Ondo Firstlady Talks Tough On Leaders, Says Those Who Messed up Nigeria Must Clean it Up

The wife of Ondo state governor, Chief Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has said those who messed up Nigeria must be ready to clean up the system.

The wife of the governor was reacting to a write up on facebook by one J Olee Akeju titled “If only.”

The write up spoke extensively on the decay in the Nigerian systems.

“I was born in the Lagos Island maternity hospital on a Tuesday, in fact my mother had all five of us at that hospital. Most people had their babies at home (i.e. in Nigeria).

My parents did their best from their proverbial humble beginnings with nothing but hope in Nigeria. My mother used to tell me stories about her time at the School of Nursing, University College hospital Ibadan in the mid-70s. Free provisions, laundry service and a few other good things. She told me about how some of her mates would travel to London on Friday and be back in class on Monday morning. There was no need for visas and their sponsors were liberal escorts. Nigeria was good as póùn méjì seemed sufficient to buy everything at a time.

My parents got going and I want to believe Nigeria made it possible. They wanted to travel abroad at a point in the late 70s but their plans never materialized and I don’t think it was because Nigeria had failed them.

Nigeria became harder and in the 80s, “up NEPA” was a common chant. Military rule didn’t help and I remember the commotion when Gideon Orkar almost got Babaginda. We ended up writing all sorts of secondary school entrance examinations. It was almost normal in the late 80s and early 90s to add entrance exams for military schools to the mix; our parents couldn’t afford to put all their ova in one basket.

June 12 happened and the nation almost imploded. IBB did a leg over and Abacha executed a two footed tackle from behind on Shonekan. I remember a few times that my father practically slept on fuel queues and how we cooked in the open with saw dust. It was normal to hear sudden cries of “olè olè” in the neighbourhood and witness the complete dehumanization of captured thieves. I remember one who was given a bottle of coke with cement poured in to drink. We still managed to have parties though, overnight parties was common those days.

The 90s were not great but we soldiered on. I attended secondary school with the children of politicians, business giants and higher ranked military officers. The University system had become characterized by strike actions and violence. The public school system was nothing to write home about and a greater percentage of students never made it beyond those buildings that lacked teachers. Most of those who are area boys and gangsters today were produced by what had become Nigeria.

Transportation also became a mess. The first time I used a commercial motorcycle was in 1991 in Agbara; by 1998, bikes had begun to infiltrate most parts of Lagos. Running after or jumping down from moving coaster buses or Molues was a necessary skill to have. I was definitely a pro as a teenager. There was a time when my mum could pack all of us unaccompanied into a yellow cab and give the driver two Naira to take us to school while she rushed to work. It didn’t take long before we started hearing about “gbómogbómo” cases.

Most people did not expect Abacha to pass away when he did in 1998. Democracy was placed on the table again and we dreamt again of a great nation. Abdusalam who still needs to explain exactly what happened to Abiola rolled his thumbs and became a global sensation overnight. He cleaned his mouth and left faster than he appeared. Obasanjo stepped in through the PDP machinery while those who claimed to be Awoist stayed as opposition.

There was true federalism in 1999 as governors did as they liked and moved for whatever they wanted. Senators began with a 3 million furniture allowance before progressing to other types of allowances. A culture of violence began in many states and Obasanjo promised constant power supply by 2003.

1999-2015 didn’t really see Nigeria retracing her steps. We simply had too many things all over the place and far too many people doing as they pleased. Nigerians trampled on each other and greed became motivation for many. 2015-Now hasn’t been markedly different but there are signs that we are gradually getting back on course even if many insist we are worse.