Social justice: How did we sink to this level?

A late friend of mine, a Nigerian who was residing in Japan, suggested that all the inmates in our prisons be released. He said his suggestion is because their sins are infinitesimal when compared to the atrocities committed by those in power and their well-wishers.  As this friend of mine returned to Nigeria to celebrate […]

A late friend of mine, a Nigerian who was residing in Japan, suggested that all the inmates in our prisons be released. He said his suggestion is because their sins are infinitesimal when compared to the atrocities committed by those in power and their well-wishers.  
As this friend of mine returned to Nigeria to celebrate Easter with us, he decided to drive around town, and the driver of a luxurious bus showed him that Nigeria is where blind citizens have driver’s licenses. The young man, the only son and bread winner of the family was crushed by the luxurious bus driver. Somebody may ask me what happened later. What do you expect? We left everything to God while we collected his mangled remains for internment. If it were you, what would you do? Go to court? The transport company would go and get perpetual injunction restraining us from prosecuting the driver or the transport company. That is even when the transport company is lenient. The more shrewd ones would arrest us for allowing the deceased to drive the car in the first place and before you know it damages would be awarded in their favour.
Don’t get me started on our students. There is nothing that motivates them to work harder at all. These kids are not blind. They see their parents and elder siblings burn the proverbial midnight candles in the name of studying for examinations and human capital development with nothing to show for it and you want them to sit down and prepare for their SSCE where unemployed university graduates are available to take up examination ‘mercenary jobs?’ Many of our Nollywood actors and actresses are school dropouts and today many of our professors practising in this country cannot measure up with them in all ramifications in life except in reading that which is not regarded in our country.
When a pharmacist who suffered to acquire his or her certificate after five horrendous years will end up serving as a drug ‘rep’ to companies and a sale’s lady or boy in the pharmacy shops without any drug manufacturing company for him or her to put into practice what he or she has learnt, just know that the end is not far-fetched. Aliko Dangote recently advertised for vacancies for the posts of truck drivers in his company and we are all witnesses of how many master’s degree and PhD holders applied for the job. That will tell you the level we have reached in this country.
Paul John, Port Harcourt, Rivers State ([email protected])