Adeola Aderounmu

I hope there will be no pipeline explosion during this season as I now punch my keyboards to write about this year’s Christmas in Nigeria. Nigerians just got their Christmas presents.

There will be no 6000 MW of electric power supply. This means that darkness will continue to pervade the land. How sad!

Fuel is now scarce again. This is one of the biggest intellectual scandals across ages. In Nigeria crude oil is flowing like milk and honey. But Nigeria exports crude oil and imports finished petroleum products. You can tell that morons are in charge of this blessed but damaged nation. Serious intellectual issue..!

A lot of Nigerians had great expectations in 1999 when Obasanjo became president. In 2007 hopelessness knew no measure among ordinary people. Only the politicians, their families and the lucky people in the private sector have some measure of wealth to live the good life. More than 90m Nigerians are living desperately from hand to mouth. I can’t stop stating that this is one the hidden tragedies of modern era. It’s hard to find more serious problems even in war torn areas.

In 2007 when the presidential mandate was smuggled and given to Yar Adua, some people’s hopes were rekindled because they didn’t know that it was the perpetration of evil. For the past 10 years the politicians have continued to steal, loot and enrich themselves while the quality of our lives have diminished terribly. Nigeria is grounded and what we continue to be fed with are lies and deceit.

The purchasing power of the naira is bad and the exchange rate is alarming. People want to shop and look good for Christmas but many people can’t afford simple meals and decent clothes. So this Christmas a lot of money will be sent home from abroad. Nigerians in Diaspora will once again rise up to the occasion to put smiles on the faces of families and friends.

Unfortunately no one will be able to handle the wickedness of thieves, kidnappers and armed robbers. Many unemployed Nigerians are so frustrated that they have increased the ranks of these unsocial groups. The Nigerian Police will not be able to guarantee the safety of lives and property at this time of the year. They are hardly there at other times. Their best and unethical function is to collect 20 naira at artificial check points and bribes in their offices. You can mistake Nigerian Police station for a failed bank.

I am not proud of our failures because they represent a collective shame. I don’t take pleasures in these writings. I want to write about the good things but the bad and evil have simply over shadowed the good things. There are honest people in Nigeria. There are good organisations in Nigeria. On the whole Nigeria is beautiful, blessed by nature.

But I will not write about so many good things when one man stole 12 billion dollars and walked free. I will not talk about good things now when governors stole their states dry and walked free. I cannot concentrate on the good things in a nation where more than 90m people are poor, helpless, oppressed and speechless.

No I cannot stop talking about these things because Nigerian politicians are bloody liars and too corrupt to behold. One day will be one day; we will have to device a method to drive away these wicked people. I am so sure they will not last forever. There is a need to emancipate the 90 or 100m Nigerians in desperate need of fulfilling lives.

Merry Christmas to the downtrodden. May you and your generations rise again..!