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As a child, I was very
fascinated with the Olympic games. Glued before the television, I would gaze on;
drinking in every detail.
I still cannot
pinpoint what mesmerized me particularly: whether it was the conglomeration of
various people from different ends of the earth in one place, or the colourful Olympic
rings (reminiscent of lollipops), or the drama of the games itself.
Of all the games
featured in every Olympics, I enjoyed track games the most. I loved it so much
that I nursed the dream of becoming a national athlete…
Until I fainted
during my first (and last) marathon in secondary school. Expectedly, that dream
died.
But it did not kill
my fascination with the games, or with competitive running. What thrilled me
the most was the relay races; watching baton after baton being handed over,
while the runners were in motion.
Sometimes, the
baton fell, thus cancelling the relay for the team involved. Sometimes, the
passing of the baton was so protracted that it cost the team involved precious
seconds, pushing them from a potential first place to an actual fourth place.
In all of the
relays however, once a baton is handed over, the recipient runs right to the
end of that leg with it; stopping only at the end of that leg to hand over to
the baton to the next team member.
While I can no
longer boast of unwavering dedication to watching Olympic relay sprints, I have
come to understand that in real life, the concept of national governance is quite
similar to an unending relay race.
Every government
has a given time to run its race, at the end of which the baton is handed over
to another government, which - even if of varying parties - is expected to
continue with the race of running the country.
All pun intended.
Nigeria is no
different. Thus, at the inception of this present government, expectations were
beyond sky-high. Some, realistic, others utopian.
The Nigerian populace
at the government’s inauguration could be likened to the enthusiastic crowd in
the Olympics Stadium, watching a relay-event. Charged with excitement and chanting
“Go! Go!! Go!!!”
Slowly... the
expectation metre dwindled, even as the government indicated that it was in no
hurry to disclose its Ministerial super-stars... the bulk of whom when their
names were disclosed, "we don see
finish".
Same ’ole, Same ’ole.
Despite this delay
in a head-start, hopes were still raised that the race will continue to be run,
and that the results at the end of the four years will justify the late start.
Sadly, this race
has not been a seamless one, what with catering to the President’s frail
disposition and obscure speculations surrounding his long absences from his
elected seat of power, coupled with the wave of general disunity in the nation,
borne of mutual distrust and fostered by malignant politicking.
We have watched
this government's race kick-start and stop, and kick-start and stop, and kick-start;
even as the baton is given to the legal 'sub', and retrieved, and handed right
back, and retrieved.
It is not that any
ordinary human cannot cave in to the sheer weariness of life. The peculiar thing
about this race of national governance however is that (in this case), the
future of over 180 million people are tied to the actions of the
sprinter-in-chief i.e. the President.
There is nothing
ordinary about being THE President. The expectation is that whoever occupies
that position should run the race from start to finish with all gusto, and be
able to shoulder the burdens of the position, with the least interruption
possible
For this
administration, the time is far spent. Soon, it will be time to account for their
leg of the relay race, and (perhaps) hand over the baton to another
administration.
It is imperative
that this administration be remembered as meeting the expectations it sowed
during the years of campaign, rather than be etched in our memory as the
administration more pre-occupied with managing (the secrecy surrounding) the
President’s health for the duration of its tenure.
Even as we sigh in
relief that the President is in good enough shape to (once again) retrieve the
baton and climb back into the seat of power; even as we pray for his sustained
good health, we cannot afford anymore start and stops.
Let this baton
retrieval be for good, and let him run his race for good. If there is any more
need to pass the baton, let him move over, and allow his constitutional ‘sub’ run the race to
the finish line.
Lest we forget, it is the President that is elected for the people; not the people
for the President.
Meg.
Photocredits: www.sbnation.com
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