But......................WHY?

Looking around me, I can’t but ask the pertinent questions which I am sure will also be on the minds of well meaning Nigerians. These questions carries the weight capable of waking any sleeping citizen up from slumber and at the same time can help unravel the mystery behind our present state in this Country......The questions are all embellished in the three letter word......WHY?

·         Why are we poor?

·         Why is there no electricity?

·         Why do we import fuel?

·         Why is corruption so persuasive?

·         Why are the road networks synonymous to death traps?

·         Why are we suffering in the midst of plenty?

Why are food, water, clothing and shelter which should be basic for all citizens seeming like some luxury? I still find it very hard to understand why an average citizen of this great country will suffer in the midst of plenty. I am yet to fathom why some citizens of Nigeria will carry poverty like an albatross despite having natural resources in abundance whilst countries that haven’t got a tenth of us have their citizens living large and contented.

To say our electricity is in shambles will be an understatement. The only thing we hear is tariffs going up and no one seem bothered about how much of electricity the average household have got access to. Don’t forget we all end up paying for the light we hardly ever have. Sadly true, a number of companies have moved to Ghana just for the sake of electricity because they figured out that it was better operating in countries where you pay for what you get rather than paying for what you do not get and still end up paying extra by means of buying diesel{AGO} at exorbitant prices. Little wonder those who couldn’t relocate had to fold up as their penalty for not opting for a ‘greener pasture’.

We simply prefer to give a thousand and one excuses for not having refineries, so we just keep importing fuel. And the ‘smart’ marketers who sure know how to cut corners have been reaping where they did not sow. This has come to be because some people out there will always be willing to collect ‘PR’ and help the fake documents sail through leaving both the culprit and accomplice smiling to the bank.

In this country, corruption stinks to high heavens and you can easily smell it at every nook and cranny. The one who chooses not to be corrupt becomes the victim and ‘traitor’ eventually as he/she stands the chance to be blackmailed, blacklisted and even intimidated. I keep saying that the only law the legislators will ever pass to show they really are there to serve is that of severe punishment for corrupt official, but alas it will be like mixing poison and deliberating drinking since they also are neck deep in corrupt practises too.

The road network is one which when considers, will easily get one discouraged about plying but really what must one do when your source of livelihood depends on plying these roads better known as death traps? Little wonder food has become expensive....Why won’t it when the risk you go through transporting it is enough to skyrocket the price.

The one which baffles me the most is......Why is it that the major infrastructures we still point to today were the ones built during the military regime??? Too many begging questions if you ask me.

I can only pray and hope that one day the answers will be known to every citizen with the resolve to stand up and fight for our rights.