24 July, 2013

On Your Own in Naija

I just Sat Down a Little While ago To Ponder On The so Called Social Contract Of The Nigeria State with Its Citizens. My Conclusion Is That The Contract Is Non Existent. Taking A Critical Look At Daily Life And The Social Circumstance One Would Come To The Conclusion That there Is A Woeful Lack Of government Positive Intervention In The Everyday Life Of The Average Nigerian Citizen. To Put The Point Across Let Us consider This Scenario. You wake up one Bright Morning without Electricity as usual. In Order To Prepare Your Children For School You Had To Put On The Generator. A Sizeable Part Of Your Monthly Income Is Devoted To Servicing The monster and buying fuel,Oil etc. On Your Way To The your Way out Of Your Street Or Estate You Go Through The Road Your Community Repaired The Previous Weekend. The members of the residents association filled In The Gaping Potholes The last Environmental Day After Repeated Appeals To The Government Met With Stony Silence. You Dropped off Your Children In Their Private School. In Order To Prevent Your Children Staying At Home Due To The Incessant strikes Embarked upon by The schools Labour Union You Had To Make the Financial Sacrifice To Educate Them In Private Schools. At The close Of Work you Come Home To Be let Into Your Street By The Private Security guards The Residents are Paying To Guarantee Security During The Day And Night. The Police Force Is Not Dependable.You call Them During Emergencies Only To Be Told Their Police Van Is Broken Down Or Without Petrol. On Entering Your house You go Straight To The Kitchen to Wash Your Hands. Except the Tap Is Dry. No Water Comes Out Of The Faucet. You Remember That You Have Not Pumped Water From Your Well Or borehole To The Overhead Tank. The Public Water Supply Is Non Existent As the Corporation Exists Only On Paper. In The first Place No water Pipe Is Laid Into Your Area By The Water Agency so How Earth Can you Ever Get Water Supply Into Your Home. You Have To Put On Your Generator In order To Pump Water Into Your Overhead Tank. Now Tell Me What The Government Is Supposed To Do For You. We Are Our Own Government. "Think Not What Your Country Can Do For You But What You Can Do For Your Country" Is A Saying Credited To The Former American President John F.Kennedy. I believe He Was Not Referring To A Situation The Country Sits On Her Hands And Watch The Citizen Do Every Thing For Themselves Without Positive Government Intervention.

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