Columnists
FIFA’S INDICTMENT: A National Disgrace And The Need For Paradigm Shift -By Richard Odusanya
People get tired and become cynical when promises made by leaders are not kept. People want to see basic amenities provided for them: security, adequate health care, good roads, potable water, and a constant supply of electricity, to mention a few. Clearly, the issues of paradigm shift cannot be said to be over-emphasis. It has become imperative that we change our ways before it is too late.
Our experiences in Nigeria over the years have shown that we have a system in place that enables and encouraged fraudulent activities. Successive governments at various levels have demonstrated and shown how incapable of good leadership and are very poor at managing any business no matter how lucrative it is. Therefore, It is not a big deal or any surprise that nothing is working. As a nation, our mindsets are configured towards dishonesty and prone to material benefits and ‘self-centered’ personal accomplishments. This is evidenced by the rottenness and dilapidated condition of virtually all our critical assets and infrastructures.
The examples of our national carrier (Nigeria Airways), National Shipping Line, Nigeria Railways, and all the steel industries, just name it – even the refineries have suffered the same fate. This is more like a checkered history, a knackered presence, and a future that looks weathered already. History is replete, the happenings in our neighboring countries in the recent past are pointers to the fact of history repeating itself. We bet on the rational case for trust. Economists, ethicists, and business sages had persuaded us that honesty is the best policy, but their evidence and our response seemed weak.
Another area of serious concern is the revelations of job racketeering scams at the Federal Character Commission (FCC). The Chairperson of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Muheeba Dankaka, and some of its commissioners were, recently engaged in accusations and counter-accusations of impropriety and nepotism at the resumed hearing of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating job racketeering at federal establishments. This is what we have been doing as a nation.
Previously, there have been reports from different people on sales of jobs going on at the Federal Character Commission (FCC). Appointment into government offices for sales at the Federal Character Commission is real. Some even purchased the Nigeria Ports Authority job from the Federal Character Commission at the rate of three million naira per slot. This is just the tip of the iceberg compared to the fraud in the oil industry and many other unwholesome activities of many of our public officeholders. The question to ask; is what role is religion playing in all of the Nigerian misadventures given the level of religiosity in social spaces.
Similarly, the recent events in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and lately Niger Republic is a wake-up call to the black continent of Africa. If we don’t learn from history, we’re bound to repeat it. Therefore the need to see the signals from the international arena as serious indictments of the characters that are presiding and in charge of our national affairs. Let me be very clear; the main reason for conflict and wars in many African countries is the desire to acquire power and secure resources for one group, tribe, or ethnicity at the expense of others. As such, we need to talk about our core values and engaged with Mind Restructuring Advocacy. Again the need for paradigm shift is clearly established.
Unsurprisingly, but shamefully, when the Secretary-General of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Ms Fatma Samoura told Super Falcons of Nigeria that it is because of players like them that FIFA decided to pay prize money directly to players. The FIFA secretary general who addressed the Super Falcons after their 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland in their dressing room, noted that she knows “it has been tough” and that they had to “face the reality of Nigeria.” The actions depicted the level of trust deficits even at a global stage – if because of Nigeria FIFA will consider a new strategy for payment of players’ allowances. This is completely an indication of serious concerns about us before the global community.
Today’s globalization realities are intertwined with technology. Trust is difficult in such a situation where leaders loot the treasury and ignore the yearnings of the people. It is time for leaders to become accountable to the people. It is time for leaders to become good stewards of the resources of the state. People get tired and become cynical when promises made by leaders are not kept. People want to see basic amenities provided for them: security, adequate health care, good roads, potable water, and a constant supply of electricity, to mention a few. Clearly, the issues of paradigm shift cannot be said to be over-emphasis. It has become imperative that we change our ways before it is too late.
Of course, I am not unaware that self-care and self-love are essential. However, we need to begin to promote selflessness in our subconscious minds. This is to discourage the burning desire to embrace selfishness as a way of life. We need to activate such through the platform of agencies of government like; the National Orientation Agency (NOA), renaissance, social media, self-help books, and in various op-eds, we need to discourage the tendency to be selfish. Self-centredness shouldn’t become our 21st-century religion.
Richard Odusanya is a Mind Restructuring Enthusiast.
