I’ve realised (a long time ago) that the most important bond in life is the family bond. No matter what happens, people should learn to look ahead and move on with their lives. I’ll keep on sharing and l’ll never stop believing that where there is life, there is hope.

My Random Reflections @ 43

By Adeola Aderounmu

This is the 8th edition of my random reflections.

l don’t know where the days and years have gone. l appreciate the things that make life worth living including but not limited to good health, family, friends and good-will humanity.

I am also grateful for all the small things that make the world goes round, small things like a smile and all the little favours that are paid forward by good, kind-hearted people everyday.

Since the last edition of this annual reflection there has been a change of government in Nigeria. A former dictator turned democrat Muhammed Buhari is now the president of Nigeria.

Unfortunately the platform that brought Buhari to power the APC is somewhat in a slight disarray. The party did so well to form a formidable opposition that eventually unseated the People’s Democratic Party-the PDP. The PDP failed to deliver on its promises to the masses.

The failed political party was a nest of killers that succeeded the military gangsters in 1999 and misruled the country until May 28 2015. Apart from the civil war years, those 16 years have gone down in history as the most terrible years of the Nigerian life. In the end it was the lazy and clueless Jonathan who was booted away from power

Sadly now, APC in its early days is already facing a lot of challenges.

But the business of governance must proceed and the whole world is waiting for the ministers that will serve in Buhari’s second coming. I have written about the solution to this dilemma in a previous article-A Political Stillbirth. Political parties must have shadow cabinet or government even before going into the election year.

Let no one be caught unaware, many supporters of the PDP and unrepentant jonathanians are just waiting for Buhari and APC to fail so that they can tell the world that the useless reign of PDP was preferable. They would like to prove that in the end, all politicians are the same irrespective of their political parties. They want to prove that the change slogan was a monumental fraud.

Unless Buhari and APC lose their senses of purpose and direction, they dare not perform below the expectations of the populace. They dare not after four years come up with excuses and reasons why they have failed.

One of the fears expressed in my random reflection a year ago was the prevalence of terrorism. That fear is still valid. Boko Haram, the gruesome murderers of the deserts, have gone insane. They need to be purged out of Nigeria without further delay. Bringing back security of lives and property across Nigeria remains one of the urgent challenges of the Abuja-based central government.

By the time Buhari spends 100 days in office, Nigeria may probably have the executive cabinet in place and there may be ministers to manage the affairs of governance. Then a real first report card of the Buhari-Osinbajo reign will be on the front pages of major newspapers.

Let me digress, there are several other things that shaped my life in the past 365 days.

In May 2015 for example, the Yoruba Union in Stockholm-Sweden had its 3rd annual Yoruba Day celebration. It has been a very wonderful experience to be part of the leadership of this group since inception in 2010.

We put up a show that continues to be the standard reference for African cultural events in Sweden.

Earlier in the year l appeared on a life national (Swedish) television program and spoke about Nigeria, Ibadan and the culture of the Yoruba people.

My previous appearance on Al-Jazeera television was nothing compared to this because then l had to pre-record a webcam-meeting for the television program about Nigeria and Sahara Reporters. This was the real deal but l thought it went well and the experience of holding up a Nigerian flag on the Swedish National television will remain priceless.

Sometimes l had given up about Nigeria.

Sometimes l tell myself that Nigeria can be better. So much that a few years ago l wrote an article titled: Keep Nigeria As One Country. There are so many benefits of being a big country with potentials that can transform Nigeria into a global super power.

If the leadership issue in Nigeria is rightly settled, if Nigeria has leaders instead of rulers then the country can truly transform from (local) regional power to the super power of Africa and a contender on the global scene.

In recent years however l have been supporting the re-creation of regions and a political system that will return power to the communities. This is because of the extreme misgovernnce at the center formerly in Lagos and now in Abuja.

Nigeria has been ruled largely by very wicked, selfish, narrow-minded people since 1960. It has not really been significant if they were civilians or military. They were humans with bad attitudes and deformed reasoning. Many were criminals!

The giant of Africa in 1960 is now among the crawlers in 2015. One day l stumbled on the story of a Nigerian girl who was among the thousands of migrants stranded in North Africa after a failed attempt to cross the mediterrenean to Europe.

Her story is the story of millions of hopeless Nigerian youth. They were born into uncertainties and raised against all odds in total hopelessness in a country almost devoid of electricity and other basic amenities of life. They were raised under a socially unjust system.

The story would have been different if governance was organised and if the system worked.

But Nigerians destroy Nigeria at the altar of several vices making selfishness and greed the top crucifix.

For now, in all of these undesirable scenarios, the only choice ahead of APC and Buhari as its arrow-head is to succeed. Otherwise they can call for a new election in 2017 or a referedum should they hit the bottom sooner than later.

Ordinary Nigerians, l am sure, will like to take their future in their hands and form a way forward especially in their various regions rather than be locked in a permanent wedding of failure, terrorism and unending hopelessness.

To find a lasting political solution in Nigeria will always be paramount because of the distrust and tension hanging over the land all the time. It is time to take the message to the people on how they want to live and how they want to be governed.

Until a certain government makes that bold move, Nigeria will always be in need of changes in her political structure: a need that virtues like social justice and unflinching welfare of the citizens could have sealed under a functional system.

As for the celebration of my birthday, for the first time in 3 years, l’m bringing close friends to our home. It’s going to be a small barbecue party.

The biggest gift this year is my brother visiting us in Sweden after attending a course in Germany.

I’ve realised (a long time ago) that the most important bond in life is the family bond. As l drove to the airport some memories and flash backs crossed my mind and my eyes were swollen with tears.

When l think about the journeys, our dreams, our childhood, the brotherhood and the hoods we’ve been through, l’m grateful for everything and l realised that indeed every disappointment can be a blessing in disguise.

No matter what happens, people should learn to look ahead and move on with their lives.

I’ll celebrate.

I’ll keep moving on. I’ll keep on sharing and l’ll never stop believing that where there is life, there is hope.

aderounmu@gmail.com