Gross-lack-of-understanding-of-how-things-should-work-the-basic-problem-of-nigerian-african-leaders

President Muhammadu Buhari (Right) and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo (Left)

GROSS LACK OF “UNDERSTANDING” OF HOW THINGS SHOULD WORK - THE BASIC PROBLEM OF NIGERIAN/AFRICAN LEADERS
Our heart breaks every time we take into consideration the disparity that exists between political leaders in African countries, especially in Nigeria, with the way they “play politics and carry out governance”, when compared with their counterparts in developed societies in Europe, America, United Arab Emirates (UAE), etc. From the way they conduct general elections; how government institutions functions, how they manage and appropriate public wealth and economic resources under their care; to how they respect/uphold the ideals of democracy. But a careful look at both worlds, the basic thing that makes all the difference between African countries and the rest of the developed world, is the lack of ‘understanding’, on the part of African nations, of how things ought to work for the benefit of all. This is the basic reason why most African leaders, especially those in Nigeria, only think of today and what they will gain from the system, without regards the ripple effects of the actions today against tomorrow or the far future.
Some few months ago, and even till now, a video of a famous Pastor started, and went viral on social media, as the said Pastor gave a summary of Africa’s problem with an example of a copper mine in Zambia. In his words: “The Zambian Government sold its copper mines in Northern Zambia to an outside consortium for $25Million, because they could not manage to keep them. The company that came and took over the copper mines in three months, made a profit of $75Million. They did not pay the Zambian Government cash upfront for the copper mine, they were going to pay them over a period of time. Here we have a company that ‘UNDERSTANDS’ HOW THINGS WORK; raised money and at the Zambian Government’s expense, took money the Zambian Government should have been making, and gave it back to the Government and said we paid our debts in full, which gives them now zero, zero, zero percent of the proceeds from copper mining.
“Whereas, right inside, its Zambian people are living in poverty, malnutrition, ignorance and high level of AIDS. Yet, churches are full, people are praising God, Africans know how to pray all night. But prayer is not in the success equation, prayer is in the revelation equation. Decision making is in the success equation, you have to make a decision and be sound. We have to be disciplined…You can be full… and you can still be ignorant. But for me and my house, I will ‘get understanding’. Its time now for us to rise up and be counted. This year, the country of Ghana turns 50. Ghana was born the same year we were born, in 1957. Ghana and South Korea have their independent dates on the same day, same year; but look where South Korea is at the moment…China which is the next large world economy, they have said that in the next ten years, 20% of the Chinese people will be millionaires. That means almost 450 million Chinese people will be millionaires. They are non-Christians, they are Buddhists, The Japanese are Shittu, those in Indonesia and Malaysia are Muslims. So, it is not about praising God and shouting hallelujah, and praying thank you Jesus, IT IS ABOUT POSSESSING AN UNDERSTANDING, AS TO HOW THINGS WORK.”
The truth is, a careful look and in-depth consideration and analysis of some of the things that happen in our dear country Nigeria (as another African example), since its emergence as an independent nation, one cannot help but behold and get angry with the imperviousness and absurdity of the Nigerian State and its people. It is only in Nigeria, that we see and hear things done by those in Government, and often times supported by ‘some’ persons/elites amongst the populace, which are unheard of in other climes. This was the picture, Abraham Ogbodo (as published in his Opinion Page – Backlash sometime in 2018), tried to paint in his said opinion piece, which again gives light to the above subject matter as the bane of Nigeria’s developmental progress. Though, he did not use the words ‘lack of understanding of how things should work, he however emphasized the need for us to “fight stupidity”, which again implies not having the understanding to manage/run the affairs of the nation in the interest of the general masses. We believe everyone that calls himself/herself a Nigerian, should read this whole piece and make the necessary adjustments as advised.
According to Ogbodo: “It is in this country that people bring home ants-infested wood and complain when lizards start visiting. They would cultivate coco-yams at planting season and when they failed to reap yams at harvest, they would look for somebody to heap the blame. What do you call that? Stupidity, to put it mildly, and insanity to put it harshly!”
Throwing more light in this direction, Ogbodo noted some key decisions and events in our national life to underscore the depth of stupidity and lack of understanding that has attended nation building in Nigeria since independence. For instance, we could see clearly “the stupidity in building thermal stations outside gas-producing zones and pay heavily for a secondary contract to lay pipes to connect gas to the facilities and pay heavily still to ethnic warlords to protect the pipes from being destroyed by vandals. It is stupidity to create a Petroleum Equalization Fund that has failed to equalize petroleum prices, but still funded to operate.
It is stupidity to build a steel complex in coastal Warri and spend even higher amount to build a rail line from the source of iron ore deposits hundreds of kilometers away in Itakpe, Kogi State, to feed the plant in Delta State. Just as it is also stupidity to site a Liquefied Natural Gas plant in some location in Ondo State and then hope to siphon the feeding element from gas fields in Delta State. It is stupidity to make Nigerian Ports unattractive to do business and then turn around to empower the Nigerian Customs Service to fight smuggling. Stupidity to have only one airport in the nation’s capital and even more stupid to watch the facility become completely dilapidated and then shut it down for six weeks to effect repairs.”
We also wish to add, it is stupidity and lack of understanding that Nigeria, despite its over fifty decades of oil and gas exploration and production activities, still exports its hugely produced crude oil and natural gas at commercial quantity and controlled international market forces, and then import ‘refined petroleum products’ and other finished goods derived from petroleum resources, at higher costs to satisfy its domestic demand. It is stupidity, that in Nigeria, rather than the relevant Authorities and Institutions in the country’s education sector to be thinking, brainstorming and coming up with policies and practices that would improve and raise the nation’s already poor standard of education, they are busy reducing the standard more to the unimaginable with the decision of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), to peg the minimum cut-off mark for admissions into Nigerian Universities at 120. It is even more worrisomely stupid, for past administrations since 1999, to always note some of the challenges in the nation’s education section to include, an estimated 13.2 million children out of school, high illiteracy level, infrastructural deficit and decay, unqualified teachers, and inadequate instructional materials, which is part of decades of neglect that the sector has suffered. Yet, these successive governments since 1999, always allocated far below Budgets to Education – far lower than the 26% of national budget recommended by the United Nations (UN) as global benchmark to enable nations adequately cater for rising education demands.
It is also stupidity and lack of Understanding of how things ought to work, that our Nigerian politicians at all levels of Governance since 1999, prefers to misappropriate public funds (to satisfy their insatiable greed), meant for the provision of basic infrastructural needs for the growing populace. Yet, they travel abroad every now and then to enjoy the same basic infrastructure provided by their counterparts in other developed climes of Europe, America, and some Asian countries. It is stupidity and lack of understanding, for our political leaders and big money bags to always purchase the latest state-of-the-art exotic cars, which they cannot conveniently use on our Nigerian deplorable roads they fail to address. It is stupidity that we have become a people who love, relish and like to patronize foreign made goods/products like Louis Vuitton and Prada which are part of the high taste of a people whose local production capacity can deliver is Ogogoro at best.
It is stupidity and lack of understanding when well-known public thieves (and even ex-convicts) that have stolen our collective wealth, are still publicly celebrated and praised as heroes instead of being condemned and advised to keep a low profile, having been made to face the full wrath of the law. It is stupidity and lack of understanding when the issue of nepotism, favouritism, ethnicitism, religion and political affiliations have been made the basis upon which political office holders are elected/appointed into sensitive public positions, instead of such persons elected/appointed on merit, expertise and proven-integrity.  Is it not being stupid, and lacking understanding when our Nigerian State Governors have become very good at organizing one Economic Investment Summit or the other, yet they are unwilling to do the needful by providing the necessary infrastructure and conducive business atmosphere that would automatically attract investors both home and abroad to invest in their States.
There are a lot of more stupid things that have been done and are still being done in the country’s public space which make one wonder if we are in a jungle or a supposed democratic entity. But this space will not be enough for us to go on and on to highlight more stupid things that depict this ‘lack of understanding of how things should work’, especially by the political leaders who are the custodians of our State and national collective wealth. But I believe you have already gotten the massage. Perhaps, you could even look around your environment and space, and intently list other things that depicts the level of stupidity and lack of understanding of how things should work, evident in the country’s political space. As concluded by Ogbodo, “…corruption shall die without a gun shot from the EFCC if we can rally and kill stupidity.”
For over twenty-seven years, I have been talking on issues affecting the common man, and will keep repeating myself until I am heard by the so-called “big men” (those in political power), whose responsibility it is to drive the change we all so desire to see in our societies. My messages have not changed, as they are hinged on the same thing – which is exposing the wickedness of those in political leadership positions across the country. Most of whom have allowed their insatiable greed to blind them to the point that their conscience has practically disappeared into the thin air, as they have kept on amassing our collective public wealth, which they really do not need.
 
 
Zik Gbemre.
 

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