By Frank Meke.
There’s no doubt that Nigerian politicians are well known prodigious propagandists, an assignment they pursue with robust interest and fiendishness.
Their very “born to win” interest lay in fooling people, same people whom they promised to turn around their fortunes and you wonder at the desperation, the speed and the sweet cum bitter affirmations and intents.
Unfortunately, English language is so expressive and confounding to the average rural village person (s) which again becomes the vehicle to further set up the rural dwellers against themselves.
In the old Roman empire, ideas from men as gods or philosophical dispositions were vigorously examined and questioned. Such new thoughts and thinkings must meet the values of knowledge and if after weeks and months of unhindered debates in the village square, found fit to guide societal change and growth, such ideas will adopted by the people for the good of the people.
During PDP era and even until now, the political class determined to deceive the Nigerian electorates, would conceive projects, many which they know wont be of any need to lifting the people out of poverty and deodorize them as being capable of producing three million jobs and good enough to empower several merage “uncountable lots,” prodded as capable to bursting poverty among Nigerians.
From the presidency, to ministers and dreaming Director Generals and agency heads, to front elevated figures, generated from deceptive brains and thrown at Nigerians, became the white washing rubrics which takes away their hopes and expectations to the fullest dramatic painful and tragic end.
To those who would be quick to join in defense of the science of figures by our leaders, Nigeria still remains the poverty capital of the world, and today, practically demonstrates to the rural persons and even city dwellers that our incubated and microwaved projects on national deliverables by elected and selected leaders are simply fraud, from the pit of hell.
The exceptions which are few hardly makes the rounds and sounds of orchestrated mouthwatering and whitewashing advertising. Those types of projects simply go through methodical processes, impact assessment and carefully delivered to the people. No noise, where it is allowed, the people are carefully taken through the process so that can own and protect it.
From rural electrification, public schools, roads, operation feed the nation, rice pyramids and padding, management of oil reserves and refineries, air transportation ecosystem and even cultural tourism opportunities, half truths and most times outright despicable lies bestride our geographical landscape.
It is close to about ten months since this present administration came to power and boldly took the subsidy on fuel away, leading to unmitigated hunger in the land, with prices of goods and services hitting the roof. Sadly, we have not been able to see through the dream land expression of figures bandied about by the political class in the past, even during the immediate past government to support the efficacy of their” scientific projections”. if those mouthwatering projections were true and realistic, it would have helped impact on the livelihood and welfare of the people.. No doubt, we know the truth! Their projects just wear mere splash of painting, even cheap ones at that.
Now that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is determined to cut down on the cost of governance and merge ministries and agencies, possibly and rightly scrapping others, the political elements and their collaborators have again found their voice and dishing out all kinds of falsehoods to beguile the nation and her people.
Minister of Culture, and creative economy , Hannatu Musawa while in Doha, Qatar, during the president state visit to the Arab country, possibly learning new truths about “new culture”which she will come back as a ‘model’ to share with Nigerians, certainly plays within this field of bogus cultural emptiness.
Always quick to seek opportunities to be in the eyes of the public, Hannatu Musawa in ten months does not know the addresses of the agencies under her ministry neither had she visited them to understudy their strength and weaknesses.
She has clearly shown that the culture stakeholders have no place in her plans and has chosen to effectively ignore them and even their loud voices against her open disrespect to our culture, particularly the entertainment genre which she hugs the gains but would rather not defend their originality through home grown rewards ecosystem.
It is indeed appalling and apparent that Hannah Musawa is surplus to requirement in this government as we stride to position our culture and creative economy to benefit of our people.
Professor Wole Soyinka whom she ran to for refuge from the barrage of criticism railing most of her myopic culture related expressions, rightly thought her the true importance of culture.
The wise old professor of literature told Hannatu Musawa in Doha, that Nigeria is faced with diverse issues due to the neglect of her heritages and monuments, and advised the minister to focus on promoting indigenous languages and culture to preserve morals and values across the country.
These critical value chain of cultural development, captured by morals and values have been bastardized by Nigerian leaders, particularly the political class.
Now, our other minister, Lola Ade John says she would be in makudi, Benue state next week to unveil an ” EcoGen” tourism project targeted at women to make them key partners and beneficiaries of rural based tourism ecosystem.
I was in Abuja weeks ago when same minister unveiled the NIHITOUR Mobile Training Kitchen, initiated to bridge distance in acquiring hospitality knowledge by rural dwellers in particular.
Going through the values and deliverables in the EcoGen project, it is apparent that it’s all about skill acquisition and nothing more. Essentially, there’s nothing novel about it and from a minister who is yet to properly meet the industry stakeholders, this EcoGen sounds same as politically motivated abracadabra with same ends result which has negatively impacted our sector before her coming.
Folarin Coker of ntda failed severely in eight years to bewitch us with his digital tourism projects, which he ran from the comfort of his Abuja office, intentionally whitewashing the process through unproven virtual waves and documentaries that was never to be.
And I ask myself, where and which clime, has used mere documentaries and virtual videos to replace marketing and promotion of its destination values? Folarin coker was in UK last year at the World Travel Market and as he has always done when pressured to take center stage of his mandate, he went round the huge complex at Excel London and witnessed the very massive presence and marketing options utilized by serious tourism nations to advantage their diversity and trembled.
Yes, technology is playing a role in tourism, just like in every area of human needs but it just part of the various options but has never replaced physical marketing and promotion of destinations anywhere.
Back to Ade John, I could possibly understand if her EcoGen project is either launched in Osun Oshogbo, Kano Dye pits, Abeokuta itokin Adire Market or at the Argungu fishing village in kebbi, the idea of Makudi EcoGen project sounds hawkish and pedestrian. Maybe she wants to run the lucky women of Makudi through a skill acquisition program which we have never seen before in Nigeria. Surely a skill acquisition program can make sense but she must go there with Nihotour mobile training kitchen ladden with cooked and raw bags of rice for the people. I believe if the people are properly fed, and satisfied, then EcoGen project or whatever she choses to it, could make meaning.
Right now, hunger bites hard in the land and any minister with deep insights to how the people fare now, must go preaching “new ideas” with food in hand, a descretion which if ignored portends grave consequences .
And to the band of praise singers , Lola Ade John should better be careful. Christ Jesus once asked his disciples about how they see him. The master knew that most people love his miracles, compassionate heart but do not care of the true essence of His ministry on earth. He sought the views of His aides and only was right in interpreting His mission. Sycophants abound in life, in fact we must learn that when men praise us blindly, there are more to it than meets the ordinary eyes, so it will be wise for madam minister to seek sincere opinions on her project intentions than sit back and enjoy praises unsolicited and undeserving.