{The Discourse} May 29: Beyond Fallacies And Wishful Thinking – The Million Little Pieces Together

 

Lanre Fadahunsi

JAMES Frey at 23 realized he had destroyed his body and mind almost beyond repairs so much so he appeared soulless. He self-submitted himself to a rehabilitation center to try to reclaim his life, to make something tangible out of the thoroughly messed up life of his. He had to fight to determine the future if he has any.

Like Frey, May 29th presents our country another chance to reset. Reset, because more than ever before, trust has been broken into a million little pieces here. In the entire ecology of our national life, every hope seems to have been eroded by doubts. Like Tai Solarin opined long ago in one of his articles, come let us anew.

With high hopes, everyone is looking forward to the miraculous turning point for Nigeria. A lot of Nigerians thought the 2023 elections would have done that for us. But that was never to happen. 

READ: Tinubu’s Presidency And The Cost Of Genuine Loyalty

A build up to the 2023 elections, there were a lot of hues and cries that people felt they were deliberately being disenfranchised. That it was herculean getting the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) which makes it possible for them to partake in the process.

At different instances, PVCs were found in far places from where they ought to be; Lagos PVCs found in Abuja, not in INEC office but on the streets dumped. With high hopes on the technology deployed to register the results as it were people still went into the election. The technology deployed failed to deliver as promised. That is a matter for historians to deal with. Done and dusted leaving all else to the courts. The Courts. 

May 29 is just around the corner and we need to see beyond that calendar date. What does it portend for the Nation Nigeria, the nationalities and the various blocks. Nigeria is on the precipice. Truth be told.

We have to really speak to the question of how we wish to move on. A lot of pundits have considered the bungling or unbundling the constitution presently operational in the nation. There is an imbalance according to some sections and the same appears inconsequential.

The latter group believe the constitution is best as it were. Some are of the view that the nation needs to be restructured and resource control is on the front burner for others. How ready are we going into the new regimen with all of these kaleidoscopic encumbrances?

The umpire announced that Asiwaju Tinubu won the election. The other parties were told to go to court and they have approached the courts. When the courts will open the cases is an exclusive preserve of the courts. 

The winner, to many, should make an effort at establishing a greater than us kind of working relationship with the other key candidates in the election that is flawed because of unkept promises that people are waiting for the courts to speak to. 

At times like this, people are always looking for answers. To some people, our political leaders have Machiavelli mindset which makes their quest for power structured, planned and always about themselves.

In such instances, the people are at a loss confused by the disconnect. Nigeria’s president in waiting is not very visible. Taking a cue from Davido’s song, Unavailable, Asiwaju is not available because he is resting somewhere. However, to those who have read the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, Law 16 is at play here. Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honour.

Too much circulation makes the price go down. The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. Create value through scarcity. Law 17 says, keep others in suspended terror. Which way forward? Do you shave a man’s head behind his back?  The main protagonist in a drama is within the theatre but not on stage, creating a semblance of the theatre of the absurd. 

Pointedly, we must keep projecting whether the main man is available or unavailable. 

On the 29th of May, Nigerians are looking forward to a new horizon, waiting for the lifting speech from Asiwaju Tinubu. The people are waiting for him to make the seeming semblance of the Abeokuta declarations about the lack lustre policies on cash, on election and emilokan.

Chief of the desires of the people will be an apology for the broken promises, the failed attempts to reflate the economy, the insecurity across the land and the inability of the APC administration before his to meet up. 

The people expect declarations about wage increase because the level of inflation in the last eight years has made nonsense of the N30,000 minimum wage of over a decade. The people expect a declaration of restructuring, so that people of different zones will be allowed to operate at their own pace, have access to their resources and its management.

The people want to know if in the signs of the times the leadership feels that the economy of Nigeria can sustain the lavish lifestyle of the politicians as it stands. Our country was run for years without a national carrier yet individuals fly private jets to socials to show strength, wealth and opulence. Laced with power. More questions are begging for answers and we are waiting in earnest for the answers. 

The new administration is coming to meet a dead broke nation, not only broke but hugely indebted to other nations.  We need to come to an agreement going forward, that Nigeria is unable to create another set of instant multimillionaires by reason of their election into the National Assembly, as Governors, among others. 

Chief Afe Babalola, while opining for an Interim Government, said he wished we had a part-time legislature paid sitting allowances elected for service to the people. To him, discussion of the constitution, going forward, remains sacrosanct. 

Let’s have a great desire to look ahead and get back to the basics. Public institutions must be made to work for public good. Education of the citizens to become a great value for the future growth of Nigeria. The economy of Nigeria should work for all Nigerians and not just a few.

We need to declare an emergency in oil and gas sector to ensure that within the earliest possible time, we set up modular refineries around all oil wells. Let’s be sure we regulate the private refinery to be a great asset to the nation and not a burden to the people.

Oil should be given to Dangote refinery such that the price will not be beyond normal. We cannot start well if we don’t plan well. Oil is well if holistic approach is engaged. 

There is a wrong notion about religious alliances and differences. There are lessons to be learnt from the EndSARS protests in Lagos. The Muslims wanted to pray and the others formed a wall around the Muslims. Jumat was held and Allah listened. On Sunday morning, the love was reciprocated. The Muslims also came.

To this end, we know that there are problems that tend to divide us and there are problems that unite us. A hungry Funtua Muslim is faced with the same problem as the hungry Abeokuta Christian. The unifying factor is hunger. Solve the problem of hunger and you have solved the problem of ethnic and religious differences in one full swoop. 

Same thing applies to Unemployment, Education, Economy, among others. The new administration must ask all groups to come into an alliance with the government to chart a way forward. There must be concerted effort to address all burning issues.

The Niger Delta issues, the Boko Haram, ISIS and bandits issues and the herdsmen and the Yoruba Nation agitations. Pretence solves no problem. These are pulsating issues that we cannot wish away. Nigeria and Nigerians must chart a new way forward. We cannot continue like this. We need to agree. 

There is great hope ahead of us. The tilting Ship of State can now be consciously be stabilised with the joint efforts of all. 

Our million little pieces can be brought together as a formidable whole. We have seen these happen in the eyes of the Nigerian youths who have shown their thirst for a workable new Nigeria. This is the dream of most Nigerians going forward. We need our lives back. Come let us anew.