By Clement Udegbe

I HEAR that in Anambra State, only Catholics find political appointment easy under the present administration, meaning that no matter your qualifications and experience, if you are a known Pentecostal, forget any appointment. This shows the gargantuan challenge facing those in the South East, praying for one common work space for any Igbo man, in Igbo public service, irrespective of his state in Igbo land.

In public glare, a rookie three months old Catholic Priest imagines that he is worth as much as a Pentecostal Bishop, with ten years’ experience,  and carries himself as such, displaying so much rudeness, indiscipline! Little wonder the Church is so distracted in the face of her common enemy, who does not differentiate between the denominations, be in the Muslim north or Christian South. The Church in Nigeria especially in Igbo land Must take tell herself the truth, or be destroyed by complacency. Since surely there is no denomination in heaven, those catholic priests who crave to make heaven must learn to respect other denominations on this earth. Sin against one priest whether catholic or not can lead to hell!

South East Governors in closed-door meeting with Nnia Nwodo

Due to space, I will look at three key areas the checkered spiritual nature of Nigeria has impacted negatively, even as we seem to do nothing.

First is security of lives and property as guaranteed under our constitution. Nigeria has drifted from a peace loving nation, to a habitat for terrorism just under ten years. We have Boko Haram that claimed some of territories in the north from 2012, and while our soldiers are still battling with that enemy, Armed Fulani Herdsmen, from the north, are gradually locating themselves in strategic states, racking havoc on communities, while we politicise it.

Now and again, it is killings in Southern Kaduna, Benue State, Enugu State, or Abia and Osun States. Governors with powers as Chief Security officers weep, rush to Aso Rock, and come back  home to a repeat of killings in  their communities. Nothing happens, in spite of their Security Votes.

Zones appear unable to come up with plans to protect lives and property from marauding herdsmen, yet they have Governors forum for each Zone.

While we follow the unfolding of the new Ile Ife experience, the South East Zone is worse of, because their Governors forum woke up from a three-years slumber early in this month. We know they met, took pictures, but their hearts remain different over security issues in the zone.  Successful indigenes move about with individual security arrangements or in other low key disguised ways against the menace of kidnapping, and violent robbery.

In spite of the abundance of human knowledge and resources of this nation, no zone has a data base or profile of its citizens according to work, religion, and disposition to crime. In a country where a criminal, or prostitute can rise and blackmail an avowed Minister of Religion, and nothing happens, soon, prostitutes, kidnappers and robbers will blackmail political leaders and judicial officers and we continue to talk, clap and even laugh!

Second is the area of electricity power provision. The military era did nothing to address the decay in the national Power generation and distribution system. Constructive and incisive criticism was not tolerated by them, so the decay continued.  Olusegun Obasanjo came back to power in 1999, and sank huge sums into the sector, nothing changed. Nigeria still depends on rains and flooding to generate hydroelectric power. Attempts to convert gas to power, were bedeviled with many problems. Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP government privatised the sector, unbundling PHCN, and created GENCOS, all to achieve about 4500 Megawatts, ten percent of South Africa’s power production, and less than three percent of the power production of Chembridge Borough in the United Kingdom.

Today 56 years after independence, Nigerians are forced to pay for power they never saw or used. The GENCOS, DISCOS and NERC( the regulatory authorities) fight to manage less than 3400 Megawatts! This APC Administration still has not seen the justification to appoint a full Minister for a sector as important as Power and Energy.

They chose to overwhelm one man with three super ministries, of Power, Works and Housing. Politics, Religion, and Ethnicity is killing rather than helping Nigeria, under this government.

We have never been so divided, trapped with so much darkness, bad roads, run away Naira exchange rates, and accompanying deep biting hardship! APC will not die if a full minister is appointed to handle Power with a target to move us to a meager 6000 Megawatts or resign! States should be allowed to generate their own power, after all we generate our own individual power, relying upon DISCOS as our back up.  Development cannot come without Electric Power, even if we all register with APC.

Third is our health sector. Ibrahim Babangida, as Head of State travelled to France to treat his radiculopathy in 1985, Shehu Yar’ Ardua travelled to Saudi Arabia for treatment but unfortunately did not survive it, and thirty two years after, President Buhari travelled to London for treatment and rest for about 49 days.

Obasanjo’s wife died after treatment in a German Hospital, Dame Patience Jonathan had multiple surgeries in German/ Saudi hospitals. Under Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State, some members of their House Assembly broke their heads, and were flown overseas for treatment. Rochas Okorocha in his first term had a minor road accident and flew overseas for checkup. In his second term, he had a strange encounter and flew to India for treatment. Our leaders continue to rush overseas for minor and major treatments, yet they can afford to build same type of hospitals in Nigeria, and let their preferred foreign Doctors handle their cases.

Is it not a shame that our leaders are shameless and so selfish, yet we do nothing?

We expected that Okorocha would have built one of the best equipped hospitals in Africa, and caused his APC leaders from across the nation to come to Imo, but he chose to do otherwise, and continue killing Imo softly! What shall we then say of Aso Rock? Are we not paying dearly for our complacency ?