God has once more carried those of us that are extremely fortunate across from 2014 to the much talk-about 2015. We are fortunate because, God, in His infinite mercy, had seen us through the turbulence, the tempest and fury of the 2014.
We survived the 2014 in which hundreds were killed through man-made and unnatural causes, including Boko Haram’s bomb blasts which is now the cross the nation has been carrying, armed robberies; even the short-lived Ebola disease that was imported by wicked doctor from Liberia, kidnapping, different forms of accidents etc.
In short, for many Nigerians, surviving the year 2014 was no fun at all considering also the near collapse of the nation’s economy that virtually grounded many people: those who could not embark on the usual annual chores of travelling to their villages for the Christmas and end of the year breaks.
There were, of course, many more life-threatening dangers which were not visible immediately, but loomed in the dark.
Launching into the year 2015, which turns out to be even another year of its own special expectation is a complete story on its own. 2015 has been described in different quarters as the year of election trepidation and uncertainty. America was alleged to have predicted, a couple of years ago, that it is in this year, 2015, that Nigeria would go asunder, given the fact that the election, scheduled for February, would be contested, at Presidential level, by two giants that are in diametrically opposition to each other in every respect.
The picture that is emerging as the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and that of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari hit the road campaigning, does not provide any hope of staying off the disintegration hooks. The big masquerades and their foot soldiers are pretending it would just be all well.
What appears to be missing amidst the hot-tempered campaign and do-or-die scheming, is lack of sincerity amongst the contending forces and their surrogates or the boot-leakers.
It has become known that the politicians in the leadership positions who constitute a very negligible percentage of the nation’s population are feeding fat on the pains of the majority of the citizenry but pretending to be concerned.
As a matter of fact, leaders are forcing Nigerians to live purely on lying: lying about the economy, about the insecurity (remember the cease-fire agreement between the government and members of Boko Haram into which billions of Naira was sunk; the cease-fire that turned out to be a hoax?); about the argument as to whether billions of Nigerian money, either in Naira or in Dollar was missing, about the subsidy regime and even about who donated what money to what project or programme; about the position of Nigerian army fighting Boko Haram, about the status of the nation’s economy and about even who are corrupt and who are not.
As a matter of fact, truths are now so scarce in the process of governance that a few ones told by some truly patriotic Nigerians are being ignored or given a different names to provide leeway for authorities to “deal” with the messengers who convey the messages: just so that lies would continue to thrive.
Entering 2015 with such attitude that seems to be growing bigger every day does not give any hope of making America’s alleged prediction of disintegration a lie. The political leaders need to urgently change their negative attitude in the manner they govern the country. The way the nation is going, there is no other magic that can bring about unity after the general elections other than truth, especially by the leaders. Like the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III said, it is only when the leaders go by the truth and, of course, fairness to all sections of the country that Nigeria would be truly be on the path to salvation. [myad]
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