Leadership and the Future of Nigeria

These trends and tendencies of distrust and covert and/or overt opposition are expressed in the numerous coalitions, contradictions, conflicts and confusions in the society.  There is hardly a consensus on any issue in Nigeria, including the continued survival and unity of the country.  This in itself is a sad and unfortunate development after the Nigerian civil war and the high price that was paid by our fellow citizens. Indeed, between and within economic, cultural, political and social communities and constituencies, the degree of distrust remains very heavy and deep.
University graduates and HND holders are at war; NECO versus WAEC certificate holders are treated differently; so-called career and non-career officers are at war; north and south, Niger-delta versus the rest of the nation, and security and non-security personnel are not communicating.  Within Christendom, the competition and commercialisation has gone beyond rational understanding.  Within universities, cultists and non-cultists are at war.  Libraries are either empty or behind by over a decade in relevant literature and journals, and many academics are involved in general business and consulting as against serious research and teaching.  In addition, rural and urban dwellers, the poor and the rich, landlords and tenants, employed and unemployed, and segments or sectors of the private sector strive to outdo and undo each other as opportunity permits.
Nothing seems to go in an orderly or predictable manner. Recruitment into paramilitary forces results in the death of several applicants.  Satellites get lost in space within a few years of purchase and launching while airplanes disappear for months only to be found by farmers, despite the billions invested in emergency rescue and satellites!  In the midst of all these, we have leaders, mostly self-imposed leaders that have simply refused or failed to lead us anywhere.
Any wonder therefore that Legislators that are asked to probe corruption end up being probed!  Trust, accommodation and cooperation hardly exist in any aspect of national life.  As public institutions crumble or give the façade of a beautiful existence based on their architectural outlays, within the institutions exist an ocean of conflict, waste, manipulation, oppression, indiscipline, arrogance of power, ethnic jingoism and downright terrorization of the powerless and those with no godfathers or political connections.  In the judiciary, while it has remained the longest undisturbed arm of government and in spite of numerous assaults especially the military juntas over the years, has also not escaped the rot in the system.