In exploring my recent trip to the United Nations of Nigeria and the “Cuckoo nation” which we are presented with, it would be tempting to maintain the status quo and ignore the obvious problems. Therein lies the crux of the matter, as this would only suit the narratives of some Nigerians like President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan and members of the Building Up Nigeria Project. Nevertheless, longstanding and contemporary situations do not get resolved through these means because self-censorship is not a panacea to our national plight. According to the renowned singer, actor, social justice activist, and Pan-Africanist Harry Belafonte, not speaking truth to power is tantamount to becoming a patriotic traitor. It is my assertion that inaction and keeping quiet ultimately results in the historical circumstances that we have witnessed and are all witnessing in the African nations of Sudan, Tunisia, and Egypt.
Our situation in the United Nations of Nigeria is such that some of us fail to realize the difference between expecting gratuity (tips) after rendering the designated services than out rightly canvassing for bribes before the commission of the task. For example, while boarding the bus from Lagos to Owerri the bus company bag handlers (paid employed staffs) did not want to assist and demanded for some monies in advance. When they failed to convince me to that effect, they again tried to proposition me on how to circumvent the bag weighing process by paying them on the side to put my belongings on the scale for half the fee.
Moreover, these types of behaviors are not limited to the regular strata of our society, as most federal, state, and local government officials are controlled through the “pay to play” dogma. Our current do or die politicking is largely due to individuals and groups that are engrained in the scratch my back and I go scratch yours mentally. In his exclusive interview with www.pointblanknews.com, General Babangida spoke about the fact that corruption and mismanagement of public funds had skyrocketed after his 8year rule. This is quite true, except that in his characteristic intellectual and political dishonesty, the General failed to point out that some of the corrupt rulers that have emerged in the United Nations of Nigeria are his mentees and political allies. For instance Chief Dr. Peter Odili the erstwhile Governor of Rivers State and Colonel/Senator David A.B. Mark the current Senate President. The members of the Nigerian National Assembly and Colonel/Senator David A.B. Mark with their refusals to declare their wages while appropriating retirement funds for ex- autocrats and their families are knee deep in the “pay to play” mentally.
In digressing, I should report that despite the K-street lobbyist and the money in Washington DC, most politicians here know what lines they are not to traverse. Those that operate with impunity like their Nigerian counterparts such as Mr. Tom Delay of Texas, Jack Abramoff, and Mr. William Jefferson of Louisiana (who had connections to former Vice President and Deputy Director of Customs and Excise Atiku Abubakar) were arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated. People actually go to jail unlike what transpires through the dictates of our so-called Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke. Thus, If colonialism and imperialism are akin to natural disasters for the African continent then the corruption, impunity, and injustice that we experience from our rulers are equivalent to some of the most costly man-made disasters.
When I arrived at Owerri Imo State, I was confronted by some major man-made problems that had nothing to do with the prevalent problems of land erosion. With all the insecurities and kidnappings in South Eastern Nigeria, I entered Owerri with some hesitations and resolutions. My younger brother had been the victim to a ghastly shooting near the Federal University of Technology Owerri when so-called indigenes attacked students in 2008 under the guise of indigenes/settlers dichotomy. Instead of resolving differences with the school administrators and students the surrounding communities attacked our Nigerian children. The absurdity of the indigenes/settlers problem is that an Mbaise (closest local government area or county to Owerri) young man who resides in Port-Harcourt is shot by people from Owerri in his native Imo State.
As someone who attended primary and secondary school on university campuses in Port-Harcourt I also know that the Owerri campus like others in the country have thrived more in anti-social activities hence the deteriorating standards of education in the country. We have organizations/fraternities (student secret cults) that focus on criminality and youthful exorbitant instead of challenging the corrupt societal structures. Members of the Pyrates, Vikings, Black Axe, Buccaneers, Klan’s Konfratenity and others maim and kill each other with Western inspired organizational names, political/economic sponsors, and their cult colors while abandoning pro-social activities. There is a failure of imagination to realize that Nobel Laureates like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Professor Wole Soyinka were former fraternity members that focused their energies on social justice issues instead of negativity. For example in my final term of secondary school an attempt was made by two cult members to capture me on the streets of Port-Harcourt due to a personal rift with my late classmate. However, this cuckoo act resulted in recruitment request by rival groups. Please listen to MI’s (Nigerian musician Mr. Incredible) song “Craze” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wqE4y2uImc for more insights.
At Owerri, I witnessed young people in the prime of their lives who may have been betrayed by our so-called leaders. For the first time in my life, I was in a room with so many smokers and had to exit due to the contamination from second hand smoke. My wife a biologist and public health specialist informed me that she had read an article about the dumping of cigarettes in Nigeria because of the strict regulations in Western nations and the quest for virgin markets. Then I realized that cancer would definitely be a cause of concern in about 20years for our contemporary youth population. On a much lighter note, I also saw many young men “sagging” their trousers. Sagging refers to wearing your pants in an incomplete manner. This youth culture originated from the jails of America before spreading into her urban cities. I saw more people practicing this trend in Owerri than I have on any given day in Washington DC, New York, and California.
In Imo State, I was confronted with the unfortunate reality that one of the booming industries is electioneering politics. His Excellency Mr. Ikedi Ohakim was the number one protagonist in this sector. There were blizzards of posters with campaign information about him but nothing visible and tangible to show for his stewardship from Owerri to Mbaise. I also came across several posters of people that had no educational qualifications and real life experiences with community service. At the Sam Mbakwe International cargo airport the edifice was more like a small dormitory building. However, that did not stop the airport authority from collecting entrance (tolls) fees. I intend to address the problems with our airports, immigration officers, and indigenes/settlers disputes in the final (Part 3) commentary on My Nigerian Story with special emphasis on Port-Harcourt Rivers State the pulse of the Niger Delta.
Nnamdi Frank Akwada, MSW, BA Social Community Activist and Blogger
Masters of Social Work (2010)
Bachelors in Criminology and Criminal Justice (2001) 
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