By Christie Doyin
Nigerians are just not it! Believe me when I say this. We don’t just seem to set our priorities right and often misplaced and displaced it. If not so, then how do you describe the unholy interest cum involvement of Nigerians in the victory of Biden over Trump in the just concluded American elections? It keeps me wondering.
To say the least, the focus is nothing but crass. The idea is crass, the people crass, election crass all crass, crass. No, I’m not angry only disappointed, that’s all!
I’m actually in total agreement with the opinion that we should be abreast of world’s events, especially on economic and political matters but should we leave our loads untended while minding another person’s load with so much energy and focus? Must we pretend all is well with us at home so much so that we can abandon our business and tend America’s election business? As in local parlance, Ordinary local government election we no fit handle.
Of what importance is America and her elections to Nigeria as a country when they could not come to our aid in crushing the various acts of terrorism and kidnapping we face each day? How much have Nigerians followed their internal elections or celebrate the outcomes to warrant backslapping and celebrations going on across the country just because a candidate won over the other in the United States of America?
I’m not bothered that some of our brothers and sisters won elections into various seats over there, in fact, I am elated to say the least that Nigerians in the diaspora are making waves and making us proud however, the question bordered on the celebration of Joe Biden’s victory and Donald Trump’s loss. Don’t really know the gain in it for us considering the fact that little help, if any has come to Nigeria from American government for quite a long while now.
As much as I agree with the fact that the world has become a global village and apt to be current about occurrences around the globe, yet, my take is that we set our priorities right and give them the appropriate attention. Considering the variants and the enormity of our challenges, America’s elections ought to have been of very little importance to us as a country, even as we have our own challenges, especially in the area of governance and human rights issues.
The question I feel obliged to ask is if Biden’s election win will put food on our tables, knowing that many of us are being owed several months of salary arrears by both government and private business owners? Will Biden pay our medical and children’s school fees, which Trump did not pay when on board?
Actually, I believe in Freedom of Speech, association, and others as provided for in the constitution but are issues, especially election matters in the USA our priority as it is with the different unpardonable but preventable tales of woes from the citizens? One may wonder why I’m so miffed with all these. The fact is I have read and seen various reactions of many a Nigerian to the USA election and what flashed through my mind is how docile most Nigerians are to voting and election results in Nigeria, which actually affect them in more ways than one as compared to the one they are rejoicing and fighting one another over.
Someone’s posited in an argument that the outcome of the America result is going to positively impact on us as a country and that they will help get us out of the woods but then, my question is from Obama to Trump, how much impact has America made on us and how much has Nigeria benefitted from the unholy alliance?
Even the America vice President elect, Kamala Harris, the first female Vice President of the world’s most vibrant democracy, didn’t pledged her allegiance to Nigerians but to America and Americans even when we know she’s of mixed blood, though not of Nigerian descent.
She said, “But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message:
“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.”
Also, when we look at the man Joe Biden, we see so much odds against him which Americans really didn’t care about when electing but which would have been strong issues to contend with here in Nigeria. A viral background check on him revealed that ‘Joe Biden was not a good student in college. His wife Nelia and daughter Naomi died in a car crash, while his two sons were badly injured in 1977’.
We also read that ‘In 2015, his son, Beau died of brain cancer. Joe himself suffered from bleeding in the brain and needed brain surgery twice. In 2016, after serving as Obama’s vice for eight years, he was passed over and the presidential ticket was given to Senator Hilary Clinton’.
We know that the 78 year-old Biden was not eloquent but made a lot of gaffes during public speeches among other odds. For those of us celebrating US elections, have we ever done same for Nigeria’s elections, were we ever ready to ignore the odds against any of our candidates in any election at any level in the country?
And most importantly, how much and are we ready to influence to ensure the Biden America government patronise and support Nigeria as the journey begins?
Methinks it’s about time we look inward and set our priorities right, face the overwhelming insecurity and poverty issues battling the nation and see how we can get out of the woods. Only then would our priorities be set right and in reasonable perspective.
*Doyin writes from Ilorin via e-Mail:[email protected]
