BY J.K. RANDLE

WE have been saying the same thing over and over for the last 40 years, but they will not listen.  Hence, we must repeat ourselves and sound the same refrain: Good economics leads to good politics and conversely bad economics leads to bad politics.

It is certainly true about what prevails in our nation, Nigeria and most especially Lagos State of which I have been a citizen for the past 67 years.

Hence, I believe that I am qualified to tell the story of Lagos spanning the last 60 years as a chronicler and eye-witness with a ringside seat.

Therefore, let us commence by reminding ourselves about the “Torah” or defining core values of being a Lagosian.

They are basically six.

At the top of the list are pedigree and the sanctity of the family name as well as reputation.  The other five are derivatives of the first and they include:

“Uprightness

“Respect for  elders

“Tolerance for other people’s religion

“Fear of God and retribution from our ancestors

“Humility and sense of humour (“ase”).

Consequently, any Lagosian can be called upon to serve in any capacity – no matter how lowly or exalted.  That
is the tradition we inherited from our ancestors and this is not the time to disparage our culture or traduce the illustrious heritage and legacy handed over to us for our custody temporarily until the next generation is
ready.

If we have betrayed our forefathers or compromised the future of our children, we now have the last chance to
make amends.

By our own judgment, Lagos has been living on borrowed time instead of seeking a new lease of life.  We make no apologies for declaring that Lagos is a special State for special people.

Sadly, over the last 60 years we have squandered some extra-ordinary opportunities which would have guaranteed Lagos a seat at the top-table alongside Hong Kong, Singapore, Cape Town, Vancouver and Toronto as true centres of excellence as defined by enterprise, safety, splendour, magnificence and dignity of the PEOPLE (not concrete !!).

As of now, Lagos is hanging by a thread and too many Lagosians are living from hand to mouth- homeless, jobless
and hopeless.  They are in fear of Government !!

Logic demands that we commence from the known before we contend with the unknown ahead of dealing with the
future.  Trust me, 60 years ago, Lagos was not just like paradise.  It was paradise!!  Every Lagosian knew each
other and we were like one huge family- Christians and Moslems ever so respectful to each other.  No
discrimination whatever.

I was born a Christian, but the first school I attended was a Koranic school at Agoro Street virtually on the
doorstep of my grandmother’s house.  My Alfa (the Koranic teacher) clocked 90 a few years ago.  Justice Muri
Okunola who became an Islamic scholar used to sit directly behind me.  When I proceeded to Lagos Government
School in 1949 -56, Muri was a year behind me and he used to be the one to ring the bell summoning us all to
the school assembly for Christian  prayers which alternated with Moslem prayers.

In 1952, Lagos won the first prize for the cleanest water in the British Commonwealth and Dominions.  It was
the late Dr. Oladipo Oluwole, the Chief Medical Officer of Lagos who collected the prize in Australia.  Also,
the same Dr. Oluwole almost succeeded in eradicating malaria in Lagos through his vigilance and insistence on
the highest level of hygiene not only in houses but also in public places.  Sanitary inspectors were
everywhere.

All over Lagos, there were huge posters with a compelling message:

“DO NOT URINATE HERE”

(Urinating in public is an offence).

According to The Moment newspaper of December 22, 2010 Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, the Second Republic
Governor of Lagos State declared that Nigeria is in danger of one-party state.  The same warning applies to
Lagos State – we cannot afford a one party state in the centre of excellence.

Let us admit straightaway, Lagos of today is a grotesque  caricature of its glorious past and former seductive
magnificence.  Concrete jungle and exotic state of the art limousines are no substitute for what we had before
– a city literally flowing with the milk of human kindness and honey-dew compassion.

Of course by dwelling on what went  on before, over the last 60 years, we run the risk of being challenged by
the “Young Turks” of the present generation who may choose to accuse us of having failed dismally and thereby
forfeited our right to comment on the current state of affairs or pass judgement on their sincerity of purpose.

We refuse to be so easily intimidated.  Hence, our insistence that if all they have witnessed in their
abbreviated existence on this earth is a Lagos that has been grappling with toxic decay – both morally and
physically, they may not be our messiah!!

At one level, the city and the state were the victims of rapacious
brigandage by the soldiers and civilians in jackboots.  Lagos was gang-raped. This was ironically followed by
the ultimate ingratitude when the capital  shifted to Abuja.  There was neither compensation nor restitution
not to mention any sense of obligation to make amends through special legislation for the damage that had been
inflicted on a people (Lagosians as an endangered species) whose only crime was their warm hospitality and the
absence of guile which blinded them to the intricate plots and fake smiles of the master manipulators.

Consequently, what we are left with is not just a city in ruins and a state that is distressed but advertises
itself as vibrant- forgetting that it is the people who constitute the state, we have become a community with
warped values.

More and more of our people are trapped into a precarious existence – sleeping under bridges and
wandering the streets with rage and frustration as their only energy drink and fuel for sustenance until
nightfall when the stark choice is between  drug peddling, hunger and robbery.

If we are ready to concede that the foundation of our society has been severely damaged, what is the justification for the pursuit of the imposition of the super structure just to glamorize decay?  Does it not make better sense to restore power and entrust authority to those who know the scale of the damage and are therefore best placed to recraft the social tapestry of the state as well as its moral fabric?  Perhaps our city and state were victims of pre-meditated
rape.

We offer no apologies to the present generation for reminding them that up till about 50 years ago, at the
Onikan Stadium, Christians played football matches against Moslems regularly without any problems.  Indeed, in
1955 twin brothers Taiwo and Kehinde Gbajabiamila played on opposite sides but still remained twins after the
keenly contested match !!  One twin was at Methodist Boys High School (a Christian school) while the other was
at Ahmaddiya College (a Moslem school).

At the same venue, Onikan Stadium, the Ibo versus Yoruba football match was an annual event.  Whichever team
emerged victorious would dance all over Lagos chanting “war songs” to which the generality of the public
responded with mild amusement.  It certainly was no cause for alarm.  Indeed, Teslim “Thunderbolt” Balogun
would play centre-forward for the  Yoruba team on Wednesday while Dan Anyiam would play at right-full back on
the opposite side for the Ibos.  On the following Saturday both would be back in the same team – “Dynamos” or
Railways under the captaincy of Dan Anyiam.  The previous Wednesday’s match and the vigorous rivalry that
ensued would have been entirely forgotten!!

By way of digression, let me add that while I was a student at King’s College, boarders were given exeats to
allow us to watch the annual Ibo versus Yoruba match but we were expected back in school no later than 6p.m.
However, on one occasion, the match dragged on into extra time.   With the utmost reluctance we had to leave
just as the match was approaching its climax.  On getting back to the boarding house, we approached the most
senior steward, Mr. Itabor (an Isoboman) in the dining room and politely asked him for the match result.  With
great irritation he promptly announced:

“Na Isobo win”!!
In Nigeria you cannot always connect the preceding event with the final outcome.

Regardless, our focus is Lagos and its rightful place in Yorubaland.  Thankfully, Dr. Akin Onigbinde has
forcefully reminded us that:

“The Yoruba have values, ethos and a world view that have assured her evolution, development and strength as a
dynamic, progressive, just and egalitarian race.  All over Yorubaland, acknowledgement and respect for the
divine, civil authority, justice, respect for the human person, hard work, honesty, strong family and community
life are shared values”.

Within the suffocating embrace of Nigeria, Lagos is trapped.
Here is the evidence of Ambassador Olu Sanu:

“Looking back at the last 50 years, I must say that  I consider it a great privilege to have worked with
leaders of the First Republic.  They were men of value and integrity, their name will always be written in gold
in our history.  It is difficult to imagine that they achieved so much with so little.  The Sarduana of Sokoto,
Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo laid the foundation of the development of their respective region.

They did so with eminent civil servants of high pedigree – Chief Simeon Adebo, Chief Jerome Udoji and Alhaji Akilu.  All the advisers in the First Republic were members  of political parties who served without  remuneration.

In the old Western Region we had people who, from their student days, like the eminent  economist, Sam Aluko, Prof.

Oluwansanmi, Bola Ige and Prof. Akin Mabogunje were advisers and members of party caucuses.  I am sure the same
held in the North and East.  The parliamentary system which they operated gave little room for massive
corruption which obtains today.  The new generations of politicians have exploited the presidential system to
operate a system that has become a drain-pipe on the treasury.

It is hard to believe that we now operate a system where we have more than 3000 advisers to Federal, state and local governments.  States that have little or no internally Generated Revenue (IGR) have over 30 advisers,
senior personal assistants and assistants.  The shame of Nigeria is evident in the fact that even the Chairman
of a local government council operates the presidential system as an entitlement.  They have  Chief of Staff,
Chief of Protocol, press officers, etc.

The result is that  30-40 per cent of our annual budget is spent on maintaining the structure.  If you add to this, the amount of money we spend on transport and travellings, we will be spending almost half of our budget on non-productive sectors of the economy.”

We have no  basis for questioning the depth and sincerity of Ambassador Sanu’s lamentation.  Indeed, Dr.
Frederick  Fasehun spoke publicly in the same vein at the inter-denominational funeral service held for the
late Chief Anthony Enahoro at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos recently.

Between the glory of 60 years ago and what prevails now, we ought to give credit to William Shakespeare, the
English playwright who succinctly declared:

“June cannot know the glory that went with March”.

Wrong quotation !!

The evidence is before us.  Sixty years ago the streets of Lagos were narrow but the people were straight,
upright and contented.  Now the streets are wide but most of the people are perceived as crooked, idle,
fun-loving, reckless and frivolous.

All they can muster is “Eko Oni baje”  (Lagos will not collapse) even when hunger and rage have engulfed their
fatherland and Lagosians are hostage to the law of diminishing returns.

Anyway, there was some respite recently at the Methodist Church, Tinubu right beside the fountain which should
rightly be the epicentre of our city’s history and heritage, but is currently serving a different purpose.  There we were assembled to celebrate the wedding of our friend’s daughter.  Since she was not stamped “Not For
Export”, her heartthrob is not a Lagosian and our prayerful thoughts are with the parents of the bride and
bridegroom; and for the newly married couple, the bountiful blessings of the Almighty.