A LETTER TO THE GOOD
CITIZEN OF NIGERIA
Poor leadership and bad followership that manifest in the form
of corruption, embezzlement, insecurity, banditry, infrastructural decay, crude
oil theft, pipeline vandalization, opaque accounting in subsidy payments, capital
flight, money laundry, importation of fake and sub-standard products, fetish
practices like blood rituals, eating of excreta, incestuous sex, sacrificing
blood relations, spraying money for rituals, bathing in public spaces,
consuming hard drugs and fetish concoctions, walking naked in the open among
other bizarre rituals in a bid to make quick money, fame and material wealth,
has become a source of worry to everybody in Nigeria and the global community. How the succeeding
leadership and followership got to this mindless desperation for money, power
and influence is incomprehensible.
The few people who dare to be different from the madness going
on are often sidestepped, bullied, criticized, blackmailed and marked down for
elimination. The case of a determined and entirely patriotic lady who chose to
return unspent billions of Naira to government treasury is worthy of note.
Rather than allow the money to be pilfered by greedy civil servants, the lady
who had been a successful Banker all her life and had only just accepted a
government appointment after rising to the pinnacle of her career in the
banking industry has a bitter story to tell. Having been so badly heckled,
pushed and shoved on account of her patriotism and principled stand against
corruption, has vowed never to accept a Nigerian government appointment again
in her lifetime.
We have come to that point in Nigeria at which
right-thinking people across the globe have come to the conclusion that the
consequences of inaction by Nigerians will lead the country to her inevitable
destruction. All hands must therefore be
on deck to rescue the country from the abyss.
Heiman Raees, in his ‘Life Lessons’ published on 27th
March 2021, says the Greeks of old believe there are three types of people on
earth: namely:
- the
idiots,
- the
tribesmen,
- the
citizens.
Raees says that studies show that only 10% of Africans are
citizens. The remaining 90% are either tribesmen or idiots. He went further to
clarify that when the Greeks used the word "idiot", they did not use
it as a curse word.
Idiots are people who just don’t care.
If they write exams, they will cheat. If they are in government, they will
steal. An idiot does not care at all, if he eats bananas, he throws the peels
anywhere instead of putting them in a trash bin. Raees says the Greeks believe
that some societies have more idiots than tribesmen and citizens.
The next set of people are the ‘’tribesmen". These are people that look at everything from
the point of view of their tribe. They are people that believe in you only if
you are a member of their tribe. It can be terrible to have a tribesman as a
leader because he will alienate the rest of the population. Raees again
clarifies that when the Greeks talk about tribes, it is not just about
ethnicity, they also consider religion as a tribe. The Greeks posit that a
great percentage of Africans (and therefore Nigerians) are tribesmen, because
they view everything from the point of view of their tribes. They look down on
everyone else but trust only their tribesmen.
The last group of people are the "citizens".
These are people that like to do things the right way. They will respect
traffic light rules, even if no one is watching them. They drive within speed
limits. They respect the laws of the land and will not cheat under all
circumstances. In government they will not steal. They are compassionate and
give to others to promote their wellbeing. Citizens often promote ideas that
benefit everyone in the society.
The Greeks believe that some countries have more citizens
than tribesmen and idiots. Other countries (like Nigeria?) have so many idiots
and tribesmen.
The good news however is that both tribesman and idiot can
become a citizen through learning, practical re-orientation and constant
enforcement of rules and regulations. This means that both tribalism and idiocy
are mere inherent traits of the poverty of the human mind.
So, the question to ask every Nigerian is this:
Where do you belong? Are you an idiot, a tribesman or a
citizen?
It is clear that many Nigerians who found themselves in
leadership positions from inception, and who cannot point to anything of value
they have contributed to national development, or who may even have hastened
the collapse of the ship of state, as seen today, are either idiots or
tribesmen; only an infinitesimal few can define themselves as true citizens.
The present circumstances therefore compel each of us alive to earnestly define
the type of persons we are and take corrective measures as necessary, by coming
together as one to train and re-train our minds, and harness our creativity,
vision, self-help, self-discovery, and self-motivation to the business of
helping more Nigerians to become good citizens, wholly dedicated to doing
things right.
We must rebrand. We must re-build. We must re-write our
history. We must start re-defining ourselves and applying our co-ordinate
advantages and natural strength, to ensure that the legitimate contribution of
every Nigerian can be nurtured and channeled towards for the collective
benefit of all.
The task is huge, but it is possible to achieve between the
timeline of 20-30 years, starting with a core group of a few people who are
committed. At the end of the long journey, it will be possible to confidently
beat our chests and say we have created structures and raised people in
positions of authority who are the true citizens of Nigeria. Anything we put
into the hands of the present set of people who have not been reformed will go
bad.
There is no doubt that Nigeria is blessed with a good
collection of the likes of Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore, Mustafa Ataturk of
Turkey, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Rashid bin Al Maktoum
of Dubai. Going forward, we must task ourselves to diligently search and
discover such people within the populace and continue to add to their number.
We must also ensure that the attributes and values of anyone aspiring to lead
Nigeria, or any part thereof
is on display for all to see.
What Heiman Raees did not tell us in his ‘Life Lessons’
however is that all the ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates and
Plato who propounded the theory of tribesmen and idiocy, studied in African
Universities in Mali, Morocco, and Egypt. Africa is therefore the true source
of the knowledge and solution package being proposed to salvage Nigerian.
Every Nigerian is therefore urged to subscribe to purging
themselves of the dastardly scourge of the affliction. The collective reward
for this sacrifice is a country the African continent and the Black race will
be proud to identify with. It is clear that whatever thoughts, energy or works
people put out, openly or secretly, is always redeemed, good or bad. In other words,
you reap what you sow either directly by yourself or by a loved family member. This
is the great law of cause and effect applicable to everyone, which ought to
discourage people from acts of cheating.
I am taking the liberty of this national inflection therefore
to bell the cat and present the Transparency Accountability and Sustainability
project as a home-grown initiative to midwife the coming together of The Good
Nigerian Citizen (TGNC) that will work with other minds to undertake this
mission. TGNC is a movement for vision and national rebirth. It is not a
money-making venture. It will be wholly dedicated to helping Nigerians discover
and hone their in-born ability, develop their potentials, and deploy their
passion towards helping themselves and everyone to see reasons to stop from
further weaponizing their bad behaviour to the detriment of Nigeria. It is not
going to be about chasing academic laurels or honorific titles. Rather, it will
be about harnessing the natural endowment of individuals who are able and
willing to contribute selflessly toward proving that excellence, honesty, hard
work and respect for the dignity of labour can indeed germinate, blossom and
bear fruit in Nigeria.
An idiot in power
who has not been reformed will perpetrate his/her idiocy, no matter what people
say or do. But it will be difficult and almost impossible for the idiotic or
the tribalistic leader to stop the good citizens from applying themselves to
the best of their ability and to enjoy the fruit of their labour.
My conclusion therefore is that the need to overcome our
inherent dysfunction as a nation, and the need to stop embarrassing the black
race across the world should motivate all the good citizens of Nigeria to come together
and dig our heels into the ground, become more assertive and more creative,
rather than fleeing the country in search of the greener pastures. Nigerians
must simply agree to move on with their lives and for the next few years,
ignore the shenanigans of bad leadership and follow the path of dignity and
honour already paved by the good citizens of other nations.
The Transparency Accountability and Sustainability idea has
played highly active roles in collaboration with other good citizens to give an
‘eye’ and an ‘ear’ to Nigeria with the launch of the national space programme
in September 2003. The platform also pioneered the activities that gave a
‘voice’ to Nigeria with the rollout of the national eGovernment programmes in
March 2004. In effect, the TGNC platform already exist, the structure and
initial manning level has been established in every MDA (albeit largely
dormant), the mandate for its actualization and Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) is in place, preliminary works are on-going, some inventions have been
licensed for the exclusive use of the Movement over a period of twenty years,
full rollout is expected to commence with the admission of a few more good
citizens who have ideas to contribute. These modest achievements have been made
through the help of a few good citizens without taking a kobo in sponsorship
money from government. TGNC will continue to maintain this discipline and
independence.
TGNC will operate as a Pan-Nigerian movement open to everybody
in all religious and socio-economic persuasions. The only qualification
required of a prospective member is to be a lover of Nigeria, to be passionate
about righting the wrongs of the past and be ready to work hard to ensure the
country sheds the toga of indiscipline, greed and avarice while striving to
take her rightful place in the comity of nations. God who brought us together as a nation did
not make a mistake.
The Movement will not be used as a pawn in the game of
power politics of Nigeria. It is going to examine and report objectively,
factually, and fairly; separating those leaders and outfits who distinguish
themselves and are serving the people well from those who are only there to
steal and play the buffoonery.
We will never give accolades to or celebrate criminals who
should languish in jail.
Instead, we will work hard to develop a crop of good
citizens who will become the conscience of the nation and the gold standard for
the voice of the ordinary Nigerian in the overall efforts to warm up the field
and make it too hot for idiots and tribesmen to seize and further subdue to
their exclusive advantage.
TGNC will be clear eyed about any infractions to its rules
and regulations and go as far as accurately defining every constituted
authority, every corporate entity, organization, or corporate body who operate
or is desirous of operating in the Nigerian public or private space and whose
activities will directly or indirectly impinge on the wellbeing of the people.
We are going to be truthful and objective, being guided by the maxim that says:
He who seeks equity must do equity.
If you consider yourself a lover of Nigeria, ready to
contribute your own quota to re-shape her destiny and re-write her history for
the good of all, please join us today. TGNC is not just a good idea, it is a matter of the survival of Africa
and the black race across the globe.
To enroll from any part of the globe, you are required to
provide the under listed information:
1) Your
name, address, and phone number.
2) What
have you done and what are you presently doing?
3) Apart
from your place of birth, where else have you been to?
4) Mention
the names of three people who trust you?
5) Why
do you think anyone should trust you?
6) Mention
the name of one person who does not trust you?
7) Why
do you think this person does not trust you?
8) Where
can we know or hear more about you?
9) What
are your dreams for the future of Nigeria?
10)What
are you willing to do to help Nigeria realise your dreams?
Upon enrolment, you will qualify prima facie to become a
Blue card member of TGNC. After verification and confirmation of your initial
submission, you may become a Silver card member. After two years of continued
good behaviour and/or verifiable value addition to societal good, you may
become a Gold card member. Five years of continued good behaviour and record of
substantial contributions to the societal wellbeing, verifiable act of
patriotism, innovation, invention, etc. you may become a Diamond card member.
Ten years of continued good behaviour, verifiable and epoch-making
contributions to national development, invention or a significant patriotic act
may earn you a Platinum membership. Conversely, any act considered unpatriotic,
corrupt, unjust or unbecoming of a good citizen will earn you a demotion or
delisting from TGNC.
Wherever you are (north, east, west, south-south, middle
belt or diaspora), able or disabled, whatever you are doing presently (artisan,
mechanic, driver, house help, nanny, hairdresser, event planner, teacher,
nurse, doctor, lawyer, Imam, Pastor, engineer, or even jobless etc.) you are
strongly encouraged to join TGNC movement for a better Nigeria.
For information on how to become a member of this movement,
visit: www.tgnc.ng or www.tas.ng
Signed
Felix Babatunde
Obada. PhD.
