Rochas Okorocha’s statue crumbles as a pack of cards by Ademola Adeoye

I am a very enthusiastic observer of political happenings across the planet earth and I do know it like I do know my fingers that the sort of politics we are playing in Nigeria cannot deliver a true prosperous nation. It is the breed of politics that puts shelter on the big-head of mediocrity, greed and nepotism.


Our adaptation of politics feeds mediocrity five times a day and daily, and puts expensive clothes on its back. Mediocrity regal rides on a well bejeweled and garlanded stallion, while excellence is helplessly walking barefooted. For the umpteenth time, Nigerians are daily starving excellence while deliberately feeding mediocrity five times. It is an evil I have been seeing (for above four decades) under the sun in Nigeria.

When an emblematic Nigerian wants to hide from civic-duties, you would hear him say: “God only asks us to pray for our nation to become great and prosperous. It is a sin in the sight of God to hold a political leader accountable… After praying, fold your arms and keep watching…” And for decades, Nigerians have been watching in ignorance while their task-masters and their family members have been smiling to the Bank. It is this misshapen mindset that has been keeping us in the woods of backwardness. I have said it before and I want to say it again that there is no nation on earth that only uses prayer as her economic growth-model. Even Saudi Arabia and Israel aren’t using our uncaring, tactless and thoughtless model.

Let us quickly visit the Republic of South Africa. Did you hear them praying before removing Jacob Zuma? You know how we do it here. Please, do not misconstrue me, because we can be overly sensitive when it comes to religion in Nigeria. I do believe in prayer and I do consistently pray. South Africans simply employed their constitution (when they got tired of him) to get him out of their National life. When we do not want to do nothing about our own National life in Nigeria, we would proceed to indecisively and spinelessly hide under the finger of prayer. The question is; when are we going to wake up as a people? Nigeria will never develop on the condition that we continue to toy with the issue of leadership. No nation rises above the collective quality of her leaders. Remember, mediocrity and excellence do not cohabitate.

Ask (within the confines of our constitution) mediocre leaders to resign here, ignorant folks would start seeing you as someone who has committed an unpardonable National sin. I do not need to hate a President to consistently call him out to resign. And I do not need to like a President to support his administration, provided he is a visionary leader—who understands the way governance works in this day and time. As Jacob Zuma, political leaders in Nigeria are eating while we are hungry. We have imprudently and successfully helped them to believe (albeit dangerous) that the common man is only breathing to keep them in power and alive. This is why till now; Lagos State and others are still running translucent governments. And instead of fighting those in the corridors of power, arming ourselves with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we keep honoring nepotism, mediocrity and greed.

Backtracking a little, as Jacob Zuma was being honored here in Nigeria; some of his corruption cases were being revived South Africa. Zuma’s method of governing—using the law to go after enemies, and state contracts and government jobs to enrich allies. Under Zuma, many of the people shuffled into government jobs were unqualified (just as we are having it in Nigeria right now), ill-equipped or corrupt, but our man did not budge a hoot. He ignored the man’s many cases of corruption charged against him in his country and honored him in a bizarre way. This kind of ignoble attitude no longer surprises me, because honoring mediocrity, nepotism and corruption are now deeply etched and engraved in our culture.

A few days after His Excellency Rochas Okorocha erected Jacob Zuma’s statue of honor in Imo State, it went viral on social media that it crumbled; we later found out that it was not true, though. But last night, I saw same statue crumbling (as a pack of cards) when His Excellency, Jacob Zuma resigns in dishonor! Rocha’s statue has now allegorically and metaphorically crashed irredeemably! What is standing in Imo State has no reason standing there beyond TODAY.

Let no one put a rag on your face, former President Jacob Zuma did not resign in honor; he resigned because he was enforced to do so. A few days ago, the ANC National Executive Committee issued Zuma an ultimatum Monday: “resign or be recalled from office.” Bye Jacob Zuma, it’s been nice knowing you.