In this present day Nigeria, it is not uncommon to hear older people –i.e., our parents and grandparents, regale about the good old days. Days when Nigeria was a lot better, when its rivers flowed with milk and honey.

Now I ask, what happened to those good old days and the once so great Nigeria which has now become a shadow of its past? If not for some over-bearing relics and historical evidence, one would be inclined to conclude that the tales by these senior citizens were mere fables.

For instance, there were tales that graduates were scouted at convocation halls and given instant employment letters, that people preferred to work for their State Governments as opposed to the Federal Government because the pay packages were fatter, that electricity supply was constant, that the railway system was reliably and affordable, that scholarship schemes were abundant to go round –several lofty narratives that can caress your most pleasant imaginations.

True as these tales may be, it is sad that our fore-bearers, having enjoyed those benefits, squandered our common wealth/destinies and are unable to transmit same to us. They benefitted from free education –now we are paying exorbitantly for it, they paid token amounts for transportation –now we are not only paying colossal amounts, we are also risking our lives by plying dangerous roads, they enjoyed high levels of security –now security is a luxury, they had stable electricity –now there are more generators than the fuel itself. I could go on and on about the sorry state of the Nigerian nation, but to cut the long distasteful story short; the Nigerian situation is moving from bad to worse, take it or leave it! Little wonder, several elder statesmen have cautioned that the country may disintegrate.

In this present day Nigeria, it is not uncommon to hear older people –i.e., our parents and grandparents, regale about the good old days. Days when Nigeria was a lot better, when its rivers flowed with milk and honey.

Now I ask, what happened to those good old days and the once so great Nigeria which has now become a shadow of its past? If not for some over-bearing relics and historical evidence, one would be inclined to conclude that the tales by these senior citizens were mere fables.

For instance, there were tales that graduates were scouted at convocation halls and given instant employment letters, that people preferred to work for their State Governments as opposed to the Federal Government because the pay packages were fatter, that electricity supply was constant, that the railway system was reliably and affordable, that scholarship schemes were abundant to go round –several lofty narratives that can caress your most pleasant imaginations.

True as these tales may be, it is sad that our fore-bearers, having enjoyed those benefits, squandered our common wealth/destinies and are unable to transmit same to us. They benefitted from free education –now we are paying exorbitantly for it, they paid token amounts for transportation –now we are not only paying colossal amounts, we are also risking our lives by plying dangerous roads, they enjoyed high levels of security –now security is a luxury, they had stable electricity –now there are more generators than the fuel itself. I could go on and on about the sorry state of the Nigerian nation, but to cut the long distasteful story short; the Nigerian situation is moving from bad to worse, take it or leave it! Little wonder, several elder statesmen have cautioned that the country may disintegrate.

There is the argument that current day Nigeria has witness significant population explosion or that western nations are deliberately under-developing us through their monetary and political policies. However, to that I’d say –didn’t our fore-bearers see that coming? If they didn’t, then I will unapologetically say that THEY LACKED VISION. A mango tree can never, through any means of natural selection, bear pawpaw fruits. The corruption and all its negative cousins were in our leaders, and I’m afraid it’s creeping into our DNAs too.

Our leaders ought be held accountable for the disgraceful state of the Nigerian nation. Unfortunately, the Nigerian populace seems not bothered and have since recycled them back into power gain. For instance, Bamanga Tukur was governor of the defunct Gongola State in 1983 and is now the national chairman of PDP; Major Gen. David Mark (rtd) was Governor of Niger State in 1984 and is now Senate President; Admiral Murtala Nyako was governor of Niger State and is now the Governor of Adamawa State; Jonah David Jang was governor of Benue State in 1985 and is now the governor of Plateau State; former Presidents Ibrahim Babangida and Mohammadu Buhari still crave for another shot at the presidency. How long must we continue to endure the pain of our common wealth being squandered by these select few?

I must point out that most of the people, who talk so passionately about the good old days passively, or actively, midwifed the birth of the ugly and pitiful Nigeria that we are in now. Where were they when things began to fall apart? What did they do to forestall the imminent ignominy that was to befall us their children? Why couldn’t they rise against all those vices with the same measure of aggression?

The next time an oldie will sit you down to tell you glorious stories of the good old days, look at him in the face and ask him where he was when things were falling apart, and what attempt he has made to rescue the situation. If he doesn’t answer you satisfactorily, then boldly tell him – as I would – that you have heard enough of the good-old-days stories.

By Bizum Yadok (Bizum is political analyst and current affairs commentator who writes for ViewPointNigeria from Jos, Plateau State).

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Enough of the stories about the good old days – by Bizum Yadok