The labours of our leaders past...

We have arrived at the time when almost nothing has anymore meaning in terms of life and security of Nigerians in NIGERIA. What our Leaders past laboured for and died for has been swept into the lagoon and the sahara by self inflicted vices that have engulfed the nation. At a time like this, finding possible way/ways out rests with all of us and not just the Leaders. In your opinion, how should the Government approach the issue of terrorism, robbery, cultism etc? Two heads are better than one.

Let us all "Nigerians" put our hands together and pray for our dear Nation, things are getting better now, cos the wind is blowing and the anus of all these fowls are getting exposed .

Originally Posted by kksenior

.............. by self inflicted vices that have engulfed the nation. At a time like this, finding possible way/ways out rests with all of us and not just the Leaders.......

What strikes me most was the fact that the pains , agony and shame were self inflicted, In my own opinion, We first of all need to realised that
1. We are in soup ( A problem known , is half solved)
2. And that, It is self inflicted, as such the solution lies first with self. ( If a mans battle begins with himself, then that man is worth something).
3. We can not get out pretending or confessing everything is okay.

................... I rest for a while.

Which type of soup ?.

the type that is acidic and dissolves you from the inside till you fall down- a collection of rugs, bones and rotten perched flesh.

Originally Posted by azeez

Which type of soup ?.

Yes, a dangerous soup Azeez.
We are in Ogbono soup ( Militancy and kidnapping) thick as it is, We are in Miyan kuka (Insurgence of Boko haram and Religion intolerance) dark as it may be, We are in Ewedu soup ( Opc and rivalry) slippery as it may be
and finally, We are in Stew soup ( Post colonial influence syndrome) watery as it may be.
Combining this three soups together, you can now guess what it will look like : the type that is acidic and dissolves you from the inside till you fall down- a collection of rugs, bones and rotten perched flesh.

Surely, our leaders past generally did very well. However, the actions (or inactions) of some of them have led us to where we are today. They could be likened to the proverbial cricket that used its leg to puncture its own stomach after having a sumptuous meal. Their actions and inactions led to the sudden demise of the 1st Republic. Thus, the independence they agitated for and won, on a platter of gold, so to say, was allowed to turn sour almost immediately – before their very own eyes. Moreover, what was their real motive for agitating for independence? Personal interest? Sectional interest? National interest? History will judge them fairly. However, for now, I daresay that their actions and inactions turned our independence into re-dependence – see http://www.qondio.com/redependence-not-independence.

I know that Gembiz knows very well where the blame lies for the 'action or inaction' of our leaders past, and it will be unjust to blame any of them for our mess today. Who gave them a chance to weather the teething stage of democracy? The very nations we ape and copy went through worse stages than ours, but sense and decency prevailed and they succeeded. Our Leaders past have done their fair share and you, Gembiz and me KK, are receipients of their selflessness. No sir. I disagree with you with you this time.

I actually typed but deleted my post, I thought I could get more light from the link. I have the opinion that we can not blame them as much as we blame the colonial masters.

Oga Gembiz, seems we will need some clarification.

KKS, long time! But we sometimes disagreed too in the past. We cannot all share the same view, and that is the secret of the robustness of this Forum. I did not say that our leaders past did not try their best. I only seized the opportunity to remind ourselves to beware of eulogizing them as if they shared no blame in the rot that Nigeria has become. Sure, I will praise my parents for giving birth to me. However, if their lack of compromise and mutual respect led to their breakup and I suffer the effects of a broken home, I definitely would hold them responsible for my plight. In summary, while we are praising them for their efforts and activities that brought us independence, we should be fair enough to blame them also for the parts they played (or failed to play) in bringing us to where we are today. Let me remind you that there is nothing without pros and cons, even death (http://www.qondio.com/the-bright-sides-of-death). That is the way God has created the universe. Nobody and nothing is perfect. And nobody and nothing is totally bad.

Dr, you seemed to have been confused by the content of the link. Well, the essence of the article is to analyze the mode of governance in Nigeria. Our culture of "master-servant relationship" with regard to the traditional authorities has largely influenced the way we are being ruled by our leaders, who have wrongly imbibed the same perception. Even in democracy, the people in power regard themselves as superior. That is why the culture of impunity is rampant in our land, especially in the face of low level of education and high level of poverty.

The late Governor of the old Imo State, Sam Mbakwe, once lamented the premature exit of the colonial masters, and expressed a sense of nostalgia with their timeand rule. He must have considered certain points which some of us younger ones would not totally appreciate. While I do not wish the colonial masters to come back as Pa Mbakwe had done, I pray that our leaders will learn to be our servants rather than our masters.

God bless Nigeria!

@ Ogbeni gembiz, I see that you do not want to exonerate our heroes past in their roles and contributions in bringing us to the mess we are in today. What should we learn from the realization that they are instrumental in depositing us into the trench?.

Dr, Thanks for the title 'Ogbeni'. But did you take permission from Aregbesola (Osun State Governor) to confer the title on another person?

What we have learnt is that we should endeavour to play by the rules; be tolerant of one another; eschew corruption, tribalism and religious bigotry. Else, the 'hot soup' will continue to scald the tongues of all subsequent generations.

Our leaders tried. What I am saying is that they also share in the blame of what we have become now. It's unfair to put all the blames on the generations that succeeded them.

I agree with you Gembiz, some of our problems are inherited, while they tried much, I dare to say, they also misfired much.

Be that as it may, what are the ways out now? What can our present leaders do on their part, and what can we do as citizens to help steady the nation?

Our leaders must be conscientious enough to place national interest above personal or sectional ones. They should always do what is best for the majority of the people while not trampling on the interests of the minorities. "Country First" , as McCain sloganized during the last American presidential campaigns, ought to be their watchwords.