Nigeria: A rich 4th world country, not even a 3rd by Ademola Adeoye

When the Union Jack was lowered in 1960 and the flag of Nigeria was being hoisted, one thing that was on the lips of every giant country at that time was that in a few years, Nigeria would join them, but here we are today, we are not even a 3rd world country, except we want to continue to deceive ourselves!

Rwanda is a third world country; but can we say we are on the same level with them? South Africa is also a 3rd world country, but can we boldly say we are on the same level with them—within the context of infrastructure and development. Can we boldly say that our health sector is at par with the health sectors of serious 3rd world countries, let alone 1st world countries?

When we want to deceive ourselves and make serious nations laugh at us, then we call ourselves the giant of Africa. The only thing we take pride in is the size of our market as an effect of the number of our people that we cannot authoritatively say we know their actual and authentic number. A nation that is being run through the tool of guess-work cannot be said to be a serious one. Serious nations are data-driven!

How do we plan for our people when we do not know their number? We really do not know whether we are 200 or 300million people. If we do not know the accurate number of our people, then how are we going to protect them? If we do not know their number, then how are we going to provide basic amenities for them? We play politics with every of our national life and we vainly boast that we are a serious nation.

Looking at the way Nigerians are being daily governed by babies makes every well-meaning Nigerian, who is not partisan extremely sad and mad at the way things are going in the country. No serious 3rd world country loses daily the number of people who die in Nigeria on a daily basis through the hands of terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and some of our trigger happy men in uniform. Is it because we are poor? No! We are only poor when within the context of lack of men who are rich in character in the corridors of power.

When politicians come out to say that Nigeria is a poor country, I know there is no truth in them. Nigeria is a very rich country, but very poor when it comes to visionary men and women who truly love our people. When a nation is being led by people poor in vision, but rich in cash, that nation can never move up, the only way it can go is downhill.

The ruling party (the All Progressives Congress) is badly divided in the now, not because those involved want to serve the common man, but because of selfish interests. And the wig is not helping a hoot. The wig is as culpable as the politicians! A court of competent jurisdiction can give a judgment in Lagos and another court of competent jurisdiction will give a different judgment in Abuja, on the same issue! And when they want to confuse us, they would say that the way law is interpreted is not the same.

I used to think we have become a rock-solid nation until terrorism was invented by some sacred cows and our nakedness is now before the nations of the earth. A nation where 400cows and hundreds girls could be moved from one location (within our territory) to another unchallenged! And it has become worse after covid-19 found its way into Nigeria as an effect of the carelessness of our political leaders. I will not mention anyone’s name, but one thing is certain, we will all stand before God one day.

Except we want to be insincere then we will say that our people are now being better protected than they were under Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The rate at which our people are being killed can make anyone who still has some blood flowing through his veins mad. It has become so bad that Katsina people, the home of PMB had to take to the streets, protesting against him and his administration. Can it be said that they hate him? I think not. Do people who daily and objectively call PMB out hate him? I think not, too. When people are tired of suffering and being killed, the next thing will be for them to either speak out or protest against lethargy in leadership. This happens in every sane nation that I know.

It is those who hate Buhari who turns the other way each time terrible things happen to our people. They look the other way and keep quiet, because of what they are using baba to achieve. But when he is out of power, it is the same class of people who would turn back to tear him into pieces as bears. We have seen this over and again in this nation. People use presidents as a tissue-paper and later discard them.

It is so sad that even the Federal Capital Territory cannot boast of just one world-class hospital. Covid-19 has made us more naked than we used to be. Without Lagos State, all our big politicians—with grave health issues—would have died, because none of them can travel abroad for medical checks as they used to fly out as birds before the advent of coronavirus. Is this not shameful? Yes, it is.

Our health-sector is a shame and disgrace to all of us in Nigeria, from the president to peasants! What will it cost us to revamp our health-sector? Why do we hate ourselves this much? A governor lost one of his team members a few days ago and he shamefully said that if it is not because of covid-19 that he would have flown him abroad. They all know that our health-sector is a funeral parlor on its own. And they do not care a hoot because they have wings and can fly away at any time and instead of Nigerians to daily protest for this right of theirs, they keep on playing shallow and thoughtless politics with those who don’t like them one bit.

Can our health-sector stand that of Rwanda, South-Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Angola, Equatorial Guinea…? And they are all 3rd world countries! We are deceiving ourselves, saying that we are a 3rd world country. Baba’s second-term in office will come to an end when 2021 finally goes to bed. Politics begins in 2022. Between this moment and end of next year, Buhari can still write his name in gold. 37 world-class hospitals can be built in every state in Nigeria, including the FCT and I am not talking about the type of the one Godswill Akpabio built that he cannot use!