Arts and Life
The Collapsing Structure Called Nigeria: A Chat With Kelly
By Dr Jarlath Uche Opara
For the purposes of this piece, I would want to use a pseudo name to hide the identity of the person I had the chat with. Kelly isn’t his real name.
I have known him since he was ten years.
He got his professorial chair at a very young age of 30 years, doing pretty fine in his choice area of destiny.
Before now, Kelly was known for his zero tolerance for bad governance.
He saw them as the very virus, responsible for the decay and destruction of our societal values, the very reason governance stagnates, with no visible evidence of productivity.
In one twist of enjoying the wails of sirens, the rumbling powers of his proximity to government authority, the rustle of the leaves of office paraphernalia, the howling wind and the pattering of the rains of privileges from the creaking door of political Influence, Kelly change 360 degrees, from who he was, to new a personality, making excuses for the obvious lack of proficiency and effectiveness in governance.
He is a man of great wisdom, who deploys Socratic method or method of Elenchus to construct and deconstruct arguments; his powerful instrument, if one isn’t careful, to the cleaners he would take one, even in ones place of better points and perception.
Four months ago I had an early morning back and forth discussion with him on the decay, visibly endemic in both our institutions of higher learning and the civil service. He was right. Talk about fund mismanagement, lecturer- student grade for sale and other inglorious acts that go on there. The Civil Service space is no better. Stinks and oozes.
It was one decay he wouldn’t tolerate and wouldn’t bulge or bat an eyelid to bite the bullet, recommendating for their sack.
It sounds so easy and seamless but the truth is, are these two areas the only place corruption is glaringly endemic in our country?
Shockingly, corruption is everywhere, acts and deeds seen perpetrated in bareface manner by the political class, their cronies and appointees. Perpetrating deeds that wouldn’t align with the preferences of any decent mind.
To those who watched the video made by Verydarkman against Bobrisky and his incarceration, the idea of Nigeria being an irredeemably failed system stares barefacedly, a reflection of the picture above.
The above picture is a succinct reflection of a Nigeria system. Dilapidated, messy, caved in and bevelled for a fall. What possible solution would one proffer to save this great fall already a done deal? What would be a better option? To bring down the entire building ravaged by corruption, impunity, bribery, mismanagement, lacklustre etc and begin a new building? Or to do a hedging around with stones and cements?
My friend Kelly , who contested an election last year and won as a National House of Assembly wouldn’t see anything wrong with the ineptitude of politicians. Such is the lives of many politicians who justify bad governance because it gives them opportunity to live large, enjoy the government paraphernalia while the poor masses grind their teeth in abject poverty.
The picture you see is a graphic reflection of Nigeria. The structure looks good but the foundation is eroded. The inside may look pristine and palatial but the integrity of the building is overly compromised. Even in this terrible state, many politicians are busy buying decoration materials for a house whose foundation is almost caved in.
Behold your Country! The giant of Africa. Behold your country with more than three Refineries, but very obsessive to patronise one single one owned by an individual. A clear situation of a man with multiple wives, still frolicking with his neighbour’s.
As this building is, is it redeemable? Can it be salvaged without it collapsing? If it can, there is hope then for Nigeria. If not, “church agbasala”!
Dr. Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com