By Babajide Alabi
The most common word among Nigerians right now is “Change”. In every corner in Nigeria, change is the word. And by extension Nigerians in diaspora are not left out. They are also “demanding” change, mostly (though) on the social media platforms.
Some of them are packing their bags and “jetting” to Nigeria to be part of the change revolution. These patriotic Nigerians in diaspora argue that you cannot effect change by being thousands of miles away. They think to be agents of change, they need to strategically position themselves on ground in Nigeria rather than be contented with joining the army of change on social media. They reckon that change needs more than the “revolutionary posts” some of their compatriots are churning out on Facebook, Twitter etc.
These set of Nigerians who have put their faith in their “legs” and decided to relocate home must be praised. The patriotic instinct in them has been ignited and they believe they can make an impact in the process. However, I hasten to say that at the approach of general elections in the country, some Nigerians in diaspora usually see these as opportunities to fit in to the “system” they walked away from some years back. Unfortunately, most of them come back after these elections with disappointments and unpleasant stories.
I have often asked myself why majority of them get frustrated out of Nigeria’s political system. The truth is that things are done differently in the society they came from and they soon discover they cannot fit into the peculiar Nigeria “system” where every “card” is played on ethnicity and religion. But it takes a lot of convincing to change the mind of a determined Diasporan not to go on a fruitless political journey.
THE CHANGE IS HERE
The “journey” to “change” peaked in Nigeria towards the end of 2014. The word has literarily replaced the national anthem. It has also rested (hopefully) the iconic words “Bring Back Our Girls”. In the last part of 2014, Nigerians realised there must be a change. And we have all been chanting this word and making no progress towards effecting the real change. The politicians are vociferous about the change that has to come. The ordinary masses are in it too, believing this is what can guarantee their basic meals.
In recent times, especially with the Nigerian situation, I have come to realise that change has different meanings. It depends on what side you are. To the politicians shouting change, what they want is a change in their personal status, so they can have control of the resources. While the ordinary Nigerians want a miraculous change that will create millions of jobs, banish poverty and put nice meals on their tables.
I love Nigerians. We are a unique people. This uniqueness is reflected in what we do, and how we realise results. This is also reflected in our politicians. They are all over the places chanting change, with no laid down process to achieve this. A friend of mine during the week lamented that what we are demanding as a nation is superficial. He argued that for any meaningful change to happen, the individual psyche must be “retuned”. Unfortunately, what we want as Nigerians is a change of government and not a change of individuals.
We ask who are the people who make up the government! These are individuals and they are Nigerians. If we change the government and bring in new set of Nigerians, we shall still be shouting change in a few months’ down the line. It is the psyche of the ordinary Nigerians that need change, and not the political grandstanding our leaders are engaged in now. An ordinary Nigerian believes the government is a gateway to wealth, so getting into government is a means of having a comfortable life for himself and his family. Without a change of this mentality, there is no “change” coming to Nigeria.
Change does not come in a vacuum, it has to be effected. And no society can be changed without changing the individual. The Nigerian has to change himself before the society can change. And this is the mistake these agents of change are making. Change cannot be achieved overnight. It has to be a steady process.
The change campaign is obviously a failure from the beginning. It is set up to fail because the foundation is wrong. Our politicians have different reasons for demanding “change”. Mr A. who lost his political party primaries is demanding change. Mr B. is demanding change because a party has been in power for “far too long”. While Mrs C. is demanding a change because the candidate is not from her “neck of the woods”. And Chief Z. wants a change because there are more opportunities for economic patronage from a particular candidate. While the masses are just confused, they do not even know what they are supposed to be voting to change.
The Nigerian case is different in many ways. This is a country where politicians campaign to win a major election purely on mudslinging and sentiments. In other climes, elections are won on the basis of how candidates have drawn out plans to change the lives of citizens. The 2015 General Elections in Nigeria is just a few weeks away, yet no manifestoes and the voters do not know what “change” these candidates are hoping to bring. All we hear is “Time For Change.”
The United Kingdom General Elections takes place a few months away too, yet the politicians are already educating the voters on their plans. On Friday, the ruling Conservative Party came out with its first campaign ad. It was a simple yet effective one that highlighted how many jobs it created and how it halved the country’s deficit. No mention was made of the opposition parties’ educational qualifications or religion.
But we are obsessed with change. Will there ever be a change? Will the education sector ever witness a change? Will the health sector ever witness a change? Will anything ever change in the year 2015? Will anything ever change in Nigeria after the elections? These are questions that are begging for answers. Unfortunately, none is here.
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Nigeria will change, when there is individual rebirth
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