Sloganeering and Numerology: failed talismans of a failed nation

By OLUGU OLUGU ORJI

“No victor, no vanquished:” that was the slogan that greeted us as we crawled out of our bushy holes after the collapse of the first Biafran adventure in 1970. Read alongside the matching mantra of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Reconciliation, it was undoubtedly Gowon’s most brilliant contribution to post-conflict propaganda. And propaganda is a subject matter we were fairly conversant with in Biafra. Modesty and magnanimity may have compelled the initiative but in the end, it was like stretching a noble intention too far.

If there was a ‘vanquished’ as our shattered lives bore clear testimony to, there had to be a ‘victor.’ The verdict of whether the 3Rs achieved their aim is best left for those untainted by the survivor’s prejudice.

From then began a habit of resorting to slogans and numbers in a desperate bid to nudge this aggregation of disparate peoples towards a common destiny.

We like to introduce Nigeria as the giant of Africa, and why not? There’s no better way to describe a country of nearly 200 million smart alecks. And there are many more such tantalizing facts we equally love to brandish and revel in. One out of every 2 West Africans is Nigerian. One out of every 5 Africans is a Nigerian. One out of every 7 Black persons on earth is Nigerian. Have these facts translated into measurable benefits to the common Nigerian? The answer is a definitive ‘No!’ The very fact that the facts and figures being bandied about are still subject to dispute is a measure of Nigeria’s failure.

I still vividly recall when Nigeria turned 20 in 1980. Alhaji Shehu Shagari was at the helm and no expense was spared in announcing our induction into adulthood. The ship of state was supposed to be sailing smoothly to the soothing harbour – well – until a certain General Muhammadu Buhari thought and decreed otherwise.

1985 was another magical year when Nigeria turned 25. Self-styled military president and architect of the Structural Adjustment Programme, Ibrahim Babangida made most of the occasion as he consolidated his grip on power.

The climax of this trend was undoubtedly when Nigeria hit 50 in 2010 under the leadership of the mild-mannered Goodluck Jonathan of the Transformation Agenda fame. It was a golden jubilee and the well-funded celebrations ensured the rest of the world took notice. With the enticing slogan of Good People, Great Nation, it seemed the darkness was finally behind us.

But the murderous separatist Boko Haram with their black, ominous flags had other designs. By the time their diabolical campaign climaxed in 2014, we didn’t even realize when we abandoned another lucre-guzzling jamboree dedicated to the centenary of Nigeria’s dubious amalgamation.

Long before then, we had had Green Revolution, Ethical Reorientation, War Against Indiscipline, Vision 2010, Vision 20-2020 and the canonization of the concept of servant leadership. After all the slogans and numbers, we are none the better.

If not for our tragic trajectory of failure, the current frenzy around ‘change’ would have presented such a hopeful scenario. But after over three decades of participating in these ill-fated cycles of dashed expectations, my honest assessment is this: this, too, shall pass.

How I would love to be proved utterly wrong.

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