Government of Pseudo-elites

I read Bode George, a political heavyweight in our dear country recently say the PDP had set some kind of record by giving the country uninterrupted democracy for 14 years. I didn’t know whether to smile or cry. We got independence from the Brits in 1960 and a public figure comes out in public to say his party should be lauded for having given us our longest streak of democracy of just over a decade. Reading the article further shows the only sense the old man made and that was pointing out the flaws of the alternatives to the PDP. The ex-convict was dead right on that one. If PDP was likened to taking a stroll in the Sahara and the ills that come with it, then the ACN was sunbathing at the gates of hell and who knows, maybe the APC would be chilling out in the hot furnace of hell itself.

Bode Gorge

We saw recently the show of shame that went on at the Rivers State house of assembly. A man who is meant to be representing the people hit a heavy metal material on another’s head in full public spectacle. Taking a second to ponder on it, isn’t that attempted murder? I’ve seen enough CSI (both fictional and real) to know he deserves to be in jail for that, but hey, it’s Nigeria. And this Chidi Lloyd person, I can almost be assured he will not be brought to book. So I get asking, do these our so-called leaders have any sense of decency at all?

Transparency International currently rated Nigeria the 8^th most corrupt nation on earth. Honestly, the only surprise to me and probably many people is that there are 7 nations on the surface of this planet more corrupt than Nigeria. So , putting it all into context, we are corrupt, our leaders are literarily trying to kill each other in front of camera, our social amenities are non-existent, the state of Security is alarming, unemployment is almost becoming normal and a public political figure comes out laying claim to credit as giving us the best we’ve ever had. Folks, I think the problem is bigger than we thought! The problem isn’t our leaders doing wrong, it’s our leaders not recognizing wrong! Shouldn’t they all be hiding their faces in shame? Should they be giving press interviews?

We seem to be a country where the ones with little or no sense of decorum make up the elites of the society. A first lady who according to what I’ve read used to be a lecturer in an educational institution can’t speak English to get an extra kidney. A federal cabinet that claims things are getting better. A senate that have allowances probably bigger than every other one in the world. A police that is.. well… scarier than robbers. Public officers that are more interested in getting to office than looking after the people. And worst of all, we’re getting used to all these. I feel scared for my country. The only sense of consolation I get is that there are good Nigerians out there. Everyday people that have it in them to do what is right for the country. Living in diaspora and within the shores of Nigeria itself. A Nobel laureate, Hollywood actors, business giants, academic heavyweights and the likes. The smart ones are called common and the crass ones are called elites. I call them pseudo-elites. Unfortunately these pseudo-elites are the ones governing us.