As-long-as-nigerian-political-leaders-dont-share-in-the-plight-of-nigerians-the-country-will-not-move-forward
September 7, 2020 | News
AS LONG AS NIGERIAN POLITICAL LEADERS DON’T SHARE IN THE PLIGHT OF NIGERIANS, THE COUNTRY WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD
We have all heard the saying that, it is only the person who is wearing the shoe that knows and feels the pain. That means, one can never appreciate or understand the plight of another, except if one is in that same situation. And so, it is between the Government and the Governed. In other words, until our Nigerian political leaders start passing through the ‘daily’ experiences of the common masses, to fully understand their plight, they will not see the need to make the needed adjustments in addressing the myriad of problems being faced by the general people.
In a well circulated short video some months back, Rev. Father George Ehusani, gave a vivid description of what we are trying to say here. In his words: “I have constantly said in this country that, until Nigerians get to a stage to say no, you cannot be a Minister of Power if it is a generator that is powering your own house, and you have not provided generators for every other person. You cannot be Minister of Housing if you are not staying in a Government Apartment. You cannot be a Minister of Health, if you cannot have your medical treatments in this country.
“You cannot be a Minister of Education and all your children are schooling outside the country. You can’t? WHY? BECAUSE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE SELF-INTEREST. IF HIS CHILDREN ARE GOING TO THE GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS, HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF. IF HIS FAMILY IS GOING TO GO TO THE GENERAL HOSPITAL AT HOME, HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE GENERAL HOSPITAL IS WORKING AND WELL TAKEN CARE OF. BUT AS LONG AS POLITICAL LEADERS DO NOT SHARE IN THE PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE; AS LONG AS LEADERS CAN FLY TO THE US, TO THE UK, OR TO DUBAI FOR THEIR HEALTH CARE NEEDS, AND CONFINE THE PEOPLE TO THE KIND OF CONDITIONS HERE; AS LONG AS THAT IS THE SITUATION – WE ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD ANYWHERE AS A NATION.
“So, Nigerians should grow up, and say no! You cannot be our Minister for Education because your children are not schooling here. When you have a situation, rather than the people making sacrifices, you have made for the people, then we say yes! YOU CAN BE OUR LEADER BECAUSE YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR US. YOU HAVE DENIED YOURSELF LEGITIMATE PLEASURE FOR OUR SAKE. THAT IS WHAT IS USED TO QUALIFY PEOPLE FOR LEADERSHIP. Now, we have people who conquer us, they take the resources of our land to conquer us, and remain there, and it becomes difficult to remove them from power…”
It is a natural phenomenon to expect that when a people have been pushed to the wall, and the odds are daily made to be against them and their survival; they would eventually retaliate and violently pour out all their bottled-up anger and aggression against those who have decided to make life miserable for them. The recent attacks by Nigerians in Diaspora, on Nigerian Political Leaders visiting overseas for one thing or the other, is not just happening by accident. Not that we support any form of public aggression, violence of any sort, or physical assault on anyone, but we also have to realize that every human being is born with a ‘natural instinct of survival’. And once they feel their future survival is being threatened by other human beings and factors that are beyond their control, the next thing that comes naturally is to retaliate, which often times are exhibited in different forms. We are already seeing evidence of this across Nigeria, and especially abroad, more recently. And we also fear it can only get worse, if the nation and its political players should continue on their current path.
The truth is, if the Nigerian Education system is fixed to international standard, if Nigerian hospitals are well equipped like the ones we see in UK, US, France, Germany, etc., if what we see in these developed nations are available here in Nigeria; even the Nigerian elites we gladly use/patronize them. But whose responsibility is it to make these things work? Of course, it is Nigerian Politicians who have been elected as custodians of our collective public wealth, that are supposed to do so. It is their duties to make these sectors functional as they should, and also affordable/accessible to the general public. It is big shame that Nigerian political leaders are still traveling abroad for medical checkups/treatments? Is it not a shame that Nigerian elected Political leaders still send their children to the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, etc., to get education? What stops them from making the ones we have in the country of international standard, and also affordable to the Nigerian public?
Zik Gbemre.
December 9, 2019
Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
We have all heard the saying that, it is only the person who is wearing the shoe that knows and feels the pain. That means, one can never appreciate or understand the plight of another, except if one is in that same situation. And so, it is between the Government and the Governed. In other words, until our Nigerian political leaders start passing through the ‘daily’ experiences of the common masses, to fully understand their plight, they will not see the need to make the needed adjustments in addressing the myriad of problems being faced by the general people.
In a well circulated short video some months back, Rev. Father George Ehusani, gave a vivid description of what we are trying to say here. In his words: “I have constantly said in this country that, until Nigerians get to a stage to say no, you cannot be a Minister of Power if it is a generator that is powering your own house, and you have not provided generators for every other person. You cannot be Minister of Housing if you are not staying in a Government Apartment. You cannot be a Minister of Health, if you cannot have your medical treatments in this country.
“You cannot be a Minister of Education and all your children are schooling outside the country. You can’t? WHY? BECAUSE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE SELF-INTEREST. IF HIS CHILDREN ARE GOING TO THE GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS, HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF. IF HIS FAMILY IS GOING TO GO TO THE GENERAL HOSPITAL AT HOME, HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE GENERAL HOSPITAL IS WORKING AND WELL TAKEN CARE OF. BUT AS LONG AS POLITICAL LEADERS DO NOT SHARE IN THE PLIGHT OF THE PEOPLE; AS LONG AS LEADERS CAN FLY TO THE US, TO THE UK, OR TO DUBAI FOR THEIR HEALTH CARE NEEDS, AND CONFINE THE PEOPLE TO THE KIND OF CONDITIONS HERE; AS LONG AS THAT IS THE SITUATION – WE ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD ANYWHERE AS A NATION.
“So, Nigerians should grow up, and say no! You cannot be our Minister for Education because your children are not schooling here. When you have a situation, rather than the people making sacrifices, you have made for the people, then we say yes! YOU CAN BE OUR LEADER BECAUSE YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR US. YOU HAVE DENIED YOURSELF LEGITIMATE PLEASURE FOR OUR SAKE. THAT IS WHAT IS USED TO QUALIFY PEOPLE FOR LEADERSHIP. Now, we have people who conquer us, they take the resources of our land to conquer us, and remain there, and it becomes difficult to remove them from power…”
It is a natural phenomenon to expect that when a people have been pushed to the wall, and the odds are daily made to be against them and their survival; they would eventually retaliate and violently pour out all their bottled-up anger and aggression against those who have decided to make life miserable for them. The recent attacks by Nigerians in Diaspora, on Nigerian Political Leaders visiting overseas for one thing or the other, is not just happening by accident. Not that we support any form of public aggression, violence of any sort, or physical assault on anyone, but we also have to realize that every human being is born with a ‘natural instinct of survival’. And once they feel their future survival is being threatened by other human beings and factors that are beyond their control, the next thing that comes naturally is to retaliate, which often times are exhibited in different forms. We are already seeing evidence of this across Nigeria, and especially abroad, more recently. And we also fear it can only get worse, if the nation and its political players should continue on their current path.
The truth is, if the Nigerian Education system is fixed to international standard, if Nigerian hospitals are well equipped like the ones we see in UK, US, France, Germany, etc., if what we see in these developed nations are available here in Nigeria; even the Nigerian elites we gladly use/patronize them. But whose responsibility is it to make these things work? Of course, it is Nigerian Politicians who have been elected as custodians of our collective public wealth, that are supposed to do so. It is their duties to make these sectors functional as they should, and also affordable/accessible to the general public. It is big shame that Nigerian political leaders are still traveling abroad for medical checkups/treatments? Is it not a shame that Nigerian elected Political leaders still send their children to the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, etc., to get education? What stops them from making the ones we have in the country of international standard, and also affordable to the Nigerian public?
Zik Gbemre.
December 9, 2019
Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes