Nigeria treasury inferno: Why nations fail 

First and foremost, what value do we place on digitalised systems of operations over analog based mode of running our affairs? In the past, I have heard and read about the way and manner the proponents of “Creative Destruction” derogatorily downplay on those conservative fellows.   Paraphrased, it sounds like, “Any political, economic, administrative, and or social system that has refused to upgrade itself in enhanced evolution trends to digitalised mode of operation but inseparably tied to the analog-base which condones drudgery is doomed to destitution, ineptitude and ill-performance.” It will amount to anachronism to be running a country in this jet age and dispensation on the platform such that was in use in the days of yore. You don’t put a new wine in an old bottle and neither do you accomplish lengthy miles in a twinkle of the eyes on the multitude legs of the snail. Drastic moments demand drastic steps. I wept bitterly when I saw on my television screens the building that houses our ailing nation’s patrimony – the Treasury House went in flames. While we, the conscionable citizens bemoans the ugly incidence, certain crafted conversations with a streak of mockery started going viral on social media handles… It will interest you to read it yourself. 

“NASS to FGN yesterday: “You will have to explain how you distributed 2 Trillion Naira to the poor. We need names, how you arrived at your database, we need the demographic spread.”

Finance minister: “We have this records, it’s with the Accountant General.”
Nine hours later the office of the Accountant General engulfed by fire… Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” And if you give me the permission to digress from this topic of the informal practice of infrastructural Inferno in Nigeria, let me also hit shortly on this matter too. A concerned current affairs keen observer coined this,

“Nigeria media are shamelessly showing the condition of UK Prime Minister even in the hospital he is admitted.
Where are Abba Kyari and Buhari?” Then the following is my snappy rejoinder, 
“Hypocrisy Highlighted and Ignoramus Ignited.”

I will beg you to excuse me with the details of the chronicles of the past critical and questionable infrastructural fire incidences and which often has gone down the drain, unprobed. The last one has just joined the rising statistics. Reason being that I’m persuaded that with the on-the-net services rendered by knowledge and information repository search engines like the Wikipedia and the Google can do a better job at your request. Just hit your browser with such questionnaire as “the list of fire incidences involving Nigeria government infrastructural property,” then you will marvel at the endless entries that will pop up. I hate duplication of labour, so may we proceed with other fresh aspects of this trend. “Why Nations Fail,” James A Robinson/Daron Acemoglu “ The Might of Nations,” John G. Stoessinger and ageless “The Wealth of Nation” by the iconic author Adams Smith are among the rich literary records strategically authored on how best to build a nation almost from the scratch. How to develop a nation from the debasing level of obscurity to the top hierarchy of primacy.

But an effete and reactionary leader such as the Buhari’s incumbency is laddening the nation with an unbearable burden. Just think about it… Wealth and power are rarely the accidents of history. Indeed, they find their auspicious and halcyon periods on the character of the people: their initiative, resolution and ability to restructure their environment compatible with their national and specific purpose. Interestingly, and to a large extent, success is contingent upon the capacity and value of the social and political institutions which they practically experiment and grow whereas the proprietship of these systems should align with the needs of the age they are wont to serve.

Against such wholesome and landmark principle of national prosperity have virtually all of the Nigeria political leaders function, either knowingly or unknowingly. They seem to meddle with mediocrity and revel in retrogression. They glory in grandstanding and glamour and presume the permanent plights of the people. They are wicked at heart and they are desperately dangerous, just to be mild on them but blunt with the hard truth. Few have and exhibit the residue of humanness in them but yet for the initial periods of their days in power. The last chunk of their tenure, when the marauding cabals have taken their strategic positions to unleash upper hands on the administration of power, suddenly this our easily malleable and gullible leader starts to exhibit some unresponsive conducts, unperturbed about the national aspirations and which are only the identity of the persons with seared conscience. Then the people will resort to supplications to the unseen God… is a recurring decimating circle.

The dearth of equity distribution or disbursement of national cake, (which is rather an act of playing to the gallery, in the first place against being proactive in productivity,) has been the undoings of especially our political leaders. How much attention is paid to “sharing of” what is called the “national cake” or coined as the “dividends of democracy” buttresses the consumers psychology that’s weighing us down with severely debilitating progression, as a nation. What determines famous and relevant (but indeed froward and notorious) politician in Nigeria is not their political creativity or peculiar potentials instead it is their knack for inordinate desires to amass stupendous wealth and reserved up to their 4th unborn generations apparently to the detriment of whoever such selfishness may bother.

But this is just about coming to an end, particularly with the introduction of the novel COVID-19 pandemic outbreak that has now engulfed the global space, not excluding our very sovereign land. Folding this write-up, it is appropriate to refresh the memory of our national affairs handlers with the treasure points of the requisite steps towards nation building from doldrums to limelight. This idea, without gainsaying it, will flourish seriously when a set of Nigeria’s active political figures choose to mortify themselves of the pursuit of filthy lucre and incline their aggressive but objective and diligent efforts to realising rapid growth across the federation. It is feasible, indeed it is.

Our health care system, education sector, science and technology department, etc, which urgently needs overhauling cannot be steadfastly sidelined or overlooked. We’ll only continue to ignore doing the needful at our expenses; the overhead cost and burden – either massive warlike revolution or utter disintegration – which we will finally discover is beyond our capacity to shoulder. Fire brigade approach to arrest dire situations is the stock in trade of the unintelligent and lackadaisical people… let’s not be caught in that web of anarchy and negligence.
• Orajiaku Freelance Journalist and Social Activist