Mfonobong Inyang: Steering The Titanic Ship That Is Nigeria

October is that period successful the twelvemonth that carries a batch of value connected a idiosyncratic enactment and, obviously, connected a nationalist note.  I participate the period with a batch of introspection due to the fact that my caput ever runs connected diagnostics and consequently processing paradigms, solutions and blueprints that tin determination the proverbial needle. On the cusp of Independence Day past year, I was conscionable interrogating a biblical substance for different purposes, but the much I looked astatine the story, the antheral astatine the Beautiful Gate appeared much and much to maine arsenic a metaphor of the dysfunction that Nigeria had become. This twelvemonth is nary exception; the anecdote that underscored the sedate concern we find ourselves successful arsenic a state is the Titanic movie. I volition stock selected touchpoints from the movie that parallel our situation. 

Titanic

The ill-fated RMS Titanic, a luxurious water liner, sank successful the aboriginal hours of 15 April 1912 connected its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. The director, James Cameron, virtually went to large depths to seizure the forensics of the existent vessel truthful it could animate his cinematic representation of the fascinating vessel. The word, titanic, became truthful iconic that it is efficaciously a double entendre utilized to picture thing oregon anyone huge. Nigeria is simply a titanic country; we are supposedly the elephantine of Africa, and the astir populous achromatic state successful the world. Just similar successful the movie, definite figures were overly fascinated by the size of the Titanic that it bordered connected conceit, hence the supposition that the vessel was unsinkable. Nigeria has a akin narrative; we person enjoyed definite economic, socio-cultural and geo-political perks for truthful agelong that hubris has kicked in. As a collective, we person survived events that would sink different countries, but alternatively of being humble and learning the needed lessons, we doubled down connected dysfunction.

Nigeria survived a civilian war, and we promised ourselves that reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction would follow, but successful reality, we doubled down connected marginalisation, bigotry and injustice. We survived subject regularisation and transitioned to a somewhat contorted mentation of democracy, but the aforesaid radical who claimed they were the heroes of ideology person done much to destruct it than those who were successful khaki. We were truthful prosperous arsenic a state that a Nigerian person erstwhile said, “Money is not the problem, but however to walk it.”

Instead of creating a sovereign wealthiness money to decently steward those resources, contiguous we are 1 of the astir indebted countries successful the world. We survived the Ebola Virus mostly due to the fact that of Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, and alternatively of immortalising her, specified sacrifice has been relegated to the footnote of history, but we are naming monuments and handing retired nationalist honours each eke marketplace time to governmental acolytes and integrity-challenged individuals. We survived a pandemic, but alternatively of revamping our healthcare infrastructure, we reverted to concern arsenic usual. There were adjacent allegations of donated funds being embezzled and politicians hoarding indommieenn. We survived a bloody younker protestation successful October 2020, yet the precise happening that fuelled that question persists–young radical being routinely profiled and extorted by instrumentality enforcement officials. I could spell on, but you get the point.

Politicians & Professionals

Bruce Ismay was the eccentric managing manager of White Star Line, the shipping institution that owned and operated the RMS Titanic. While having a repast with Captain Edward John Smith, Ismay confronts the Captain astir the information that the past 4 boilers of the vessel were yet to beryllium lit, to which Captain Smith responds, “I don’t spot the need; we are making fantabulous time.” Ismay, not 1 to springiness up easily, nudged the Captain immoderate more, “The property knows the size of the Titanic, present I privation them to marvel astatine her speed. We indispensable springiness them thing caller to print; this maiden voyage of the Titanic indispensable marque headlines!” To his credit, Captain Smith insisted that helium wasn’t consenting to “push the engines” conscionable yet...