NIGERIANS LIKE LIES

There is no doubt that this is not the best of times for Nigerians: no light, no fuel and it is like the last person who went to hell forgot to lock the gate behind him. Suffice to say, the heat is quite becoming unbearable. The prices of goods and services are equally on the increase. So for a Minister of the caliber of our Petroleum Minister (Dr Ibe Kachikwu) to come and tell us the pain we are experiencing with respect to shortage and scarcity of fuel is still to continue till May of this year is quite unbearable  (so many Nigerians think). 

But the Minister was merely speaking the truth to a populace who are quite use to lies. Ordinarily, Nigerians would have expected the Minister to be more political in his statement. They would have loved him to say the fuel will be over in a matter of week even though the fuel persists for weeks more. Why? It is because they have been subjected to serious pain by  years of bad governance. 

Unfortunately (and perhaps fortunately), the crops of the Cabinet Ministers that President Muhammodu Buhari surrounded himself with are group of people who will say it the way it is; which most times go contrary to the culture of lies and deceits an average Nigerian is accustomed to. Seriously, from Babatunde Fashola to Kachikwu  or Kemi Adeosun, speaking the truth no matter whose ox gored is their trade. 

As a people and as a nation, we must therefore be willing to unlearn our culture of lies and deceits and imbibe the culture of truth which the new administration brings on board. Be that as it may, it is not to shield the President's aides and cabinet members from some missteps in their utterances and speeches which have done more harm than good for the good intention which this regime brings on board.

And speaking of good intention, the present government must know that good intentions are not enough, but every words must be matched with commensurate actions since the world does not reward intention but effort. Nigerians have suffered long enough and therefore cannot afford to wallow in pain and suffering for the next four years without anything to show for it. Notwithstanding, the people in government has the responsibility to continue to say the truth, no matter how unpalatable it may seems, for sooner or latter, an average Nigerian will get used to it.