Are We There Yet?

     So, we are not there yet. Yes, we. Nigeria is still a third world country. We, the masses are still deprived of basic necessities for humans in the 21st century. Considering the fact I had to write this article in total darkness on a battery drained phone, we are certainly deprived of a few luxuries. But the central factor that makes a country third world is actually its stand to human rights.
     Human rights is being violated on all axis in Nigeria. Granted... the Twitter heads can have a right to free speech but the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu over "incite fueled rants" violates the free speech in human rights which should be exercised unless it posed a threat to oneself or the environment. But most are too preoccupied with losing the Igbos we did not notice this blatant violation.
 You can read my take on Nnamdi Kanu and the biafran dream here.
    But before we go that far, take the average military man to civilian relationship in Nigeria, this relationship is the apex of rights violation where actions and repercussions are exercised in a one way traffic on terms determined by the man in the uniform.
   This belief that the soldier cannot be in the wrong even if wrong pushes the average civilian back to the comfortable chair of a second class citizen. But then, the politicians rank over the military which pushes the civilian even farther. So, I reiterate, the main reason Nigeria is still a third world country is because of its excessive human right violation. And this mental abuse we have suffered has contaminated our outlook on the standard of living(and Physical abuse? Another article for another day). We are used to slow acting governments, fuel scarcities and we are used to the stereotype that politicians in office live celebrity lives. And we want that life for ourselves too!  Ergo, we certainly are not there yet!
    One of the foremost third world behavior exhibited in this country is the way Governors make a show of every little thing they do. Making it seem like they repair bad roads out of the kindness of their hearts.
No! It is their job to actually repair these roads, plan and supervise progress in the state because that is what we elected them to do. Provision of basic amenities should be the simplest things required of them. Ideas and intuition should be celebrated instead.(I mean, why do you need fanfare to actually DO your job? If everybody does that, then life will be a never-ending party.....wait...is that a bad thing?)
     In every election, we hear the same old promises from a Governor(Pot bellied if recontesting and Haggard looking if new) telling us he will do his job while no new ideology is being brought forward(the same old triumvirate of good roads, free stuff and salary payment). And we fall for this trick because no Nigerian Politician ever does the job. This is quite sad because we are not used to good leaders. We are not even used to mediocre leaders.
      A good leader is a smart leader, who does what he is supposed to do and more. While a mediocre leader does what he's supposed to do and nothing else. And we won't be "there" till a mediocre leader is seen as mediocre, sequestered, castigated and voted out. And that will only happen if we know our rights as citizens and come to terms with the fact that we deserve better than bad leaders who do nothing. And also when we come to the realization that we deserve more than mediocre leaders who make shows out of the little they do.