By Samuel Alabi
Diverse opinions have been expressed through numerous speeches and articles on last week's dishonourable show of our supposed honourable members of the National Assembly. This therefore is not to add to the list, but to encourage every true promulgator of 'change' who’s enthusiastic expectations have been taunted by the last Thursday’s ignominious outing of the Lawmakers, that hope is not lost. The frustrating conducts of the 8th NASS since its infamous inauguration on the 9th of June, should be taken as a challenge- that we are not yet anywhere near the envisaged rest- rather than allowing it to drain our resolve for a changed Nigeria. Though I have on many occasions argued with him over it, Pastor Dotun Reju's assertion - that no single individual, including President Buhari, can cause the needed transformation in this country without the unanimous decidedness of the citizenry to demand just governance from her leaders - has to be generally accepted and embodied now. Evidently, it would be a share waste of another four years if we are waiting for this crop of wanton, self-serving and naive legislators to initiate any tangible progress without being compelled by our refusal to accept anything less than the global best practice of public leadership.
Accordingly, this is not the time to take any side of the political divides; rather, we must collectively condemn and resist every inimical act capable of truncating this nascent opportunity to build a new Nation. A national outcry must be launched and sustained against every iota of impunity, unjustness and anarchy in any arm of our government. From the President to the Local Government Councillors, none of the elected public office holders got there of their own volition, neither were they voted to serve themselves; expediency is on us, therefore, to keep watch on them and ensure that only the best is accrued to Nigeria in this dispensation. We must employ all legal means to checkmate every form of public privileges' abuse among our functionaries.
The excogitation of social media and its exponential growth in our days should be productively maximised to always sabotage any attempt to prioritize personal interest above our common good in all tiers of government. The last general election among other things, have shown that a politician can only ignore to his own detriment, the efficacy of the social media in gaining or losing popularity, this indispensable advantage has our generation over the previous ones must be fully exploited to negotiate a better future for ourselves and posterity. Regrettably as it was, the shameful shamelessness of our National Assembly and its underlying implications, should not make us give up so soon on our hope for a better country, neither should it drag us into wallowing in self pity. We must readily bring to bear our globally-acknowledged resilience and rise above this unfortunate incident. Since the National Assembly has become a national embarrassment, we must be willing to stage peaceful protests and occupy the State Government Houses, NASS and even Aso Rock (if necessary), until what is just becomes powerful and what is powerful becomes just. There's an invincible hope in our hopelessness, and no matter how slow it seems in coming, the enviable change is on its way and Nigeria will flourish again!
Samuel Alabi is an Estate Surveyor & Valuer, based in Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.
www.facebook.com/samueltaiwoalabi, Twitter: @sambolad
Email: boldsam2014@gmail.com
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