ADDITIONAL DRAIN IN NIGERIAN HUMAN CAPITAL

Folklore has it that there was once a chicken that was struck on the head by a piece of some solid material.  The chicken developed the impression that it was the sky that landed on its head and went about town announcing that the sky was coming down.  On and on it went until a more enlightened animal showed it the item that had landed on its head. I can imagine how that chicken felt when confronted with the truth; that is exactly how I felt a few days ago.  In the cause of my daily activities, as early at 9.00am, my colleagues and I came upon some very young boys by the railway line on Agege Motor Road at the junction of Fatai Atere Way, opposite Coca Cola depot in Lagos.  There was a police post just at the median of the road and this did not seem to make any difference to anyone. What was odd about the gathering is that they were all busy wrapping and smoking weed.  The boys ranged from eight to fourteen years and it was not like they were stunted in growth or overweight; their physical appearance portrayed their true age.

I quickly went for my camera and took two shots before I realized that one of them had come up from behind our car and was shouting and raving about me taking photographs of them. I tried to pacify the boy and I called him to come closer to me but he was adamant and I guess he too was afraid of what could happen because of my appearance. Thankfully, the traffic light cleared us to move and we sped away from the spot. In my flight, I lost the photographs taken.

I was disturbed as I took to discussing my experience with different people; the outcome of my report was that many people in Lagos are aware of this situation. Many people are aware that this area is related to Mushin area of Lagos which is known for its high population of hoodlums.  It was new to me but it was nothing to many other people.  It was particularly disturbing that law enforcement agents were nearby and the boys went about what they were doing without fear or concern. I was informed of a similar colony in Maryland, Lagos where Nigerian youth idle and waste away. 

Who will take responsibility for this sad development? Children who should be in school or training  in view of their future are found smoking weed and idling their lives away as early as eight years of age. What will happen when they become adults and family men? How do they sustain their living now and how will they sustain their lives then? Why do people not see the danger in what is happening under our nostrils. What this amounts to is a waste of the lives of these children and children who have been nurtured and prepared for the future; nobody is safe having people like this around them. People should not look at them and look away because what they are doing today will come round and hunt all of us some day in the future.

The next administration that claims to have the interest of the people at heart must make this a matter of priority of government. Evangelists who go about preaching the good news should make effort to work with social workers and any NGOs that are interested in ridding our society of people wasting their lives.

GOD bless Nigeria.

WHAT ABOUT US? 3

Issues arise and while we react and respond, we must be guided by the fact that to every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction.  Accounts must balance as there is no room for vacuum; we take from somewhere and the gap must be occupied.  When we receive pittance from politicians who no longer make it a secret that they are making attempts to purchase the votes of the people, someone must be at the receiving end.  The politician will not expose himself to the inconvenience of having to accept responsibility for squandering the resources of the land; he would have taken adequate precaution to protect himself from disappointment.

Much as knowledgeable people tried to convince the people to desist from what is now popularly tagged “stomach infrastructure” in Nigeria, the politicians simply raised the game and squandered much more. In the cause of campaigning for the upcoming elections, politicians have used the joint resources of the nation to campaign for their personal ambitions. The lives of a few Nigerians have been turned around because of the largesse extended to them by politicians.

The Nigerian youth ordinarily would have been in the position to further drive home the message of discouraging politicians from insulting the sensibility of the polity; they have also been adequately provided for.  The next group would have been our religious leaders; without any shame they have also been catered for. When Gov. Rotimi Amaechi raised alarm over the settlement of pastors by the ruling party, there were heated denials from different quarters within the Christian group. To our greatest embarrassment, many more church leaders or owners who may not have received their own share of the loot have been making frightful predictions in the media and calling for special prayers for the presidency, PDP and the incumbent.  Then the witch showed up claiming to be a white witch and generally promoting his business while at the same time claiming to be in possession of information that will see to the conclusive end of insurgency in Nigeria.

Sadly, on a daily basis, we read of fresh endorsements for the incumbent leader and knowing Nigerians, the endorsements would have cost Nigeria a fortune. All manner of groups have arisen to pledge their support for the administration of Dr. Jonathan. The age or profession is not necessarily prerequisite for qualifying to endorse the incumbent.

The question now is why don’t we realize that funds that could have been expended on different community projects for the good of the whole have been mischannelled for the selfish motives of politicians; we shall be made to bear the brunt of this manner of mismanagement of government funds. We must not loose sight of the fact that after all said and down, there will remain the entity Nigeria and her people.

GOD bless Nigeria.

Shoplifting On Allen Avenue Ikeja Lagos part 2