Paralysis

Funmi Oluwasanmi,
Alagbado, Lagos.

What can one expect from a president who was not mentally and psychologically prepared for the highest office in the land. And to worsen matters, we now know he is also not physically fit. With the current rot in virtually every facet of our national life, I won’t be surprised if, by the end of Yar’Adua’s tenure, Nigeria degenerates into the least developed country in the world.

Matthew Elusogbon,
Benin.

Herbert Macaulay and Mahatma Gandhi, apart from fighting for the independence of their individual countries groomed leaders who would carry on from where they stopped. But Olusegun Obasanjo brought Yar’Adua for selfish reasons. That is why the country is experiencing total paralysis in all sectors of the economy. Only God can save us from this paralysis.

Tobias Okumagba,
Port Harcourt.

Is it not a shame that a British envoy who came to Nigeria to discuss the Niger Delta crisis concluded that government is non-existent in Nigeria? Are the British wrong in their conclusion? Please, take a look at the infrastructure and public utilities all over the country and ask yourself that pertinent question.

Adewale Aderoju,
Canada.

After reading TheNEWS’ story on the near collapse of the entire system, I cannot but agree that, indeed, Nigeria is a failed state. As Kunle Ajibade, one of the few patriots who is alarmed at the disintegration of both infrastructure and moral values, exclaimed in his book: What A Country!

Alex Osi,
Enugu.

With the level of decay and paralysis in every sector of our national life, it would be inadequate to declare a state of emergency in the energy sector alone. The declaration of emergency must be total and all embracing.

Richard Adelaja,
Benin.

Nigeria is at a crossroads and we need a deep thinker and charismatic leader to rescue us from this morass. The problem is definitely beyond Yar’Adua and his crop of political adventurers.

Ernest Akpotu,
Ibadan.

I believe that the security situation in Nigeria is not different from what we have in other civilised climes. The issue of kidnapping, armed robbery and car snatching must not be blown out of proportion. It happens everywhere.

Sylvester Ekong,
Calabar.

While I shudder to think that President Umar Yar’Adua is confused, from the look of things, that is just what he is. To state the obvious, he was not prepared for the job.

James Akor,
Oturkpo.

I don’t understand the kind of stories being published by TheNEWS. First it was the judges of the Osun Election Petitions Tribunal who were hobnobbing with one of the lawyers in a case before them. Now, it is a nation in paralysis. You guys should be careful with the kind of stories you publish. For a change, can we have stories that are inspiring and pleasing to the mind?

Femi Adebayo,
Ibadan.

If our so-called leaders are pathogical looters, why are we constantly subjected to having this specie of humans as rulers? They say a society gets the kind of leadership it deserves. But I ask: how much say do the people have in who rules them? That is the exclusive preserve of a clique of politicians with questionable character called ‘godfathers’. Until the flawed system that produces the leadership in Nigeria presently is drastically corrected, the situation as we have it now is here to stay.

Sola Fagbemi,
Lagos.

From the tone of the story on the paralysis of Nigeria, the country is drifting out of control. The Nigerian masses are currently bearing the brunt, but those in positions of authority need to know that if they don’t do something about the state of the nation fast, they risk losing their privileged status.

Frank Agum,
Asaba.

Your magazine aptly captured the very grim reality of living for over 90 per cent of Nigerians, as against the illusion of comfort and grandeur falsely projected by most Nollywood films and the hip hop musicians. The sad truth is that our greatest tragedy as a nation is not the lack of natural resources or will to succeed by the followership, it is the catastrophic failure of leadership.

Bola Sodimu,
Akure.

I dare say that up till now, no Nigerian leader has proven to be a hero, let alone be termed a legend. Until we have one, like the US, Ghana, Libya, South Africa and several Middle East countries have had, we could as well continue to mark time. Let’s continue to hope and pray fervently.

Sulaimon Ahmed,
Kaduna.

President Yar’Adua should know that the patience of most Nigerians would soon get exhausted. If he does not sit up and find solutions to the problems of this nation, he should not be surprised that Nigerians will find a way of doing away with him.

Pius Asu,
Enugu.

Could it be Yar’Adua’s ill-heath that is making him to be insensitive to the plight of Nigerians? I would rather suggest that he leave the seat of government and find a solution to his own health problems first. We cannot continue to suffer in silence.

Michael Okaro,
Kano.

Eedris Abdulkarim once said in his music: “Nigeria jagajaga, everything scatter scatter.” But former President Obasanjo berated the musician for painting Nigeria bad. But if I may ask: was it Eedris that created the current ugly situation in Nigeria? The answer of course is no. He was merely reporting the situation in his fatherland. Someone should agree with me that Yar’Adua has further messed up the country.

Mohammed Sani,
Kano.

There is, indeed, a systemic collapse in the country. It beats my imagination how Nigerians have been able to survive despite the infrastructural collapse that has afflicted this potentially great country. As the late Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti once described the situation, Nigerians are indeed “suffering and smiling”.

Femi Osun,
Osogbo.

Nigerians must be able to tell the PDP government that things are not working in the country. All the sectors are beset with problems. We are in a dire need of someone to fix Nigeria again.

John Chukwu,
Port Harcourt.

It beats my imagination why there should be so much infrastructural collapse in Nigeria when we have people at the top who call themselves leaders. This sheer fact shows that we don’t have leaders. What we have is just a bunch of incompetent people and thieves who parade themselves as leaders.

Efe Omonode,
Benin-City.

Those who call themselves leaders in Nigeria, including President Umar Yar’Adua, should bow their heads in shame, given the fact that there is so much suffering in this country despite its huge natural and human resources.

Mohammed Sani,
Kano.

The truth is, Nigerians are too docile. That is why we have endured this misery since independence without at least resisting it. It is high time Nigerians started to take their destiny in their hands and defiantly say ‘no’ to these looters in power who pretend to be leaders.

Emeka Obi,
Onitsha.