
virtually every government since the overthrow of the Shagari administration on
December 31, 1983.
Nigerians are a dispossessed people both abroad and at home. We need to review our policies, programmes and governance system. Africans say when a child trips and falls, he looks forward to see if there is anybody coming to help him, but when an elder trips and falls, he looks back to see what tripped him. After 64 years, we should look back to see why we are down.
The Tinubu government should reassess its programmes and policies. To do this
effectively, he needs to put together intellectually-endowed patriots who do
not need his patronage. This advisory body can bridge the yawning gap between
the government and the people.
*Lakemfa is a commentator on public issues
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