Imperative of moral resurgimiento
It was the great Zik of Africa who canvassed the need for a political resurgimiento in his determination to see the back of the British colonialists. Eventually, he and his nationalist colleagues succeeded in mobilising the Nigerian people and forcing the hands of the British to return whence they came. Had he still been with […]
It was the great Zik of Africa who canvassed the need for a political resurgimiento in his determination to see the back of the British colonialists. Eventually, he and his nationalist colleagues succeeded in mobilising the Nigerian people and forcing the hands of the British to return whence they came.
Had he still been with us now, seeing how far gone we have travelled on the road of social and political immorality, Azikiwe would probably be campaigning for a moral resurgimiento, for, nothing short of a collective resolve to tow the path of moral rectitude would save us from the karmic imperatives of our iniquitous conduct.
Please take of your cap of partisan politics for a while and let’s reason together. No matter who sits at the helm as president, governor or corporate chief, if Nigerians themselves insist on bad behaviour, not much will change.
The young man, who, the other day, took out his frustration on parked cars, for his inability to collect his international passport from the Nigerian Embassy in London, behaved badly. As he faces the consequences of his irrationality, he would in retrospect wish he hadn’t momentarily ‘lost it’. After he was turned back by the embassy because he arrived “late” and couldn’t produce his collection slip, the 32-year-old Mr. Jeffery Apkovweta Ewohime lashed out by using iron rods and stones to destroy vehicles parked within the Embassy premises.
I am not one to continue hitting a man that is already down, so I just hope that many of our young people would learn that nothing is gained by resorting to violence in making a point.
Having said that, let’s now face the real problem confronting us as a nation. Many of our embassies are peopled with operatives with a heart of stone as evidenced by the many viral videos and articles published on social media by Nigerians who have for years borne the brunt of the corruption and ineptitude that characterise service delivery at Nigerian embassies.
In one of such instances at the Nigerian high commission in Ottawa, some Nigerians had flown in from as far away as Calgary and Saskatoon. They had all paid fees of about $95 to get visas and passports. They were told to pick them up at the high commission. When they arrived, they found a note on the door saying that the office was closed and would remain closed for the rest of the week. The crowd became unruly and banged on the doors, pushing and shoving, until the few high commission staff that showed up for work finally opened the door. Many went inside along with the high commission staff explained that issuance of passports was not their own schedule and that they couldn’t even operate the computers!
One of the aggrieved citizens observed that Nigerian embassies in many parts of the world are like that — the workers, having imported their bad behaviour back home to the foreign land, behaving like gods.
The good news is that our embassy in Ottawa seems to have changed for the better. I was thrilled to read the account of one Emcee Bernardinho who noted that, “Nigeria embassy in Ottawa, Canada, is now effective compared to what it was before. Prior to going there last week, I was told a lot of bad stuff, but to my greatest surprise, all three of us that went from Toronto were answered politely within 45 minutes. Kudos to you guys.”
What is clear is that there is quite a bit of work to be done in reorienting our embassies abroad to treat their responsibilities to their fellow citizens as sacred. In the same vein, our people have to learn to obey simple rules or guidelines. The refusal to respect the laws of host countries in many cases, has brought many of our countrymen and women to grief.
Take the current upsurge in anti-Nigeria sentiments in Ghana and the resort to self-help by some Ghanaians who proceeded to mount new locks on shops owned by Nigerians. Extra-judicial actions are never excusable but — truth be told — we must counsel Nigerians who have chosen to live in Ghana to respect the laws of the land.
Some years ago, some over-exuberant Nigerians virtually turned that country to Nigeria’s 37th state when they mounted billboards of Nigerian political parties in parts of Accra to the consternation of many Ghanaians. Nigerians argued that since there was a very large Nigerian community in Ghana, it was quite logical that Nigerian political activities be extended to Ghana to canvass for votes. Ghanaians would have none of it. Eventually the billboards were taken down.
Ghanaian law reserves the retail sector of the economy for its citizens. Foreigners are not allowed to compete in retail business, but Nigerians have invaded that sector, even hawking in traffic, much to the displeasure of Ghanaians. That is apart from Nigerians involved in the twin crimes of drug trafficking and internet fraud.
But I hasten to counsel Ghanaians that the principle of reciprocity is as impersonal as granite. There are diplomatic ways of solving the problem instead of overt anti-Nigerian actions. Who knows what tomorrow’s dawn brings for you too. Softly, brothers!
It is easy to blame our government for everything, but what about citizens who refuse to fulfil their own end of the bargain? If Nigerians want to be treated with respect by other African nations, as indeed they deserve to be — considering the great sacrifices we have made for many countries on the continent, we need to embark on a moral rebirth and start behaving decently at home and abroad, nothing less.