Selling pork for a lamb

• Published date: 09 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Ipray you do not jump to hasty conclusion to take offence at this title for the sake of misplaced concept of patriotism. I do not love Nigeria any less, just like every other genuine patriot not coloured by partisanship. Like many ordinary Nigerians, I have lived in my relative obscurity serving Nigeria in all my productive active years, with nothing left for me at my age but to act as a moral compass. It may be uncharitable to see Nigeria as a big blind country but we do not even pretend to be better. We remain who we are; the title of this article does not take that away. Some people have given their all to this great country; from their formative to productive adult lives with high hopes but sadly, some of them are dying with regrets.

I pray also we should not give up on the country; Nigeria is still worth dying for in all its beauty and ugliness even with the rapacious political leadership. We should not hide under the cloak of power of positive thinking as in the ecclesiastic Christendom, to call a spade by any other name; when it not well, it is not well. Let our angers be to change who we are, breaking the mirror does not change our image; we should change ourselves.

The leading presidential candidates in the forthcoming elections are well known to Nigerians. They have served Nigeria in their respective capacities in public life and their records speak for them. We do not need so much the endorsement of an individual or groups to pick and choose between them; we can put them on a scale and make our choice if we are prepared to be objective.

The elections are here again; individuals and groups are doing bazaars of endorsements of candidates of their choice. It is their right anyway; but the vision of the eagle is not a guide to the dove. One individual, no matter how objective cannot decide for the country. The attack on General Obasanjo is misplaced; yes, he has worth but he is entitled to his personal opinion and choice which he has expressed. We all have the right of choice and we should also be ready for the consequences of the choices we make. We do not need any oracle to pick a candidate for the presidential elections that is days, and weeks away. Again, we cannot be doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result; that will be insanity grandiose.

Why are we so blind that we do not see that rabid attachment to ethnicity and religion has held Nigeria down for so long? The fact that a northern Muslim from Katsina State has...