Nigeria at every point of her existence is not short of drama!
Either positive or negative,it has over the years become a country of one day, one problem.
Most significant of it all, successive governments has demonstrated over the years its natural penchant for drama and performing magic either to cover its shortcomibgs or distract attention.
As late Fela Anikulapo Kuti sang..Government magic.
Spunning Magic has become a permanent symbol of our ways of tackling issues germane to our existence as a nation.
Since attainment of independence all governments now and in the past have performed one magic or the other.
Two weeks ago, the Federal government through the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo placed a six months flight ban on fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose aka KWAM 1 as a result of his unruly behaviour at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
His demeanor attracted world wide condemnation hence the immediate response by Aviation authorities led by Keyamo and both government agencies, FCAAN and FAAN.
A week later as if acting in unison,26 years old Comfort Emmanson also engaged Ibom Air flight crew in fisticuffs over refusal to disembark and her consequent arest and remand in Kirikiri prison.
Not surprisingly though, KWAM 1 got a soft landing through the pronouncement of same Keyamo who with the same mouth,made NCAA watered down Kwam 1 punishment to one month travel ban and top of it all caused FAAN to engage the irritant musician as an Ambassador for airport security protocols. What a disdain!
For the government to claim the pardon of the musician is due to public appeal and ‘remorse’ by the musician is as ridiculous as to think making him an Ambassador for good behaviour is tenable for adult of his age with his widely acclaimed arrogance and disdainful attitude.
Yes, behaviours can be tamed but attitude is in-born and it is doubtful if the organisation and by extension the government can get the public to accord respect to the musician.
What is more convincing is that the government through KWAM1’s established contact with those in authority has once again performed magic like its predecessors .
Since it is doubtful if the man can change, it is also possible that such personalities with similar character traits like him who put on such misdemeanors in future could also get sympathy of authorities to bend the rule to favor one of its own
This obviously is to the detriment of the country’s image .
It is quite clear that the hurry in granting pardon and reprieve to KWAM 1 is also made possible by the show of shame exhibited by Comfort Emmanson inside the Ibom aircraft in order to prevent it from being accused of selective judgement.
In order words, Emmanson in a way made way for KWAM 1 and his backers in government to plot his escape from the long arms of the law for which he was about to be arraigned.
The withdrawal of criminal charges against Emmanson and her unconditional freedom in a way gave a stamp of authorities approval of her unethical manners and behaviour as typified by her dressing sense for which society has embraced with the various offers made to her by wealthy citizens.
This has confirmed belief that characters with defiant behaviours in the society has supporters in both low and high places .
This brings to focus the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
That he repeated two weeks ago his call on our state governors to govern in the peoples interest at heart is at variance with the soft landing given KWAM 1 -undoubtedly not without his knowledge.
It is not impossible that characters like KWAM 1 abound in the states which have refused to show passion in governance.
The claims by the President that the states have collected more money from the federation account is indication that they have no reason not to perform to improve infrastructures in all spheres of our live in order to improve the life of the citizenry.
They have responsibility to the citizenry who have had to sacrifice the pains of the economic restructuring.
Beside provision of functional hospitals,more schools with modern infrastructures had to be provided just as rural and semi-urban roads had to be constructed to ease the pains and improve the life of the citizenry.
Today, the monthly allocations shared by the three tiers of government in Nigeria has increased from N956.3billion it was two years ago to N1.6trillion naira according to the Nigeria Bureau of statistics.
As I write ,there is no corresponding improvement in the service delivery of most of the states except the Federal government that has been executing and reviving public infrastructures all over the country from roads rehabilitation, construction of rail lines,release of money to federal universities to improve infrastructures like electricity and others to make life more meaningful.
Today, most states in the Southern parts of the country still depend on supply of foodstuff from the arid North.
It is a collective shame for the Coastal states .
What do you expect when all the farm settlements established in the former western region have either been left to rot away and arable lands hitherto used for cultivation have been sold to estate developers?
Let all our Governors wake up to work and make life more meaningful before campaigns for re-election start again next year as was the usual practise..two years to work and two years to campaign for re election.
