Just before we roll out the drums for Independence celebration

In about a week from now, we will once again be wasting public funds in celebrating failure. I keep saying that the average developed world has left us at least twenty years behind and it baffles me that instead of having a time of sober reflection, we still prefer to lavish tax payers’ money celebrating mediocrity; all these at the expense of some other citizens wallowing in abject poverty. Was this what our heroes laboured for?

It is painful to see the number of people on TV seeking financial help for surgeries abroad knowing newspaper headlines screaming missing billions is the reason! Even our dear first lady is still abroad for medical attention.....What better proof of a failure that has become of our health delivery system?

I am certain the tradition of our president coming up with a speech filled with empty promises is what to expect on that day. A speech we know would not hold water, that is if it doesn’t even leak to the media for all to read before its being recorded for airing. I still await the time we will start viewing live broadcasts of our dear president. The average Nigerian who should ideally look forward to a president’s speech will opt for a football match or watch some movie as he sees it as a pure waste of time. That is even if PHCN doesn’t strike anyway. Really who will want to waste precious time listening to a pre-recorded speech full of ‘we will’ ‘we shall’ ‘we promise’ ‘we are considering’ ‘we should’ and what have you?

For now, I believe a president who has genuinely got the interest of the people at heart and really means business should be preoccupied with providing facts and figures with physical evidence to show the people that we truly are moving forward as a country. Rather what we all see in a country where nothing seems to be working is flamboyance and waste at the expense of over 45% unemployment rate.

Mr President, what is the outcome of all the various probe panels, the bribery scandals, evidence of corruption against serving public officials, indicted persons, endless committees that we have even lost count off? Rather than allow justice take its course to restore confidence in citizens, we even see some indicted officials being conferred with National honours. What a joke!

What one will expect is a direction to all the State governors, Ministers and Lawmakers to come up with their achievements with evidences to be aired on a day like Independence Day.  I will expect that the people should be shown what exactly those elected and entrusted with power and adequate funds in the form of allocation are delivering and proof that they are genuinely working for the people as promised. If this becomes a trend rather than the usual paparazzi, I believe not only will the people look forward to Independence Day; it will also serve as a wakeup call to public office holders.

I dare say we would be the biggest joke on the planet if rather than have a time of sober reflection and deal with pressing issues with the view of moving forward, we still carry on with our celebration of failure.