By Emmanuel Ado
“The negligence of a few could easily send a ship to the bottom, but if it has the wholehearted co-operation of all on board it can be safely brought to port”. Sardar Patel, Indian Freedom Fighter.
In the last one month Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, like Prophet Ezekiel, the central protagonist of the Book Ezekiel, whose prophecy was about hope for the future, has been preoccupied with calling urgent attention to the imminent catastrophe staring Nigeria as a nation, and Nigerians as a people in the face.
And like the Indian freedom fighter, Sardar Patel, urging cooperation of all on board the Nigerian ship, to get the country working.
At every given opportunity, and using every available medium, with the zeal of a missionary, El-Rufai has been proclaiming his message of National unity, from mountaintops to all Nigerians, most especially the political class, and all men of goodwill, that have curiously continued to play the ostrich, pretending not to notice the threat posed by the extremists, rabidly hate -driven groups seeking the breakup of the country, in the misguided, deranged believe that they would be better off as Biafrans, Oduduwaians or Arewa Republic, rather than as Nigerians, is real.
The problem with the average Nigerian, is the gross misconception that the other Nigerian from a different ethnic group, is the main problem,the reason why Nigeria hasn’t made substantial progress,in spite of its human and huge natural resources.
It’s a mutual feeling by virtually everyone that most of the states, like the central government are badly run, the point of departure is the responsibility for the appalling state of a country with huge potentials, but that has scandalously continued to be an embarrassment to itself and the black race.
It’s this gross misconception that makes the man from Bayelsa State, a state of less than 2 million people, with just eight (8) local government areas, who has never bothered to question why his oil producing state, which in addition to its monthly revenue, gets 13% derivation, is inexplicably indebted to its public servants, financial institutions and remarkably undeveloped, making nonsense of the argument that the creation of states,would help fast track development.