Nigerians know Nigeria is very sick. The widely held view is that the sickness is not really physical but mental which comes with a surplus of causality, a surplus of meaning brewing from a psychologically contaminated ambience. The physiognomy of Nigeria, to an extent, shows signs of progressive mutation, decomposition and something stinking. There are many known doctors and one of them prescribed a sedative drug to her some hours ago.
The anticipated February 14 Nigerian election was postponed. The Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission’s chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, is one of such doctors amongst other doctors. He maintained that the country is not ready for a dose of another electoral-medical attention and pleaded with Nigerians to leave the sick baby for another six weeks. In his press conference, he claimed that “the lives of innocent [INEC] workers” could be in danger because there is no adequate security and further asserted that “free, fair, credible and peaceful election” could be in jeopardy. That’s a fair enough assessment by the professor of medicine. It is fair. Why is it fair?
For over five years, the deadly group, Boko Haram has been, freely and unabashedly so, mutilating the face of the country and no credible solution has been provided. This, of course, should and must lead to the postponement of elections because lives matter in Nigeria. Really, lives matter! (Forget about the missing Chibok girls and countless number of individuals who have lost their lives in the wake of the Boko virus). In six weeks, the cure of this maddening sickness would be found; the doctors are in the lab!
There is something the doctor of elections is not saying. Would the magic pill or injection be invented during this electoral hiatus? Well, in Nigeria, where almost everyone tends to be religious, such miracles can be expected. After all, television channels display, to Nigerians’ spiritual delight, how the crippled have regained their walking ability, how the blind can see and where a dumb man begins to speak immediately. One of INEC’s values is to “carry out all its function independently, free from external control and influence.” It seems, that is, as one can observe, far from the truth. There are, indeed, external controls and influence but what are they?
The assumptions, so far, have been that the ruling party, PDP, is looking for that extra moment (what most football pundits call “The Ferguson Time”) to employ a tactical move to win the election. That assessment is not far from the truth considering the wide clamour for change from over fifty-percent of Nigerians who believe APC can cure Nigeria.
What Nigerians are witnessing is similar to a really sick patient who needs intensive care. The sickness can lead to death and the epitaph would run on the lines of those familiar words “she died after a long illness.”
On both arms of the country there are two visible ailments—one is the familiar Boko Haram and the new muscular Niger delta forces led by Dokubo. If, by chance PDP were re-elected, the sickness from Boko Haram would spread to affect the whole body and if, APC wins, the Niger Delta forces would morph into that dangerous boil in the armpit of the country. The ailment is a dangerous one. Even the so-called change, which many clamour for, would lead to no “speedy recovery”.
There is the urgent need for psychologist to analyze the sick patient, first of all, and if possible, proffer a good solution. There are so many doctors gaining from the sick patient. They are those types of doctors who spare their patients the news that they are dying because they get richer as the medical bills pile up.
However, there are doctors who have seen the multiple hands, who know that something must be done but they cannot or don’t want to act. They watch from their safe professional corners and keep reading their medical books. They are well vested in the knowledge on how to treat the sick child but prefer to stay away. “If she dies, she die,” these doctors would say.
March 28,2015 is the new date of choice for the electoral-medical attention. Nigerians hope and pray that the sleeping patient can stand up. The six weeks! The six weeks! is crucial, let’s face it. What are these unknown doctors doing? Who is following them up? Who really would proffer a psychological solution to this sick patient? For how long must this patient be patient?
Irene can be reached via [email protected]
Twitter: @moshoke