The other day I made some postings on Facebook, ruing the very flimsiness and unpredictability of life, and admonishing friends to reflect deeply so as to prioritize what is truly important; more like making a ‘bucket list’ of the things you would want to achieve before you die. I guess a few friends were a bit alarmed, because those are not the thoughts that people like to entertain, much less voice out. But it is one of my own defense mechanisms; to be able to contemplate such eventualities as I try to live a better, more consequential life. I have personally boiled down life to the amount of positive impact one is able to have on one’s fellow men, or the larger society or humanity, how much laughter, reprieve, guidance and happiness one can bring to those around us, and of course it is down to how much joy we derive doing what we do on a daily basis. I have seen too many unhappy but stinkingly rich people, who are still scared they may lose it all, who live a lie based on bank loans and other swindles, who have sold their souls to the devil just to be famous, and who ensure that those working with and around them live in constant fear and sadness. It is evident that that is a wrong choice of life.
The Holy Books urge us to count our days. In fact, if it was possible to count every second it may not be a bad idea. Human beings have achieved great feats, but at the end, all our achievements on this earth are nothing but vanity. I believe that human beings should not attach much to their own vainglory on earth. But if we can ensure this world is a better place because of us as we depart, then great. Way to go.
I write on the subject of 2,890 days, because of two recent news items in the press from our First Family. The first is a video clip from President Muhammadu Buhari himself, where he stated that he recently realized that leadership in Nigeria is all about ‘trying’. Well, he cut a picture of someone who had given up. The point is whether he contemplated the leadership of Nigeria in that light while he struggled for 12 years to be the number 1 man (again) having been in that same position in 1984 and 1985. Was Buhari driven simply by ego, a bloated sense of self-importance, delusion of grandeur or did all his dreams for Nigeria simply fail to come true under his watch because they were easier said than done? And has he now come to his senses, effectively one year to the end of his tenure? I say one year, because by 2021, the gladiators for the inheritance of the bag of problems that is Nigeria’s presidency may have emerged. Buhari has said he is not thinking of a 3rd Term, and I believe him. But will he be happy leaving that seat – having ‘tried’ and many will say, failed? Is anyone learning from this?
The second reason for this write-up is the news widely credited to Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the First Lady, where she said ‘We (perhaps the first family) are scared of leaving this place without meeting up to some of the expectations.” She went further to admonish other occupiers of positions in Nigeria to try and ensure they meet their promises even though it is impossible to achieve all. This is quite revealing and instructive, because the history of sit-tight leadership – especially in Africa – is the history of people who realize towards the tail end of their tenures that they hadn’t delivered on their many promises, or that they were saddled with many half-done projects, especially those upon whom they had borrowed countless billions from abroad. Africa is thus littered with thousands of white elephant projects and monstrosities. Will this end here, especially now that it is fairly obvious that Citizen Buhari is not the real president but some other guys more sinister, more calculating who may fall into the same trap as Mubarak, Sese-Seko, Abacha, the Gnasingbes, and even of late, Paul Kagame of Rwanda?
Well, we shall wait to see how the Buharis manage their transition but I need to share my thoughts on counting our days in government. Can you see that February is already over and we are in March 2020? When was it that we celebrated Christmas 2019 and the New Year? Seems like yesterday. It’s as if the days are now shorter because we are in digital times right? Think again, when was that that you were a teenager, or a toddler, running around without a care in the world? For the much I’ve lived I know life is generally too short for most people to find fulfilment. It is often a rat race to nowhere until the owner of time comes calling. The same operates for those who say they are interested in governance. You have to count your days. You have to boil it down to the seconds. What are you achieving with the trust invested by the people? Have you been building the wrong castles to your own glory rather than concentrate on the urgency of now? Have you measured the tangibles you have achieved in governance for your people or is it all about self-worship and megalomania?
To be continued
