Blame Game

If there is one art many Nigerians have perfected, it is that of shifting the blame on someone or something else. When the butcher wants to make extra profit, he/she blames Boko Haram insurgents for scarcity of meat products; when the ugwu seller wants to extort buyers, she blames scarcity of dollars for her actions; when touts turn on the society in anger, they blame it on the system; and when public officials are caught with their paws in the treasury, there is always a fall guy who gets the blame.

The current administration has a real penchant for blaming the immediate past government for all the social and economic woes being visited on hapless citizens. If those in the corridors of power do not understand the basic rudiments of good governance, the past government must be responsible, somehow. So, it was a breath of fresh air when a South East governor, who usually follows the numero uno on foreign trips, tactfully admitted that some of the problems Nigerians are facing were also caused by the current ruling party.

However, the administration has pledged to make life better for the citizens, besides fighting corruption, insecurity and unemployment. But the problems of Nigeria go beyond mere platitudes; government officials must actively seek to improve the lives of the citizens, not by trying to use the NNPC to jack up the pump price of petrol or using the National Bureau of Statistics to scare people to death with its dire poverty and inflation data. If this government, which swept into power on a popular wave, fails to deliver good governance to the angry citizens, the blame and consequences would rest squarely on its head…A sobering thought

– Abimbola Akosile

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