By Dr Adamu Tilde
I am very angry writing this post. So forgive me in advance if it offends your sentiments.
On the occasion of the 60th birthday of Sunusi Lamido Sunusi, in order to make better use of the moment and to seize the opportunity technology provides, some forward-looking guys decided to organize a colloquium. Part of the activities of the colloquium was lecture series on value-changing skills and recent developments in important domains that are shaping the world at the moment. The presentations range from gender issues, 21st-century skills, mentoring, to entrepreneurship and innovation.
Ordinarily, you would expect to see people trooping to access this life-changing opportunity given the profile of the presenters, and most especially, the lectures targeted audience from a population that has suffered all manner of human degradations: Poverty, Ignorance, Maternal mortality, Violence, Diseases, and every conceivable and imaginable human misery. Forget the fact that a former CEO of one of the largest banks in Africa, a former Governor Central Bank of Nigeria, a thinker, a philosopher, a scholar, and of course a global economist was scheduled to discuss his life trajectory and intellectual pursuits across many domains of knowledge. I could not think of a better incentive or motivation.
To my greatest disappointment, the events recorded barely 200 participants. Nothing can be more demoralizing. I mean you have access to people like Nasir Jajere, Shakir Balogun of this world free of charge but decided not to make better use of their gifts, talents, and geniuses. You desperately want to win scholarships, and you have Marzuq Ungogo to coach and mentor you, yet you were not there. Are you okay?
A population that can spend weeks discussing shenanigans and generating tonnes of useless content on Rahma Sadau’s dressing, Dabbing, Shahida Sunusi’s outfit, Film village, and other forms of irrelevant, mind-numbing conversations but could not spare three hours to listen to one of the greatest thinkers to have ever come from the region. What is wrong with us?
As a graduate, you are busy complaining of lack of jobs when somebody is offering, free of charge, tips that can help improve your chances of securing a job but decided not to participate; what sort of tissue is in your brain? I am ready to pay 100k to listen to Nasir Jajere for an hour. I can spend more to listen to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. I am very sure many of my friends, who are gainfully employed, will also do so. But my people were rather entertained by the idiocy of dubious demagogues, garbed in false religious claims. Nothing can be more absurd.
As we were discussing on phone with another friend what actionable plans we should have based on Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s presentation, an acquaintance stopped me. He asked about the presentation. I told him it was okay. I was literally breathless when I learned he didn’t attend the event. I looked at him and smiled. I told him one of the presenter’s monthly income is equivalent to his combined four years salary. If that presenter could squeeze time, prepare and deliver his presentation, what is his excuse? He was dumbfounded. I excused myself. But before I left, I posed a rhetorical question of whether he thinks what he is earning is the best he could have, given his brilliance and certificates.
We deserve the sorry situation we found ourselves in. We are the architects of our misery because of our irrational choices, lack of priorities, and love for distractions. Unless we are deliberate in designing the future we want, setting the right priorities, and numbing distractions, we will continue to be the laughing stock of Nigeria; and poverty, diseases, violence, ignorance will continue to be our forte. For Muazu Hadeijia had assuredly warned us long ago that:
Da tsiya, da talauci
Duk suna inda Jahilci yayi sansani.
