THE TRUST DEFICIT AND THE NIGERIAN QUESTION

Okah: Jonathan's man told me to blame Northerners. It's all lies, says Presidency. Dokpesi quizzed again. Ciroma, 14 others ask President to resign over blast. Ex-militants condemn bombings at parley with Jonathan. IBB, Atiku, Gusau, Saraki demand probe of allegation. Jonathan’s camp: blackmail won’t stand. Ex-militants dissociate MEND from Abuja bombings. NNPC beefs up security-Denies bomb rumour. Bomb scare in N/Assembly. Insecurity threatens polls--Buhari.

Tight security at Lagos airport. Teachers ask Alao Akala for July salary. Escaped female corp members kidnapped again in Abia.

Three dead in Ondo road accident, South South elders denounce Okah-Call for his extradition, suspected cult members kill three students-Auchi. Jang withdraws deputy governor's workers. 13 persons die of gastro enteritis in Ebonyi.

All these are in one day's Nigeria, however it all points to the fact that we are still far away from the realities on ground. The bomb blasts of October 1st has brought to the forefront, the issues of the known unknown, the unknown known, unknown unknown and known, known...the allegations and counter allegations.

The indices are there, a president making an ‘unpresidential statement’, a president defending a militant group. Just musing, the worrisome fact is that if MEND is not responsible for these bombs, it means there is a new group that has used this bloodletting to launch itself. Reason enough why the president should have been cautious.

The Ciroma Northern group has refused to look at the loss of lives in these events but to score political points out of it. The state security services publicly blamed the rain for one of the many reasons they could not be totally on top of the entire matter.

A host of Nigerians are sad as our kids are privileged to watch as government fraternize with names such as Chief government tompolo, busta rhymes, egberipapa, boyloaf and co...People bragging on national television, in the abode of national power say, "I own MEND, I formed it" bla bla bla. A well rehearsed choreography done to make us laugh at ourselves.

What really are the issues with Nigeria, why are we shying away from them? Do we need to wait until we get to the point of the former USSR where even villages have become countries?

It is sad that the so-called leadership have seemingly sent us to farm, while they sit atop the palm wine tree drinking palm wine. So strange a people we have become that we are daggers drawn at each other’s throats yet in love with every other persons' loot.

The East is in mutual suspicion of the West with the North, the West derisive of the North; the South South says all the money is their oil money. We forget the pockets of minorities in the whole equation, fifty years after every conversation ends with where do you come from, which zone, which state, and which local government?

So you are a Muslim, una be the problem, no jare na those foolish Christians; The Yorubas have colonized ICAN so we set up ANAN, Ibo man finally becomes COAS after 44 years. Jonathan and his South South people, IBB, Atiku, Gusau meet to get consensus candidate for the North. Yoruba elders support XYZ, Igbos will not present a candidate...There is very little that is wrong in all these, after all ethnic nationalities should be allowed to thrive around its own communal interest and pace but there is everything wrong.

We are self-saddled with an indescribable specimen of anthropogenic potency in terms of politicians. These days, they are all carrying gold headed cane and bowler hats with more in the hat than their heads. They wear eyeglasses that they cannot see through, Brazilian leather shoes that slow their movement and the other part gleefully wear agbadas that make them look like dressed grasshoppers and all making noise like crickets.

Fundamentally, while we make noise, the fact is that Nigeria is not yet a structure upon which a system can function. Until we understand that we are largely plagued with the current situation which is as old as the nation where we continually face agitations that give birth to ethnic plagiarism that has not be harnessed for growth we still will suffer the trust deficit.

Yesterday and today's Nigeria hardly recognizes the differences in the character and functions behind the concept of a system. We have alternated so much so that we have confused the structure, while the framework of our system lies void. One day its 6-3-3-4, next it becomes 9-3-4; we do not know what next. The states keep increasing, yet few states are self-sufficient.

We can hardly agree what really we practice, except as shown by PDP, a despotic unidentifiable structure with complex systems.

As a people we have continued to rotate, trying hard to modify aspects of us, reshaping it and what not, from regions to states, new electoral act, review of constitution at the rate of one each 7 years or less, the result more imbalances.

We are subjected to ridiculous and considerable experimentation at the whims and caprices of individuals called leaders. In civilized societies, when events like the October 1st incidents happen, people go ahead with their lives as the security operatives work but here our leaders and those aspiring are all covering their ineptitude with "blow me, I kick you" stunts. Any which way let it be the right way.

Prince Charles Dickson is Editor, burningpot.com