THE QUEST FOR A NEW NIGERIA

By Mayowa Odewoye



The minds of many Nigerians have been made to believe that to vie for political office is to go enrich yourself, your cronies and to have a share of what they call "National Cake". Little wonder why a governor will add zeros to budgetary figures to augment the budgets. A minister goes about maligning figures and siphoning his ministry's budgetary allocation.  

Majority of Nigerians too do not help in this matter; when you find your friend or relative holding public office, you take them to be your cash cow that you can always meet to milk for your financial problems. You turn them into money machine because average Nigerian believes that public officials hold office to have a share of the national cake. The financial burden they put on them is why most of them use their office to enrich themselves and their cronies. 

How do you expect one who you have placed financial burden on to serve in truth and with integrity of heart? You cannot eat your cake and still have it. 

We have a country where at thirty years you are too old to get employed at both private and public sectors  but youths are still undergraduate at thirty years. Civil servants are retired at sixty five years but politicians still contest elections at seventy five years. 

Lately, it is reported how some ministers and top government officials were influencing a Chinese Government Scholarship for Nigeria students. 

About sixty percent of Federal Government's loan for business owners goes to just 100 people of 200 millions population. The banks collide with a few business owners to give and get at the expense of the entire population. 

The actions of individuals whether big or small directly contribute to our National image. It is time we began to act as though we were in the new Nigeria we want, it is time we began to choose leaders based on antecedent of integrity and sound character. If we would see the new Nigeria we desire, it is time we think and act anew. 

God bless Nigeria.

Odewoyemayowa@gmail.com