Quo Vadis?

I have often heard that what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

My simple understanding and interpretation of this is that in learning from one's mistakes and past experiences, one can follow a better path to success in life.

At the risk of sounding like a broken gramophone record that repeats/ replays the same ugly sounds from its damaged portion, I'll say it again; Key point to note here is: learning from one's past errors, mistakes and experiences so as not to repeat same and end up in the same quagmire or cul de sac.

But I have seen this evil under the sun!

A nation that refuses to learn from past mistakes, a nation that consistently courts the very devils that have been responsible for her stunted growth and retrogression.

Why am I surprised anyways? When we are still governerned by the same recycled fellows that have always been in the corridors of power. Having nothing new to offer but the same old warped values and distorted visions if any.

Forty nine years after and still counting, we are yet to rise from the ashes of corruption.

Our non existent road networks are still riddled with craters and potholes, never for once ceasing to be the death traps that they have always been. We still dream of steady power supply and other basic infrastructure. Our children learn under the most appaling conditions, when their teachers are not on strike for one reason or the other.

And presently the most annoying of all, we still have long fuel qeues everywhere! And we are an oil producing nation.

Nigeria we hail thee!

I grew up as a child learning up to the point of dexterity, the art of siphoning fuel. Many years after, the fuel scarcities that necessitated this skill are still here, biting just as hard, if not harder.

So when are we going to change?

When are we going to learn from past mistakes?

When are we going to do things differently?

When are our leaders going to brace up to the challenges of true leadership and resume the arduous task of nation building?

When are they going to learn that it is impossible to teach an old dog new tricks?

When will they tell us exactly in what direction we are headed?

When?

Nigeria: Quo Vadis?

Olusola Olaoluwakitan.