Our national cake, bags of rice and kidnapped children

Nigeria's so called world's largest cake

For me, I am this close to giving up on Nigeria as a nation.

When a section of the country provided leadership/ rulership another section thought they had been marginalised and deprived of what rightfully belonged to them because they believed they provided most of the resources that the country lived on.

Call it fate, call it providence or call it whatever you like, death came calling and a man from the region who believed they had been deprived had become president.

You would think that he had a point to prove and that some shenanigans would become things of the past but in Nigeria? Such things never stop.

Real World's largest cake

The bombings did not stop (at least one happened just yesterday at the 50^th anniversary celebrations); the massive looting by government officials and politicians have become even worse and most of all the kidnapping has reached worrisome levels.

When school children are kidnapped by hoodlums on their way to school in a bus you begin to ask yourself questions.

When school children are kidnapped the way they were and the government of the day is more interested in fraudulently celebrating 50 years of mediocrity you ask yourself even more questions.

I do not really know what the total budget for the so called anniversary celebrations was but I remember that the cake was for seventy two million naira (about $461000) and I have to ask myself what the country was turning into.

A few days earlier, the wife of the president, Patience shamelessly decided to give out bags of free rice in a public place. Of course they could not control the stampede and it was reported that a few were killed in the rush while many others got injured.

What was the point of sharing free rice in the nation’s capital? Was it to make the world think you are a good person who has rendered service to the nation?

What about hungry people in the villages in Sagbama, Isialangwa, Ogbakiri, Billiri, Ogbomosho and other parts of Nigeria?

Maybe if you gave us free education complete with books and pocket money for enrolling in school and every jobless Nigeria paid something a little below minimum wage because we have oil wealth, then we would not need your free rice.

Then again, who got the contract for the seventy two million naira cake? Can they at least tell us the name of the person so Nigerians know where tax payers money go?

It is a shame that this cake shown in the picture is said to cost that much; and it is supposed to be the world’s largest cake?

And finally, what does it take to stop kidnappers?

Why should a state governor sit still and watch his state go that way? Why can’t we have a state of emergency declared there and have soldiers comb the place until every kidnapper is removed?

We did it in Odi, we did it in Jos, we did it in Warri but of course we only do it where the presidency has political opponents, right?

Or maybe we wait until a serving governor, senator or even the president is kidnapped?

Nigeria or what is left of it seems to be falling apart while the people who should put it back together are making plans to be re-elected.

If only Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alvan Ikoku, Obafemi Awolowo, Dappa Biriye, Tafawa Balewa  and others who fought for our democracy could speak now, I wonder what their words will be now.

President Goodluck Jonathan, please forget about re-election now and stop this rot before you are the only one left in Nigeria to lead.