As Nigeria celebrates its 65th Independence anniversary, our thoughts for this month will be expectedly centred on our country, Nigeria. Unfortunately, as far as our existence as citizens of this great country is concerned, the blunt truth is that there is hardly anything to celebrate about. The Nigerian reality today is that we have woefully underperformed on almost all counts and even instead retrogressed. The quality of the Nigerian life is nothing to write home about.
There is today wide spread hardship and poverty in the land. The extent of pain and anguish is difficult to put in words. There is deep insecurity in the land that one has recently asked rhetorical what really is the worth of the life of a Nigerian. Citizens lose their lives due to fire. Some lives are snuffed out prematurely by marauders. Kidnappers are having a field day as kidnapping has been elevated to the status of an industry, and there is hardly any reliable infrastructure to talk about. We simply appear to be confused and groping aimlessly in the dark.
Those who should be most concerned about this ugly situation; those who should live up to their responsibilities in this regard, are consumed with the quest for re-elections for elections that are still two years ahead! Unfortunately, the focus in governance is all about primitive accumulation of personal wealth underscored by pervasive conflict interest situations. State capture is stifling, rife, and suffocating. As a result, there is no accountability anywhere as impunity in the land walks on all fours. Whither Nigeria? But we have no other place to call our home and country. Therefore, in spite of the hopeless situation we find ourselves in today, we must not give up on Nigeria.
The future ahead might be cloudy, uncertain, gloomy, and unpredictable, but we have no choice but to remain merchants of hope that things will inevitably get better. Happy new month to all my fellow citizens and hopeful independence anniversary. May the good Lord bless us and bless Nigeria in distress. May He walk with us with His protective banner over us even as we beg him to multiply our efforts and crown them with his success and grant us the wisdom to pull Nigeria out from the pit it has found itself today.
… Has America lost its global leadership?
Yes! America has already lost its leadership position as it permitted Trump to happen to it. This fact could be gleaned from many recent developments. See the wave of European countries that have left America in the cold to recognise Palestine. Such a development was not possible in the recent past. The European Countries could have waited for America to provide the lead, and the band wagon effect will follow. Wait until the BRICKS Plus nations perfect plans for an alternative world currency to leave a dollar that has lost its influence as it is beginning to lose its relevance.
The Chinese have now rolled out their war fleet to oppose America in the Caribbean waters in defence of Venezuela that Trump wants to intimidate and bring to its knees. Russia just left Trump with a dirty slap on his face since after all the efforts Trump made, it has continued with its senseless bombardment of Ukraine against Trump’s avowed intentions. As we all know, countries have been offloading their American bond holdings as they take flight to safety, making the bonds lose value as they become increasingly unattractive.
What Donald Regan predicted at the end of his regime that America would lose its hold on the world if it fails to remain the land of opportunity which opens up its citizenship to all and sundry is already taking place before our very eyes. I don›t know how many of us have tracked reactions, which followed the show of shame, which bully, deranged Trump put up at UN confab80. I have never seen a President so pilloried and scarstically vilified. Trump has become the butt of scathing and unsavoury ridicule and jokes. Although he puts up an “I don’t care” attitude, Americans must be wondering how they lost it all so suddenly; so quickly. One shudders to imagine in what poor place Trump leaves America at the end of his tenure. It is so very sad and unfortunate.
• Dr. Boniface Chizea, a topnotch economic and business consultant writes from Lagos.
