Forty Years in the Wilderness
by
I have sat down and thought deeply about our problems as a country or conglomeration of ethnic nationalities and have been forced to come to this logical conclusion that:
1. The children of Israel spent those forty years because they were not only impatient but, were not prepared to learn from their past experiences.
2. You cannot forestall the duration of wilderness in the life of a people but that you can also extend it with lack of tact, caution and wisdom.
3. It did not only take a Moses to deliver the children of Israel from their selfish captors but also a rod or staff of office
ordained by God for his
supreme purpose.
For the past forty years we have squandered a fortune of human and natural resources due to our premature independence and the inability of the past and present leaders (including legislators) to adhere to words of advice from our founding fathers. Also, those in authority never imbibe those words properly while taking the oath of office neither do they understand the purpose of the burden they are carrying. The insatiable lusts for wealth and power has plunged us into this valley of retrogression and depression. We have also produced very many sycophants rather than honest and transparent critics who are prepared to stand for the truth always irrespective of the juicy dangling carrots that are paraded before their gluttonous throats. Heaven has watched these strange cycle of events with dismay and utter disgust and if not for the mercies of God Almighty, our land would have been cursed with everlasting barrenness. After all, what have we really produced or achieved so far as the giant of Africa?
It is on this note that I for the very first time disagree with my good friend Bill Clinton when he said that it took America two
hundred years to
get this far and pleaded for more patience and understanding from the Nigerian populace during his visit. That to me is balderdash with all due
respect to this great American patriot. It is commonsensical that you must not experience AIDS(HIV virus) for you to acknowledge that it kills. Neither does one
have to stand in the middle of the road to know that any moving vehicle on collision with you can end your earthly existence instantly. We are too exposed,
enlightened and blessed to be going through this harrowing times as a nation. The problem with the Israelites was sheer stubbornness unlike ours which has a lot to
do with avarice, power-drunkenness and stupidity.
If not, why should those dubious senators have increased their unnecessary furniture allowance from N3.5million to N5million in the first place and remain in office claiming to be representing you and me when they are obviously representing their pockets? Why are we spending billions of dollars in so-called peace keeping efforts in the continent even when the owners of those countries are not prepared for peaceful co-existence while our academic institutions are purely educational relics? Why are we clamoring for debts rescheduling with western countries when those who have deliberately put us in this financial calamity are walking around as free as air flaunting their ill-gotten wealth without fear or question?
I bet you a lot of people don't seem to understand the real meaning of posterity. To some it's a joke while to others it's just
another English
vocabulary but one day they'll be a play back of events and our children will read with horror how the ignorance of a few ruined generations. History will remember
those who fought against this satanic mannerism and idiosyncrasies exhibited by our different leaders and opportunists in
government. If we do not define our direction and desires as a nation now, the wilderness years shall continue to reign without control leaving the hopes of many
wallowing in despair. The way forward is for us to look backwards and address the wrongs of the past as a deterrent to the future.
This to me is the only logical way out of Egypt. Remember, a fool at forty is a fool FOREVER! God save Nigeria.
Uwem Inyang
London