Nothing is wrong with Nigeria; but Nigerians are sick. It’s an affliction known as Cutting Corners which ravages our impatient minds. This ailment seems incurable. Nigeria is therefore in chronic despair. We lose. We mourn. We fall and fail to soar, as a nation!
This is perfectly illustrative of the collapsed building at Ikoyi in Lagos. A 15-Storey building was approved for Femi Osibona; but as characteristic of every Nigerian, he was “smart” enough to cut corners, as he worked against the law and innocent souls perished with his greedy gut.
I saw enough of this in recent trips…
Countries in the world, including Nigeria, made the two doses of anti-covid vaccination a prerequisite for entry. I was alarmed to see Nigeria’s health officials giving the covid cards to prospective travelers without vaccination at the rate of N20,000. Worse still, the fake cards of the two doses reflects in digital records.
However, on visiting three major countries in Europe and Asia within a period of two weeks, I witnessed strict compliance with the rules of both vaccination and covid tests by the host countries. You couldn’t even attempt negotiating a compromise with those officials.
On arrival, I did see my compatriots bribing health officials at the Lagos International Airport to evade the rules of testing for covid. It’s the norm…It’s our culture to cut Corners; a culture of impunity, crime and corruption, even when it works against our health and souls.
Nigerians, as health workers, students, police officers, immigration officials, University teachers, clergy and parents are fond of cutting corners, even when the consequence is detrimental to their security, health and life. In fact, as a Nigerian, I am now scared of even myself. Listen to the following story and marvel at the foolishness of cutting Corners.
Two months ago, we put up an advert for a teacher of Arabic syntax at the Da’wah College in Abuja. With the prospect of an attractive remuneration, a number of experts applied for the job. But after a rigorous screening of their skill and knowledge of the subject, we settled for one Ustadh.
The Dawah College Abuja is an adult male and female classes of the elites – Top public servants, professionals and others in the “corridor of success”, who are willing to learn or improve their knowledge of the Quran and principles of both oral and written Arabic language. Tutors of the college mostly schooled in Arab countries.
When the new employee resumed at work, we noticed that his nose was blocked which we suspected to be an effect of catarrh. But when he told us that the problem had lingered in his nose for five years, we sent him for a medical examination, which revealed a serious threat of cancer.
The consultant Otolaryngologist then suggested Endoscopy, after which the tissue will be sent for biospy to establish the fact of cancer; and if necessary, a series of chemotherapy will follow. To finance the treatment, we leveraged on our name and reached out to well-wishers with his account details.
Alas! Millions dropped into his personal account in torrents; and in less than twenty four hours, we reached the target. Meanwhile, the treatment had already commenced with an alternative funding, pending when he would be able to access his account, after the Endoscopy.
However when, after the endoscopy, the Ustadh finally regained his consciousness and saw his previously vacant account now occupied by Millions of Naira, he was deceptively alerted to a mirage of wealth, riches and a sudden breakthrough by the devil. The Ustadh then left the clinic and absconded with the money, not even shrinking from the reality of cancer.
He was later picked up, last week, in Ibadan, where he insisted that since the money was raised in his name, it belongs to him. He would rather prefer to go with the money and live with the cancer which was confirmed by the clinic to have ravaged and eaten deep into his sinusis. That’s his own way of Cutting Corners to make money in Nigeria.
I don’t know if this is worse than the case of a young man, two of whose right hand fingers had been chopped off. He was introduced to me by his mother for counseling. When I asked him how he lost his two fingers, he confessed that he had sold the two fingers for $3,000 – A true life story!
In Nigeria, everybody is cutting corner. The Politicians are cutting corner. Civil servants are cutting corners. Entrepreneurs are cutting corners. The ritualists are cutting corner. The Yahoo boys are cutting corner. Pastors are cutting corners. Imams are cutting corners. The bandits are cutting corners. O’ Allah, where’s the agent of change?
The truth is that the Nigerian state is in a chronic despair. The value system has collapsed completely. The elderly and the clergy who are usually looked upon as moral agents are also not excempted from the moral crisis. We are all sick; but we all pretend to be normal!
With this Femi Osibona’s collapsed building in Lagos, the smart entrepreneur had only killed himself in a Corner-Cutting greedy style; but unfortunately, he also took more than thirty innocent souls along the eternal trip: “And fear an affliction which may not smite those who are unjust amongst you alone..”.(Q8:25).
Abu Mazeedatilkhayr Bn Sa’eed is an Author, Publisher, Reseacher & CEO of De-Minaret International, Abuja.
