Merry Xmas?
Again the “season of goodwill” is upon us. Xmas has become far more than the celebration of a Christian religious festival. While the scope of the celebrations and opportunities for enjoyment and relaxation are increasing worldwide, In Nigeria there is less and less reason to be merry. Irrespective of religious conviction Xmas is identified as […]
Again the “season of goodwill” is upon us. Xmas has become far more than the celebration of a Christian religious festival. While the scope of the celebrations and opportunities for enjoyment and relaxation are increasing worldwide, In Nigeria there is less and less reason to be merry. Irrespective of religious conviction Xmas is identified as a time of goodwill towards all men in which happiness and merriment are part and parcel.
During the First World War, British and German troops on the frontline engaged themselves in horrific slaughter. Even though thousands of virile young men were being killed on a daily basis, they agreed to call a halt to the carnage in order to celebrate Xmas day and their right to make merry! Xmas is supposed to represent something special in which the spirit of goodwill brings about happiness however temporarily. A cursory look around the nation reveals that so many Nigerians are being denied the right to make merry at this crucial period. In Edo State many pensioners and local government workers have not received their entitlements for eighteen months! Their only consolation is that this isn’t the first Xmas they will have to “celebrate” without money therefore they should be used to suffering during the season of goodwill. The sick and injured in Benin City have little reason to make merry. Ex-Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was in such a rush to showcase “achievements” before his departure that he conned President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) into opening a hospital that wasn’t ready to admit or treat any patients. Since the fiasco of the expensively orchestrated “commissioning”, the doors of the complex have remained firmly closed. According to the Edo State government the hospital isn’t an abandoned or failed project because “it has been completed and commissioned, but is just yet to be functional”.
Xmas merriment will surely elude the bulk of students who sat for last year’s secondary school leaving examinations. The recently released West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results show that less than 35% of candidates obtained the required grades for admission into institutions of higher learning. As usual WAEC gave most candidates’ results littered with worthless passes. Sunday Clementine committed suicide in Cross River State because he obtained eight passes. As far as WAEC is concerned he didn’t fail a single subject yet his result is simply a worthless piece of paper which terminated both his academic career and his life. There is no reason for our troops engaged in deadly operations against Boko Haram to make merry. The continued killing of gallant officers and men, has turned what was supposed to be a “clinical incisive operation” into a dragged-out war of attrition.
As for our Nation’s leaders, few if any have reason to make merry. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal certainly has no reason to be happy. While profiling himself as an agent of change committed to PMB’s agenda, news broke that his company Rholavision Engineering Ltd got “suspicious payments” of N200 million from a contract he awarded for clearing of grass in Yobe State! The Senate is calling for his resignation for “wanton corruption and abuse of procurement processes”. Nigerian judges will be afraid to make merry this Xmas for fear of arrest and probe of source of funds. PMB himself has no reason to make merry. Increasingly his anti-corruption war is losing steam as none of the allegations against top officials in his government have been thoroughly investigated, while at the same time the homes of judges have been invaded and political opponents like Femi Fani-Kayode have been in detention for over 90 days.
Worse still PMB’s attempt to profile himself as an international statesman suffered a severe blow. When rejecting him as a mediator in the Gambian Gambia, President Jammeh said that “Gambia is not Nigeria, we have always conducted elections in our country devoid of irregularities. We are not unaware of the huge electoral fraud in Nigeria on whose back he rode to power. Let him put his house in order before teaching us how to suck eggs”. Also with no reason to be merry are the thousands of Nigerians who tried to become rich through doing nothing other than putting money into the fake scheme known as MMM.
In spite of the declining economic and social situation in the nation Nigerians will travel next weekend because they just want to enjoy their Xmas and New year season. Unfortunately for them their Xmas spirit will be killed long before they arrive at their destination. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) ridiculous checks which have nothing to do with making the roads safer have led to a loss of public respect which seems not to worry FRSC leaderships. Despite all statements form the Inspector General of Police the Nigeria Police Force, multiple police checkpoints have sprung up for the sole purpose of relieving honest citizens of their hard-earned cash. When a Nigerian policeman says happy Xmas it’s a demand for cash! The saddest aspect of our situation is that most Nigerians will not have a merry Xmas and have little chance of a prosperous new year.