No ANGELS or Saints in POLITICS, Just Angles. Nigeria has failed in many ANGLES! That is a known and proven fact.

Nigeria leadership is full of deceptive practices laced with doses of excuses hinged on inextricable tradition of 'this-is-how-it-is-so-shall-be-world-without-end.' Such an attitude is also found among Nigerians living abroad as well. That is the reason why in 95 years of Nigerians living in US and being among top well educated ethnic groups, they have no quantifiable presence.

Quantifiable presence is measured by Census Tract and Zip Code presence, financial and political capitals and professional dominance, among other factors. One is hard pressed to accord Nigerians in US/UK presence along those measures.  So who will bell the cat when the Nigerian abroad is basically similar to the one at home, except a handful who may have transformed?
 
Since 1999, there has been no significant measures to enhance the living standards in Nigeria. If Nigerians continue with 'it has always been this way' attitude, the country  will never see anything positive. Before Reagan became president, US was caught in the choking web of tradition of 'this is how we have been doing it.' Reagan challenged that tradition and helped unleash the sort of feelings that launched US into the 21st century. He said, 'this the end of nothing and the beginning of everything' and that 'America is a shining city on a hill.' He got Americans fired up. 

It takes inspiring a people by a leadership showing its hand in steering the ship of state in guided and gauged direction, in order for the human spirit; its greatest asset, to get prompted and rise to the occasion. Since 1970, no Nigerian Head of State or President, has inspired Nigerians. 
 
President Goodluck Jonathan should not be an 'excuse' president. He does not have the gift of gab and his handlers play to the gallery impressing themselves issuing and counter-issuing worthless views/comments. 

When the family base, the core of any successful nation is rocked as the case with Nigeria, what one sees at the center is a manifestation of  broken family structure. John Adam said in June 1778, 'the foundation of national morality must be laid in private families.'
 
Match and compare that to Shagari's desire to absolve himself when confronted with bad leadership that led to the 1983 coup. Shagari said that he was not aware of corruption and therefore, all was well. He was reminded that, 'the head cannot claim to be good when the body is rotten.' 
 
Nigeria's body is rotten given the level of willingness to deceive, defraud, devalue and dehumanize all factors that help make a people ready for effective leadership. It is at the village level, local government level, tribal and regional level, state level, therefore, the top heavy leadership of Nigeria brand of 'bland' democracy magnifies the deficiencies.
 
When Nigeria addresses the fragile and failed family values, elects a president who will inspire Nigerians and make them to see problems as opportunities, then the human spirit will rise, in a 'Can Do Spirit' - fire in the belly: Passion, Hard-work and Dedication - PHD of nation building.
 
With the present tradition of moribund traditions of seeing only problems, the human spirit in Nigeria is subdued and that is the reason why Nigerians like to eat, drink, entertain and tell jokes, as a way to avoid the hard issues. Take a look each time there is a group of Nigeria governors, ministers or gathering of Nigerians home and abroad, they are always laughing, holding hands, joking, as if all is well.
 
Anyone versed with  the psychology of body language will attest to the fact that when people are depressed, they default into eating, drinking, merry-making, shopping, as escape from their hardship. Hard-working people hardly partake in such traits because when one is productively engaged and on a mission [good ones], they only eat to live while the opposite of live to eat. Despite the challenges of infrastructure and public utilities, Guinness enjoys the status of the highest listed stock on Nigeria Stock Exchange. That is the cause and effect.
 
Since home and abroad Nigerians behave alike: eating, drinking and merry-making, the question of who will bell the cat, is one that Nigeria is faced with. A monkey that went abroad does not come home a sheep, no matter the cloning. Does it?
 
By Ejike Okpa II
[email protected]
Dallas, Texas