Mr. President, Work Smart! Not Hard !!

By Jarlath Uche Opara

Hard work rarely pays, Smart work does. We all work hard. Hard work is not a problem to Nigerians. Go to sites, one would see raw energies bubbling, seeking for expression.

Recently, I watched a video clip of a young man whose one leg was armputated. With the aid of a clutch, he was seen carrying blocks, all to make a living.

An average Nigerian is not lazy. From the valley of death,his power to pull through is not in doubt. He will always find a way around the most difficult and intricate situation, smiling and laughing through it.

Leave him with nothing but sand and water, through creativity he makes food out of them. If he is seen in a boxed situation of no escape. There must always be a way out for him. (Jarlath)

Recently, there was a riot in Kenya. As justifiable as it seemed, what triggered such riot that sent many of their leaders scampering inside the bush was a child’ play compared to what Nigerians endure daily with smiles. We work hard! (Uche)

So, when our leaders come and begin to make mountain out of mole hill of working hard, it comes across to me as one lousy grandstanding posture.

We have gone pass such level of witchcrafting of the suffering masses, who themselves work hard without any commesurate results.

Each of the administrations since the return of democracy had at the face of public agitations assured the poor masses of working hard to fix things.

Such has turned into a cliche of meaningless sound, with no value, solution and positive effects thereafter. More of a written speech, to be read when the public becomes agitative.

I have within these few days watched and listened to APC leaders,( President, governors, party leaders, Minister etc) struggled to conscientize the obviously agitated masses not to protest. For such persons, government is working hard to fix things and make life better. In my local parlance, the initial reaction to such promises in deception would be “Akuko Mike Ejeagha”( A folklore that is not real but imaginative)

This has been the trend and I doubt if it would change anytime soon. Nigerians are not thrilled by such promises that hold no better promises or hope than the picture of man inside a pool described below.

There was this clip of a man with a bucket inside a pool I saw scooping water and at the same time emptying it inside same pool. Is it the kind of working hard this
administration is promising Nigerians? . Working hard in vicious circle of empty promises, repetitiveness of greed and corruption?

Those politicians or anywhere belle faced hangers-on who either were making excuses for this administration, or were asking for more time for stability, or that the government is working hard, Mr. President isn’t a Magician should equally understand that strength is diminishing in nature. It goes down not up( Ike gi alo ala. Onaghi ala elu) And the speed at which one begins a race, diminishes as the race progresses.

With the speed with which this administration took off,which of course wasn’t impressive by popular assessment, one wonders if there would be a change in progression.

The natural reaction by anyone watching this administration would be, “Is this the pace with which a cow would get to Umuahia”.

Nobody is telling the President to become a Magician. Nobody is asking him to make one dollar at par with one naira. Nobody had ever asked him to turn sand into rice or water into wine. All we ask is, be a President with vision and integrity, with an unhidden or unbiased commitment to lead without halo effect syndrome.

Let him work smart by living by example. Weeding off grasses of corruption in the system, overgrown and making the poor masses suffocate in hunger, penury and abject poverty.

Until he becomes that President with either large green pastures or signs of such pastures growing, the hungry sheep wouldn’t follow, agitation and protest become their channel to vent. You can’t tell the masses you are working hard, while all they could see is entrenched corruption around and inside the corridor of power.

We don’t need Magician! We need a purposeful and transformational leader..

Too much to ask?
You can’t beat a child and cupped your hand around his mouth not to cry or rape ones virginity and expects there wouldn’t be blood. Allow the poor to breathe! Don’t 😷!! We are not mules!!

Jarlath Uche Opara Jarlathuche@gmail.com