NIGERIANS INSULT GOD BY ASKING HIM TO SAVE US FROM CORRUPTION

Nigerians insult God by asking Him to save us from corruption - Pa Odion Iruoje

By Emeka Anokwuru
Saturday, March 13, 2010


•Iruoje

Pa Odion Iruoje is a veteran in his field - music production. In the 70s and 80s he was the rave of the sector. He is one of the citizens who saw Nigeria in the better days of old.

No doubt, he is not happy the way things go today. He can't understand why a people would institutionalize the wrong values and say they pray to God to save them from self inflicted pains. He sees the problem as solely caused by the people and should be solved also by the people without necessarily involving God who they never involved in the beginning.

'What we are experiencing in the system today is indiscipline.

There is no order. Anybody can do anything and get away with it. That is why corruption is rife in the country and that's our main problem. Indiscipline, corruption and mediocrity, combine to insult our sensibilities. Of course, indiscipline breeds mediocrity. Unless every individual makes a u-turn by saying no to these vices, we'll be making progress at snail speed.

Corruption is like a syndrome. Unless we shun it, this country will not be comfortable for anybody to live in. We all know that corruption is a big problem. Every evil in this country is caused by corruption so, it's not just the government or the president. If we want this nation to change for the better, every individual must decide to change by saying no to corruption, indiscipline and mediocrity. That's the only thing that will change this country because it's in our hands. It's also in our homes. We are all praying to God to save us, how can God save us? Was God not there while we were misbehaving and we didn't even care about God? Now you want Him to save you. You have to save yourself. Your destiny is in your hands right now, so we deserve every government we get.

It's the people who allow the politicians to rig. As far as I'm concerned you can only rig successfully where you have support, the party you belong notwithstanding. For example in Lagos, why did PDP not rig themselves in? They couldn't because they don't have the support in the state. Bola Tinubu had so much support so he rigged and won the election. After two terms he anointed a successor who had a landslide victory. So, rigging or no rigging, as far as I know, you can only rig where you have support. A lot of it. If there are people that support you, you'll win.

The whole system has collapsed. Nothing goes well anymore. There is moral decadence, as I said, the basis is corruption. Yes, the origin is corruption. It has to go. We have to be honest to ourselves.

Now the same politicians have started killing themselves for gubernatorial and other elections. Everybody is struggling to get in there because they don't go there to serve. It is rather a veritable way of enriching themselves.

Politics is the most viable, lucrative career right now. That's the way they see it. They are not seeing it as sacrifice to the people or as service to the nation. But if politics is considered service to the nation, then somebody in the office will see his election as that of service and sacrifice to the people, then there will be no killing or violence. Nobody will like to come. They will be begging people to come into politics. If they know that there will be no money to steal or embezzle they won't come. You won't find people to go there. Then the only people that would go there are genuine ones, ready to serve the nation, who love the people and have love for the society.

What is happening today in Abuja, let's face the reality has to do with the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy? They are trying to colonise the country, and if we do not do anything fast about it, we shall be in for another round of colonialism. It all started right from the pre-independence era when Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo fought for Nigeria's independence. They were calling for self-government; they wanted self-government before full independence. But Sir Ahmadu Bello had a different opinion. He said we were not ripe for independence.

Don't talk about self-government. If you want self-government, I don't. He remained with the colonial masters, he remained with the Governor-General, and he remained with the colonial government, while Azikiwe and Awolowo went for self-government. While they were busy propagating their self government ideology, the colonial masters were busy grooming the Sardauna of Sokoto and the northerners for the future of Nigeria.

This is the time they manipulated the sovereignty of the country for the Hausa/Fulani. They told them, look, Sardauna, go and put your people in the army, infantry give them free education. They were begging every Hausa or Fulani to go to school. They started free education long before we had it in the south. So, the problem is still on. They manipulated the sovereignty of this country in favour of the Hausa/Fulani. And during the first election, they won; Balewa became prime minister Zik became, president that had no power.