By
Frank
Opara
At this moment, the real enemies of this country are the
supporters of both President Jonathan and Gen. Buhari (retd.). They have
mischievously and heedlessly chosen to focus on trivialities rather than real
issues in their attempts to publicize their respective candidates.
It is quite disheartening seeing supposedly intelligent
people leave real issues such as economy, healthcare, corruption, jobs, insecurity,
strengthening national institutions, and making a point or two about Nigeria’s
inclusion in the global economic race, etc, all of which have bedeviled us as a
nation and focus on trivialities.
Four solid weeks have been wasted in the silly discourse over
a piece of paper called school certificate. If they are not asking for Buhari’s
primary school certificate, they are questioning his HIV status. If they are
not asking for President Jonathan’s PhD thesis, they are questioning his credibility
as a leader.
The social media climate is unnecessarily charged to the
rooftop by senseless, most times stupid and exaggerated comments. One can feel
the intensity of the disquietness, the hurling of insults, the hate language that
pervades the virtual air. Values, character, decency and integrity have all
lost their meanings and are no longer upheld.
Some of the so-called social media influencers and their coteries
are acting like Facebook and Twitter class captains; unapologetic in their palpable
overbearing and imperious hard-edged bristling criticisms and comments at the
slightest opportunity.
A while ago, the same people put up strong critique and
condemnation on those alleged to have sparked violence in the past through
their inflammable public utterances. Can these same people with their hate
language and base attitudes, hiding under internet anonymity, morally justify
their critique and condemnation in the past?
In fact, it is in this “silly” season that you know people
who are adroit in the abuse language. As you are reading this, there is little
space for morals both in the virtual and real worlds.
The road to the forthcoming elections has been occupied by
odium and diatribe. Decorum is dead. Anything goes. Nothing is guaranteed as
the political big wigs ride on the back of impoverished hungry, disillusioned
voters to stick to power.
From the virtual world of hurling insults and hate language
to the one of hurling stones at a moving convoy of one’s President, we seem to
be in overdrive to prove how animalistic we have become. I wonder if those dolts
ever realized the risky nature of their actions. That any one of them could
have been shot dead by the armed escorts for trying to make an attempt on the
life of a President. That is the level we have degenerated. Ignorance is a
dangerous friend to love.
Unfortunately, that shameless act has received the least
condemnation from the opposition, but not as much as it has niggled over the
slightest decision taken by the ruling government.
Today, a clergy man is celebrated like a rock star, not
because he expressed his personal opinion, but because his remarks are seen as
anti-Jonathan. In the same vein, another clergy man is vilified, given a black
eye just because his remarks are seen as not promoting the interest of a
particular region.
There are those whose stock-in-trade is to deliberately
spread wicked lies manufactured from misconceived and misconstrued messages
from the pulpit just to score a point, denigrate or destroy a particular
candidate.
Leadership is a reflection of its society, so they say. You
cannot give what you don’t have. Can we produce an authentic leadership from
this pool of obstinate Philistine citizenry that seem to be in the majority?
Are we determined and committed to effect the so-called ‘change’ many of us are
yearning for?
Don’t forget we have always clamoured for ‘change’ for those
of us whose memories have become calcified by succeeding season of bad
leadership. Each regime seeming comparatively worse than the previous. And, in
our split-personality character as a nation, we are quick to applaud the
previous condemned regime and clamour for its return as a panacea.
Once upon a time, one of the present Presidential aspirants
was condemned for his heavy handedness and oppressive administration. Today,
like the biblical pathfinder, we are proclaiming his return, the messianic way.
In the words of his teeming supporters, many of whom were among those who
denounced him, he is the ‘change’ we need.
His name and that of his second then, sent alarm bells of
danger. This inspired some of us to light seven yellow candles and seven red
candles soliciting for divine intervention to what was seen as an infliction on
a good people. His exit by the efficacy of our prayers, believe it or not, was
applauded across the nation and was a big relief. And then suddenly, the same
‘monster’ has become the authenticate leadership we are all looking for.
President Jonathan’s leadership rating is considered the
worst in the history of Nigeria. And as a result, he has produced more
philosophasters than any other the country has had. In fact, the most deficient
Nigerian has been able to compare himself or herself with Jonathan, the
President.
However, many will not be surprised if in the future the
same Jonathan who has been so much denigrated even by his own, who has all the
negative press cascading on his head, will one day be seen as the ‘Messiah’ ‘we
need’ by the same people who hurl insults and pass judgment of incompetence on
him.
No genuine patriotic Nigerian should be at ease with the
glee of odium, bad blood, viciousness and total lack of decorum and netiquette
trending online and beyond. A few prominent political personalities were blamed
for the violence that greeted the last election. Without knowing it, we are
gradually, but collectively and dangerously laying the foundation for a more
perilous violence to come.
There is a palpable viperous competition going online
between the supporters of President Jonathan and Gen. Buhari (retd.). Someone
should remind them of the words of Irvin Himmel that, “No one has ever made
himself great by showing how small someone else is.”
Frank Opara is
freelance writer based in Abuja.
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