Abroad, people who have been forced into economic exile fall over themselves to accommodate these newly-minted leaders. The new leader opens his mouth, and you wonder how he got selected for any post at all. You also wonder whether you actually come from the same place.

What happened to southern Nigeria? Ranka Dede, that’s what.
 
Gone are the days – especially in the southwest – when crooked rich people were shunned and derided with their money. Not anymore. The sources of people’s sudden wealth are no longer questioned. People now routinely and feebly remark that God has allowed him to ‘make it.’   In order for us to chop, we have accepted contemptible miscreants as leaders.  Economic powerlessness and the non-diversification of our economy have considerably weakened people’s willpower and integrity.
 
One of the more pronounced by-products of the type of ‘one Nigeria’ we now have on our hands is the group think of ‘might is right.’ Put differently; the big man is always right, and they don’t have a shortage of unrelenting apologists either. The need for personal survival has given way to acquiescence which in turn has led to the general powerlessness pervading the land. Nearly all of us have bought into that ‘God gives power’ refrain. We seem to have signed off our rights, ambitions and expectations to our ‘leaders.’ Heck, even our churches now reserve their front seats for politicians, rich thieves and other dignitaries. Ranka Dede, sir!
 
But there is no getting away from the fact; our new leaders are minions thrown up by a very defective socio-political system. The very heart of this system, the central government is perverted. To retain control in its satellites (the states), it has to rely on even more perverted representatives and other malleables from the lower rung of the local community. These are typically a mishmash of money-miss-roads who do anything – any errand, anything at all – to get money, and other people who have been struggling economically most of their adult lives.
 
These gormless leaders of course, immediately begin to seek validation, relevance and acceptance. This is the Babangida model. They seek to surround themselves, or be seen with people of high intellect, sound reputation and substance.   Since 1999, from the federal level down to the local government level, newly ‘elected’ politicians rush abroad (mainly to the UK and the US) to be hosted by Nigerian communities in an attempt to be seen as ‘with it’ or accepted.
 
Abroad, people who have been forced into economic exile fall over themselves to accommodate these newly-minted leaders. The new leader opens his mouth, and you wonder how he got selected for any post at all.  You also wonder whether you actually come from the same place. But never mind. Position papers are hurriedly thrown together and developmental priority lists are drawn up from the Diaspora!

Source: Web