"Drive through"

I had a terrible experience today on my way from work. Well, I was driving down the popularly known Abuja airport road with a colleague from work when suddenly we heard the deafening sounds of a siren. I looked through my mirrors and I saw a group of cars coming behind me at an alarming speed, consisting of some Toyota Land cruiser jeeps, and some motor cycles. I tell you it was a spectacle. The motor cycles where criss crossing the airport road and would have made the cast of the Fast and the Furious totally green with envy.

At this crazy sight, I simply maneuvered my way to the extreme right lane, trying my possible best to avoid this mayhem. However, that was not sufficient effort as one of the motorcycles zoomed past me with the driver waving at me to get off the road. To where? I wondered as I was already at the extreme end of the lane and there were some taxi cabs parked on the dirt road directly beside me. Next thing I knew one of the jeeps came so close to my tiny corolla and practically nudged me off the road and I found myself dangerously sandwiched between the Jeep and the taxi cabs on the side of the road. How I got out of there, I still don’t know but I give all the praise to God who keeps His own.

After they passed, we saw their number plates, “Taraba State government”. Wow, was I disappointed? You know the worse part; his aides and his drivers did not give two pennies about the rest of us commuters on the road, all they wanted was to get their “oga” to his destination by the fastest possible means. You know the very sad thing about our Country Nigeria is that the followers are sometimes a lot worse than the “followee” (if I may use such terminology). The rate of sycophancy in the nation is both disturbing and ridiculous.  

 I still wonder at what would have happened if by the slightest chance the jeep had brushed against me and succeeded in throwing me off the road. What would the governor have done? Would he have bothered to stop? 

You see, there’s a chance that the governor was not even in the car and that is exactly my point. The rate of indiscipline amongst the rulers and the ruled is alarming. And yet we wonder at the state of the nation. Until we begin to have leaders who lead by example the future of this country remains bleak. The youths have few good examples to imitate. Is it a wonder then that many youths lack direction and purpose? Where are our mentors? Where are the Awolowos, the Azikiwes, the Shagaris of our generation?

I don’t think we voted in leaders to oppress us, rather we voted in leaders to serve us. We seriously need our leaders to begin to put themselves in our shoes and to lead by example. We young people are in dire need of stately fathers, mentors who will give direction and command our respect not by force but by their very principles and what they stand for. I want to feel safe in my country. I want to be able to wave at my leaders when they drive past me. I want to see you as a Father. 

Is that too much to ask?