All manner of long-winded phrases are daily added to our political lexicon, no thanks to our politicians. Daily, they assail one another in their quest to have the larger chunk of any slice of the National Cake within their reach.
This day it is the “lying liars”; the next, it’s the “wailing wailers”.
There is never a lull in Nigeria’s current democratic narrative. When Party A is not insulting Party B, the government and the governed are having a cat-and-mouse interaction over a non-issue (depending on who’s judge, anyway). It seems we still cannot decipher the time for governance from the time for politicking.
Those in the opposition do not recognize the time to give constructive criticism; neither does the government know the time to focus on the task of rebuilding the nation’s broken down walls.
Our political space now seems to be a theatre of confusion, similar to the Biblical Tower of Babel. While everyone is talking, no one is listening. Hence, issues are twisted and turned on their heads.
At times in Nigeria’s political melee, one can hardly differentiate between the argument of a pedestrian and that of a professor!
When the issue at hand favours one party, it is amplified to the highest heavens; when this party’s “heroe (s)” in government or opposition make a glaring mistake however, it’s either the same people keep mute about the mistake or throw tantrums when anyone summons the temerity to point it out.
Unfortunately, the attitudes of our politicians have caught on some of our youths. Lots of young people in this generation are so ephemeral in their thoughts that they major in the minors and drag their feet on the major issues.
Instead of discussing how we can move our nation forward, some find it convenient to trend the mundane to the ridiculous issues on social media.
Rather than discuss issues that can really move our nation forward in the media, young people infected by the name-calling syndrome spend a valuable number of hours insulting their perceived “enemies.”
It’s about time Nigerian youths desist from following the ways of the present generation of politicians holding sway on the political scene.
It’s about time we recognized that the two leading political parties in Nigeria harbour those that have monumental corruption allegations hanging over them; and that none has the absolute moral authority to pontificate on the issue of maladministration and corruption.
Our nation cannot move forward in this kind of atmosphere.
Wailing and lying must stop in our polity. We’re not a nation of wailing wailers; neither are we a nation of lying liars.
We’re a nation of winners. We’re a nation that stands on truth and justice! We’re a nation that is fantastically blessed!
Samuel O. Adeyemi is a journalist and certified media strategist based in Lagos.
