My Beauty Best Teacher

Okey Ndibe writes in Sahara reporters:

At the slightest provocation – in fact, often at no provocation at all – Nigerians invoke God’s name. In today’s column, I imagine a letter God has written to Nigerians titled “You’re on your own.” Here goes. Beloved Nigerians (yes, I call you beloved even though many of you are among the world’s most unrepentant sinners), I’m going to be blunt.

Okey Ndibe writes:

“Many people think that Nigeria’s central problem has to do with the treachery of the political class,” he said. “And there’s no question that the politicians lack in vision and character. Still, it’s the Nigerian elite that has been most disappointing. It’s them, the educated class, whose betrayal stands out the most. The average educated Nigerian has been a net contributor to the travails of the nation. Whenever I think of them, I’m reminded of Frantz Fanon’s dismissal of the contemptible bourgeoisie with which the neo-colonial state is burdened.”

The roll-call of incompetence continues, Okey Ndibe in 234Next on Nigeria's legislators:

A week ago, two reporters at this newspaper, Idris Akinbajo and Elor Nkereuwem, wrote an investigative report that unmasked Nigeria’s current crop of senators for the mediocrities they are. The report, simply captioned “The Senate’s scorecard,” revealed that the Senate had passed only 15 bills in more than two years. This paltry output represents what the reporters aptly described as “a miserable five percent” of the 284 Bills that came before the legislative body. I don’t care what your line of work is: any employee who completes a mere five percent of his or her assigned tasks is a failure. Such an employee would be an eminent candidate for rustication. Not, however, if you happen to be a Nigerian senator. In the perverted logic of the Senate, five percent performance is a mark of distinction!

In Sahara Reporters Okey Ndibe writes:

A nation that jails or amputates the limbs of petty thieves, but encourages its big thieves to run for the presidency – such a nation is bound to sail from one disaster to another. There are many Iboris in the space called Nigeria. It’s our individual and collective challenge to ensure that there’s neither rest nor hiding place for these plunderers – neither in Abuja nor in Dubai