TheCable

Nigerians did not vote for anyone to pray for them in either Saudi Arabia or Israel. We do have enough pastors and imams—who are doing all that and more. In serious climes, political leaders are being voted into power to solve economic and security problems, but here, after voting them into power, they become naïve, oblivious and clueless, and start running to Israel and Saudi Arabia as if that’s how serious nations are being built.

When last did you see Presidents of Russia, Rwanda and China run to Israel and Saudi Arabia, putting their photographs on the pages of national newspapers, using taxpayers’ money? For years, I have been telling Nigerians that Nigeria is not a religious country, but because our people love to swim in the cesspool and cesspit of deception, they would not listen. Nigeria is a secular country! Do your politicians go to “Holy-lands” before sharing your collective patrimony at Local, State and Federal levels? Let them keep fooling you!

Going to both—Saudi Arabia and Israel only make the economies of those two countries stronger, but it does not change our lawless and selfish culture in Nigeria, and it does not add anything to our besieged, snowed-under and struggling economy a hoot. Religion is supposed to be a personal thing in a secular country as ours. And for the umpteenth time, we do not want any president to travel to the ends of the earth to pray for us. Kindly sit at home and let us think, plan and work out in shoe-leather—on how we are going to come out of the quagmire that we have found ourselves and creatively birth a solid street-map that is capable of delivering a great future that our children and unborn generations of Nigerians would be proud of.

When true leaders sit on a nation, it prospers, but when locusts sit on a nation as we have been having in Nigeria since 1960, it suffers. Those who are sitting over every 3^rd world country are locusts, not leaders! Nigeria and Africa—as a whole—are blessed with natural resources, but with the presence of locusts (masquerading as leaders), attacking the economy of Africa, this continent can never move forward as expected.

I unassumingly and humbly submit to every Christian and Moslem in Nigeria that religion cannot build this country. What is building other serious nations is not religion. The nations of the earth that are working productively are using their brains. They have clear-cut visions—that have been developed into workable plans, and with utmost seriousness and sincerity, they are daily working out their own greatness.

As far as I am concerned, our own version of democracy is a hoax and it is void of morality, decency and honesty. How can a nation that has over 150million poor citizens—have lawmakers who are outrageously remunerated? Does this make any sense? Where is the place of justice in this? And how can a nation that detests justice be truly peaceful? Remember, peace cannot exist without justice.

Our lawmakers have many thoughtless and insensitive packages. Those who collect “send-forth package” will also receive “welcome package,” if they are returned to either the Senate or House of Representatives! And ex-governors who are now Senators too will receive the immoral “welcome package” And because this generation of Nigerians is very docile, everything goes.

Kindly understand that it is not only those in the House of Representatives and Senate—who are plundering us as a people. Every politician is a locust in Nigeria. They are in power to be served, not to serve. Just four (4) years in power, they become billionaires. This is why they kill in order to perpetuate themselves in power. Nigeria is truly a jungle when it comes to democracy!

Also, the poor man works very hard till he retires as a civil servant and has no house to retire to, but a governor is served for four (4) years and millions of naira is approved for him to build a house that he would retire to. This is after collecting “security vote” for four (4) years, running into billions of naira! Where is the place of justice in this? Does this show that we are serious as a people? A nation without justice cannot rise even if President Buhari runs to Saudi Arabia ten (10) times in a year to pray.

Last of all, Nigeria is not blessed with visionary and selfless-leaders, what we do have in abundance are locusts. Nigeria currently has no singular leader! On the condition that you do know of one, kindly tell the precious people of Nigeria. Remember, locusts can only consume and destroy; they do not have the capacity to build. For the umpteenth time, the destiny of locusts is to destroy, not to build. May you all rise to remove every locust (masquerading as leaders) from the corridors of power, so we can truly begin to build a nation that we all can call our own!