I begin this new year with my first weekly opinion which is a helping homily. What is a homily? It is a form of exhortation, a written or spoken expression meant to uplift and guide, encouraging resilience and fortitude. It invites reflection on one’s life, beliefs, and values, and serves as a beacon to help individuals make ethical decisions. It helps the people stand strong without capitulating to enemies or surrendering to those who should surrender to them in war. What I write in the new year is a helping and soothing homily. But above all, this homily sends a clear message to oppressors in Nigeria: Your days are numbered!
Since the historical surreal sojourn of the children of Isreal in Egypt, and since their definitive departure from the torture chambers of Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, I have not known a people who have suffered as much in the hands of their oppressors as Nigerians. These talented men and women have endured battering and clubbing since the days of the military. In the aftermath of military domination of the purlieu of power, a transition to democratic rule was launched in 1999. Unfortunately, the government of the people for the people and by the people has not done much for the people. The needle of progress has not moved much because the fate of our nation is largely controlled by cunning and unscrupulous characters, who, like the notorious Cruella De Vil, have trapped the people in an endless cycle of hardship. They slither through government offices, scheming and manipulating, digging deep holes in the nation’s resources. With one scandal after another, with ugly stories of missing funds, frenzied financial recklessness, and public money mismanagement, these leaders never seem to change. But I can feel it in my spirit, especially in this New Year that the days of the people’s oppressors are numbered.
In Nigeria, working in any branch of government has, unfortunately, become a quick and easy route for anyone to amass wealth. The only qualification needed to run for office is often a high school certificate—whether genuine or fabricated. This lax requirement has paved the way for many unqualified individuals to flood the political landscape. The Nigerian veranda of power is filled with these figures, who, through deceit and manipulation, manage to hold power over the educated and wise.
But who is to blame for this? The answer lies with the Nigerian people. They have allowed this free pass to misrule—opening the door for theft, corruption, and destruction. Too many of Nigeria’s politicians are uneducated, reckless, and uninformed. Their main agenda is to secure political power and, once in office, loot the public purse. The promises of a brighter future for Nigeria are empty dreams in the hands of corrupt leaders. When you elect criminals to office, do not expect any good to come from it.
At one point in the past, the government spent $1.545bn to purchase nine gas turbines for power generation, while another African country spent just $404m for 18 similar turbines. This means that Nigeria spent three times more money on far fewer turbines. In Brazil, Geometric Power invested $12bn to generate 12,000 megawatts, while Nigeria spent $16bn to generate just 2,500 to 3,000 megawatts. Yet, despite these huge expenditures, Nigeria still struggles with regular power supply. Countless sums of money have disappeared. Accompanying the heisting is accompanying an endless stream of excuses for the nation’s struggles. I just feel it in my spirit that the days of the people’s oppressors in Nigeria are numbered.
Governments, as we have read in history, either touch lives for good; or torch human souls with unquenchable fire of fright about today, and hopelessness about tomorrow. The government is a good tool that helps put smiles on the faces of the dejected and rejected if properly put to work by men with conscience and character. If it works right, the people are happy. But if it is a frontier of waste and wickedness, the people groan. Nobody in Nigeria wins in any election until all Nigerians win their wars against hunger, poverty, sickness, and disease. What many of these oppressors do not see coming will surely come. Someone should tell them they need to feed the people, not fleece them. Somebody should counsel them that they serve the people sincerely and truthfully, not make them serfs.
Let all thieving people in government know that actions have consequences that will one day manifest. For larcenous leaders, these consequences will be negative, and they may go a long distance hitting their children and grandchildren. The season of karma becomes the judgment day. Unfortunately, greedy, gluttonous, wicked, and larcenous leaders, do not see it coming.
Crossing into 2025 can be likened to crossing the Red Sea. The future is uncertain, but we step forward with hope. We pray for improvement, for better weather in our spiritual lives, for greater joy, louder testimonies, and answers to our unanswered prayers. We yearn for a resolution to our unresolved problems and for a life that is more livable than ever before. And our message must always go out without ceasing to the people’s oppressors: Your days are numbered.
Nigeria is currently in all manner of trouble, albeit, by choice. But her current problems are not permanent because, I am convinced, they were not made permanent by God. If the sun withdraws itself daily and is replaced by the showing of the moon, then no condition is permanent. Nigeria is pathetically problematic, and its governance is complicated and complex. The revamping of the nation is beyond one man’s call of duty. It is beyond one person from one region or religion; beyond one person who speaks in one certain way and who builds around himself a certain creed and breed of people. To think contrary to my assertion is a ginger toward a false and infantile hope. It then becomes imperative for all our hands to be on the wheel together lest the ship spins into a wreck. We must not relent in telling the people’s oppressors that their days are numbered!
Credit: Fola Ojo