INDIFFERENCE, anger, frustration, abuse, scorn, apathy, ingratitude might certainly be parts of the reactions of the concerned at large (both across and beyond its borders) anytime the issue of Nigeria, especially on its attainment of 55 odd years, comes for mention. Ironically, as some often contend, a fool at 40 is said to be a damned, continual idiot – a fool forever.

On this deduction, gauging a seemingly ‘aged toddler’ of 660 months from its month of ‘flag independence’ in October 1960, with barely visible achievements commensurate with its endowments and capability may be quite a herculean task. This is based against a background of a nation without a clear-cut vision of what precisely is to be done to catch up with its lost time.

Reflecting on the deluge of its misses, near-misses and wasted opportunities owing to its several tons of weak reasons and mere excuses–most of which are simply pedestrian, could this Africa’s self-styled giant have done it otherwise (and better) if it had been fated to have truly committed nation builders? Rather, so solidly in the reins of power are its largely parochial, ethnic-minded chieftains pretending to be what they were and are not; as conscientiously-inspired national leaders.

However, having survived deliberate booby traps, difficulties and crises in its bids for peaceful coexistence, nationhood efforts, democratic processes and democratisation standards, till date, Nigeria still deserves some backslapping and genuine congratulations despite its shortcomings.

For some, age is a state of the mind (rather than the consumptive calendar years) and coupled with the character-contents of the society at large. A typical nation is made for the better by the total sum of sacrifices of its leaders’ and citizens’ cooperating support system for clearly defined goals for societal development or worse off by the lack of these highlighted and interrelated virtues.

Beyond the mere act of goals-setting comes the concerted and needful action to match pronouncements with execution and anything else or less of pro-active achievement are just suggestive or indicative sloganeering. A brief relapse to the archives of programmes of actions or rolling plans of the past could only be described as a graveyard of antiquated good intents as what lie side by side are abandoned, skipped, poorly executed cum quarter-baked projects.

In most similar instances, failed states are bitter consequences of abandoned or failed plans of action and whereas if the appropriate things had been done better results beneficial to the ultimate good of the largest segment of the citizens would have been solidly put in place, ab initio. Successive generations would then build upon such achievements, irrespective of their modest beginning. But sorry stories have been Nigeria’s lot.

Among the back-up virtues and renowned values of societal development that have kept nations of high reckoning still standing were the primary focus of their early leaders to do just the needful and offering sacrificial services of charting the then rather lonely and tortuous road of nation building without bias or personal gains. For them, their newly conceived nation was regarded and adopted as their neonate that had to be preserved at all costs.

Was it for nothing or mere showmanship that the United States first President George Washington, firmly refused the alluring rein of power tenacity in the late 18th century? He was confronted with the offer of continuity after having served for two terms in office or South Africa’s ‘saintly’ father-figure, Nelson Mandela, who also rejected being tempted to exceed the one single term of five years, he had earlier set for himself, in the late 20th century!

The peculiar case of Lee Kuan Yew who presided over the modern city-state of Singapore for 31 odd years is an eventful leadership with a rigid focus of sound experimental governance per excellence. For a particular instance of this sort, men of low integrity and tenacious tendencies may wish to draw self-serving cues of long stay in power, forgetting that it is indeed one issue to be in power for self aggrandisement while service in good governance for a period short or long is another matter of integrity and honour.

Usually, after exit from office, one relevant question that runs through successive generations is; how beneficial, altruistic and society or life-transforming did such leaders affect their nation? Aside all these, the penetrating and impartial eyes of history are so probing and dispassionate that such leaders’ records would be laid bare for thorough scrutiny, long afterwards.

Connecting the universality of good governance vis-à-vis ably and transparently-bearing leadership codes with Nigeria–a nation of very free minded, independently conscious, entrepreneurially charged, religiously awakened (but ungodly?) stock; what and how can one exactly read its score card after this while of its said-independence?

Between then (i.e. October 1960) and now, using the global indices of excellent standards of living as against being mere statistics of existence, has Nigeria measured up expectedly? Take sound education, equitable distribution of available resources, solid infrastructural facilities for example. The infrastructure in reference is constant supply of electricity which is the live wire of modern civilisation; and indices of civilisation are, of course, impartial justice system and degree of respectability in the comity of nations.

Putting it mildly and quite woefully, Nigeria’s case is less than fulfilled; but one thing that has kept the nation going is this ego-better mentality. Because what other nations of lower levels of suffering or deprivations have collapsed under have virtually had no discernible impact on our diverse and divergent people subscribing to this ‘nothing-pass-God’ philosophy.

Having been caught in the variable grips of ineffectual leadership, absence of a functionally protective state, endless and large-scale poverty on the one hand and simultaneously with a cynical followership that gives support as each regime so deserves on the other, predictably, it is hardly surprising why Nigeria has been stuck in a wilderness of unfulfilled ideals.

Whereas, if its ready-to-excel-people had been adequately mobilised, what China, both universally and regionally, has come to represent would have been some Nigerian playthings to the world at large since the 1960s. In our contemporary setting, incontestably is any home complete without one or another consumable product of Chinese origin. Even at this breathtaking speed, China is still roaring to conquer, farther afield, new grounds.

In spite of all these obstacles to progressive development, for Nigeria to have tarried on the democratic thoroughfare for the past 16 years without military interference, despite its stifling records of soul-blowing corruption, related ethnic parochialism, breakdown of its once-treasured socialisation processes as well as moral bankruptcy, still suggests of a bright and beckoning future in the making.

Indeed, deliberate efforts have to be made to tackle its easily identifiable ‘killer-vices’ of institutionalised corruption, decadent leadership materials, a failing and nonfunctional state that is more of an hindrance to excellent service delivery and consensual nation building.

No matter the height of industrialisation capacity or attained civilization, no nation is spared its own killer-vices. In fact, like that tumour growth which ultimately kills its bearer except relentless efforts are made to excise it. While America has its gun-violence culture to battle with, South Africa has its xenophobic struggle as against Britain’s contentious age-old segregationist mannerisms.

Even on regional contrasting comparisons: Africa is deeply rooted in seemingly institutionalised lack and societal dislocation. Europe is saddled with its lot of godless and normless tendencies and protectionist exclusions. Latin America has drugs peddling and addiction as its own wars of attrition. It is in anomic disorders and establishmentarian indifference that North America lies prostrate in sheer frustration while Asia is still haunted by the mistrust of its war-weary past and directional uncertainty of its emerging power blocs of China and India. Or the conflagratory Mid-East which is in the asphyxiating clutches of religious extremism and terror campaign.

In the course of the foregoing world-tripping on Nigeria’s sojourn in the last five plus decades, it is a fact of life that no nation can afford to be insulated against abounding killer-vices some of which with universal bearings are corruption, ethnic cleansing, terror attacks and xenophobia which operate beyond transnational borders.

As for Nigeria and its burdens of arrested development, failing leadership and resultant, vices; there is the need to have strong leadership but with set-agenda for a complete, 180° turnaround. At its present setting, Nigeria can be equated with a jungle where everything has gone nasty and completely broken and it requires the lionhearted and daring ones to reorder such a precarious state accordingly.

In any case, strong leadership needs to build strong institutionalised structures so as to consolidate set plans and perpetuate legacies, to the overall good of the society, long after the exit of their originators.

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