Now that open letters are flying around…

Dear all,

Now that open letters are flying everywhere, ...
Let me say this first, I am no politician.

Having stated that fact, I’ll go ahead to write my own “open letter” of some sort and I address it to all Nigerians. 

I stumbled upon the open letter written by Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan, about a week ago. I took my precious time to read that long letter – of course not because I like such political thrills, for I am way beyond such level of indulgence but because as a person who thirst for knowledge, I have come to understand such letters contain certain information one may not learn elsewhere.

Now, before I share what lesson the letter re-taught me, I would like to say this letter wasn’t borne by the said letter but by another letter. Of course, this new letter which put some thoughts in my head is also an open letter, written by Iyabo Obasanjo to her father Olusegun Obasanjo.

One maxim that has followed me for the last decade of my life was learned from an article with the maxim as its topic: He who Comes Into Equity Must Come With Clean Hands. Suffice to say, Iyabo’s letter truly reflects the meaning of this maxim and I have learned it over again. I have come to understand how selfish we humans can be and it is really bothersome when we preach against what we practice. 

One may be quick to say Chief Obasanjo’s letter may have been timely so as to appear as Nigeria’s “Mandela,” considering the demise of the great Mandela (May his soul rest in peace) a few weeks ago, but I was made to understand the letter was not the first of its kind. Chief (Prophet) Obasanjo may have felt the urge to “save” Nigeria from an impending doom (remember his letter was titled, Before it is too late), of course after his 8-year democratic rule as Nigeria’s president. And by the way, I do not see any reason why president Jonathan should reply OBJ's letter in the manner he did, even though he gave 10 reasons he should. I personally think all the open letters are borne out of personal grief towards the addressees and do not really reflect the purported claims, except of course that of GEJ which obviously is a reply (or defense, as it were).

Let me pull myself back from commenting on the trio's letters and face my own letter before I find myself writing a letter of 18 pages (who does that?) which may bore innocent Nigerians who do not kuku like reading long stories before. The questions on my mind are: who do we need to save Nigeria from? When can it be too late? And how do we save Nigeria?

Now, those questions are the motivations behind this letter and some answers lie in Iyabo’s letter. Hopefully, you have read it and you understand how she described Nigerians. She appeared to be living in the US now and would probably not want anything to do with Nigeria in the future. Many Nigerians resident abroad do not want to return home for many reasons. And among those who do return home, some claim to regret it. Well, if you live in a developed country where your light bulb only goes off because you switched it off and where you can download a 1GB movie in 8 minutes, you’ll probably not want to return home, trust me.

Now before you begin to ask what the point of my letter is, let me be quick to answer the questions I have asked earlier.

Firstly, we need to save Nigeria from Nigerians. Yes, that’s correct. Nigerians can only save Nigeria. No one else will. Even if the US or UK claim to give helping hands, they wouldn’t do it with the same passion as would a Nigerian.

 

Recently, I watched a video on a website with disgust, how a woman and her step daughter were sexually and physically abused because they stole pepper and clothes. I couldn’t even watch the whole video as my heart bled. Some young men who caught the woman decided to strip her and tortured her to confession as they poured some substance on her, flogged her and poured something in her private part (Sorry I had to make you picture that image, in case you didn’t already see the video). 

Those who maltreated that woman were “Area boys” and thugs who themselves, I’m sure, live off the criminal act of theft. As the saying goes, “he who is caught stealing is the thief.” The corrupt politicians who loot all the money are no thief, unless of course they’re caught in other countries. Don’t get me wrong, I do not support stealing. But must we be blind to what our problems are while we try to correct what we perceive as wrong only with barbaric acts of compounding the problems?

Secondly, it can never be too late. As the Chinese proverb goes, “the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago and the second best time is now.” If we all, including Chief Obasanjo and President Jonathan retrace our steps and stand for what is right and noble and righteous, it would only be a matter of time before Nigeria becomes the country where everyone wants to live in. If only we will have the interest of Nigeria's future at heart.

And lastly, how to save Nigeria is in both our hands. The moment we stop wearing our caps of selfishness and remove the logs in our eyes so as to clearly see the speck of dust in our neighbour’s eye, we would have started the saving. We must learn to genuinely love each other and do unto others what we would have them do unto us. We must learn to cast the stone only if we are without sin else we must cast ‘correction in love.’ We must live to stop being barbaric and embrace civilisation. We must listen to the voice of reason and have our minds renewed.

We must learn to stand up for what is right and shun corruption. Imagine a Nigeria without ‘jungle justice,’ and one in which institutions are built rather than personalities. Imagine a country where the average person will not litter the streets but look for the nearest bin to empty the waste. And let me quickly add that it should be a Nigeria where there are waste bins on at least every five-minute walking distance on the streets. Also, it should be a country where the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government will not allow the higher institutions remain under lock and key for six months.

While I do not blame Iyabo Obasanjo for relocating to the US and others who have vowed never to return home, I believe it is not in the interest of making Nigeria better. I will not refrain from praising others who chose to remain in our beloved country and strive to make it better; those who return home from abroad so as to introduce what they have learned overseas to Nigeria, and finally, those who in spite of everything have never lost faith in Nigeria.

God Bless Nigeria!

Sincerely,

Concerned Nigerian.