AUTHOR WEEPS FOR NIGERIA
Mr. C. C. Aningo is better known as the first coach of BCC Lions of Gboko and former MD, of Benue Cement Company. But his debut offering, My Cry for Nigeria – A Challenge to Our Essence, has nothing to do with football coaching or cement business. The author, in this interview with Saturday Sun sheds tears for Nigeria concerning the socio-political paradox of the nation.
What propelled you to write this book?
It is a response to the decay that has bedevilled our dear country, Nigeria. It is a call for a revolution that is not painted in red, but effective enough. It is a book that will nucleate deep thinking so that we will discard all the fire fighting approach in solving our problems.
The summary is for us to regain consciousness and national spirit, with harmonized restructuring of social, economic and political affairs and their management for an enduring positive change.
The book takes a cursory review and verdict of Nigeria's past, identifying leverage opportunities and achieving the expected goal of positive change.
When will it be presented to the public?
It will be out in January next year.
How do you assess the leadership problem in Nigeria?
I really do not think that leadership is the only problem of the country. The leadership blame is designed to camouflage and rename our self-fulfilling prophecies like it is them not us.
The leadership and followership are supposed to live in synergy so that everybody gets what the/she wants. Followership is indolent. People ignore their responsibilities. People know the right things to do but they do not do it. Have you heard a high official resign because the government that appointed him rejected his programme of regenerating a particular sector, which he has the portfolio to oversee? The followership needs to be liberated.
By who?
We have to liberate ourselves. Let us sit down and talk. That is the point.
In my view; the piecemeal approach does not work. The answer is, let us all sit down and talk and have a solution that is synergic and takes care of the wishes of the people and then have a binding agreement.
Are you, therefore, calling for national conference?
Yes, but forget the name. I don't care what they call it, but it is important we have a discussion involving every Nigerian. That is the only way we can liberate the energies and potentials inherent in this country. Many people are crying for fairness. The entire system has decayed because we slept over the years and allowed things to metamorphose from bad to worse. So, today, we observe and complain today about anti-social behavior. People are protesting. They use their own means to effect a redistribution of wealth. But I do not like the method they use although their intention is okay.
What do you see as the role of the military in leadership?
We have to look deeper to unearth the superficial excuses. Those who complain about the military should realize that the military always had civilian collaborators in several cases.
We have had all kinds of government from the colonial days, but have they led us anywhere? No. We see only reactive interventions. We need to identify those keys that can give us leverage to intervene in such a way that will be regenerative.
We need to engage in this talk show to get us moving, not window show. Let's live in synergy and symbiosis to produce the country of our dream. We really can set the standard on how different people can live together and achieve greatness.
Does it translate that Nigeria is a failed state?
I will say yes and no. No, in the sense that we can determine and prove our mettle to those who say that we are wrong, and yes because if we continue to be nonchalant and indolent, we are definitely going to crash out. It is only God that is saving us through oil. We need to define who we are, where we are now and where we want to go and then define all the factors that will take us there, not short term measures. I am disturbed at the level of our development. We were at the same level with some countries at independence in 1960 but they have outstripped us. Each time I remember that, I cry. We have lost focus.
We just ignored everything and rode on oil. We don't make anything. We still import food. We are going against nature. You can't get something out of nothing. You have to input to get output.