Echos From A Pioneer Nationalist -By Saifullahi Attahir

 On my way home for  ‘Sallah’  break while  passing through the town that gave me my  early taste of knowledge and experience, Birnin- Kudu, I happen to visit one of my favorite bookstores just to remember my past days. Incidentally I caught a glimpse of a very good book written by one of the leading authors and thinkers in Nigeria’s history. The book  was well written, short  and concise  in its message ,just the headline can give any reader a suggestion of what is contained .The book titled   ‘The trouble with Nigeria’   published first in 1983 by the great literary figure  Late  Professor Chinua Achebe.

To start with, the man Chinua Achebe was a well established author not only in style of words but of essence in writing, anybody fortunate to read his write up can testify to the fact that he knows what he always writes, and in fact personally to me I can described him as one of the rare nationalist, mentally capable, a truth speaker, and possessed of unjust mind. Although I did not met him personally, but his style of writing can prove that. Starting with his first novel ‘things fall apart’, you can easily grasp the message Chinua was trying to pass. also when you read his subsequent sequels like; No longer at ease,  always his constant  message was about  fighting corruption, having viable nation, erecting good society, fighting tribalism, nepotism, laziness, and any other social decadence (bad characters). My other reason for  considering this person as a nationalist is that, even the book ‘The trouble with Nigeria ‘that he wrote was dedicated to Mallam Aminu Kano  although they have different religion, tribe, and  region.

As I started to read the first chapter  of the book ‘ The trouble with Nigeria’ written during the regime  of the first  Nigeria civilian president   Alh.  Shehu Shagari.  Professor Achebe gave a  tip of the ice  introduction  on his view on Nigeria’s condition, which I found it compelling to share it with the readers, and  I really recommend  this book to  any inspired, enlightened , patriotic, and concerned youth .  Enjoy:

“Where the problem lies“

The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which is the hallmarks of true leadership. On the morning after Murtala Muhammad seized power in July 1975 public servants in Lagos were found ‘on seat’ at seven-thirty in the morning. Even the ‘go-slow’ traffic that had defeated every solution and defied every regime vanished overnight from the streets! Why? The new ruler’s refutation for ruthlessness was sufficient to transform in the course of only one night the style and habit of Nigeria’s unruly capital. That character of one man could establish that quantum change in a people social behavior was nothing less than miraculous. But it shoes that social miracles can happen.

We know, alas, that that transformation was short –lived; it had begun to fade even before the tragic assassination of Murtala Muhammad. In the final analysis a leaders no nonsense reputation might induce a favorable climate but in order to effect a lasting change it must be followed up with a radical program of  social and economic re-organization or at least a  well –conceived and consistent agenda of reform which Nigeria stood, and stands, in dire need of.

I m not here recommending ruthlessness as a necessary qualification for Nigerian leadership. Quite on the contrary. What I m saying is that Nigeria is not beyond change.  I m saying that Nigeria can change today if she discovers leaders who have the will, the ability and the vision. Such people are rare in any time or place. But it is the duty of the enlightened citizens to lead the way in their discovery and to create an atmosphere conducive to their emergence. If this conscious effort is not made, good leaders like good money, will be drive out by bad.

Whenever two Nigerians meet, their conversation will sooner or later slide in to a litany of our national deficiencies. The trouble with Nigeria has become the subject of our small talk in much the same way as the weather is for the English. But there is a great danger in consigning a life – and –death to the daily routine of small talk. No one can do much about the weather: we must accept it and live with or under it. But national bad habits are a different matter; we resign ourselves to them at our peril.

The aim of this booklet is to challenge such resignation. It calls on all thoughtful Nigerians to rise up today and reject those habits which cripple our aspiration and inhibit our chances of becoming a modern and attractive country. Nigeria has many thoughtful men and women of conscience, a large number of talented people. Why is it then that all these patriots make so little impacts on the life of our nations? Why is it that our corruption, gross inequities, our noisy vulgarity, our selfishness, our ineptitude seem so much stronger than the good influences at work in our society? Why do the good among us seem so helpless while the worst are full of vile energy?

I believe that Nigeria is a nation favored by providence. I believe there are individuals as well as nations who, on account of peculiar gifts and circumstances, are commandeered by history to facilitate mankind advancement. Nigeria is such a nation. The vast human and material wealth with which she is endowed bestows on her a role in Africa and the world which no one else can assume or fulfill. The fear that should nightly haunt our leaders (but does not) is that they may already have betrayed irretrievably Nigeria’s high destiny. The countless billons that a generous providence poured in to our national coffers in the last ten years (1972-1982) would have been enough to lunch this nation in to the middle rank of developed nations and transformed the lives of our poor and needy. But what have we done with it?  Stolen and salted away by people in power and their accomplices. Squandered in uncontrolled importation of all kind of useless consumer merchandise from every corner of the globe. Embezzled through inflated contracts to an increasing army of party loyalist who have neither the desire nor the competence to execute their contracts. Consumed in the escalating salaries of a grossly overstaffed and unproductive public service. And so on ad infinitum.

Does it ever worry us that history which neither personal wealth nor power can pre- empt will pass terrible judgment on us, pronounce anathema on our names when we have accomplished betrayal and passed on? We have lost the twentieth century; are we bent on seeing that our children also lost the twenty- first? God forbid”  End of quote.

This is the presentation of a bare truth exposed in the most eloquent writing style expected from a highly respected literary figure in the world, a nationalist per say, and accomplished academician, Professor Chinua Achebe. In this opening chapter of his book he has said it all, in fact I find it impossible to add any other word to his message as he spoke my mind even beyond my mental capacity. But the sad story remains that this piece was written almost 38 years ago! The questions remains, have we changed to any more better?

Insha Allah occasionally I will be presenting some of the chapters of this book, all in an effort to enlightened all thoughtful Nigerians especially our army of youth who dream of a better tomorrow . Indeed it is possible by God grace.

I wonder how lost and blinded  were the Nobel prize Committee  as to even contemplate and  relocate its awards on some other personnel forgetting Chinua Achebe.