Why the caged bird still sings: Reflections on Nigeria at 65 By Prince Dr. Wumi Akintide
Why the caged bird still sings: Reflections on Nigeria at 65
By Prince Dr. Wumi Akintide
Maya Angelou wrote of the caged bird that sings in captivity; I see a Nigeria trapped in the cages of crime and corruption.
These vices have become a stubborn cancer, fuelled first by failed leadership and reinforced by a followership that accepts or enables it.
The second is the failure of law enforcement.
The third is our tendency to repeat the same actions over and over again while expecting different results. Sigmund Freud, the great Austrian psychiatrist, described such behaviour as insanity. By that definition, most of our leaders, and indeed a significant portion of the citizenry are afflicted by a national insanity far worse than what is found in many other countries.
The last, but by no means the least, is the proliferation of fake and fraudulent titles in Nigeria: “Your Excellency,” “Your Imperial Majesty,” “Your Royal Highness,” and countless “Kabiyesi.”
The Yoruba word Kabiyesi means that no one dares question such individuals, even when they break the law or trample on the Constitution. They are rarely held accountable, let alone punished, for their excesses.
All these reasons taken together or separately are also why America, long regarded as the bastion of democracy and leader of the free world, has become a laughing stock. Its democracy is now deeply polarised and unstable, following the four years of locust under a president who, in my view, proved to be worse than Adolf Hitler on steroids.
Maya Angelou, the great presidential poet of the United States, understood the metaphor of the caged bird. I, on the other hand, understand why Nigeria continues to spiral downward. Our leaders and citizens are guilty of self-deception, and truth is in very short supply in our national character, if we must be honest with ourselves.
In 1999, our military establishment simply plagiarised the American Constitution. With only a few minor adjustments, they adopted it wholesale as Nigeria’s Constitution preamble and all, including the words “We the People.” Yet we know it was never the product of genuine debate, review, or ratification by Nigerians. It was nothing more than the brainchild of a few military leaders.
This pattern of imposition is not new. In May 1966, Regionalism was abolished in Nigeria through Decree 34, drafted by Professor Ben Nwabueze as Attorney-General in collaboration with General Aguiyi Ironsi. Ironsi had hijacked the January 15, 1966 coup staged by Majors Chukwuma Nzeogwu, Emmanuel Ifeajuna, and their colleagues.
He detained the plotters, took over as Head of State, and with little or no consultation, not even with his own Supreme Military Council imposed a unitary system of government. That single decision, I dare say, remains the root of many of Nigeria’s troubles today. You may quote me on this.
So, like Maya Angelou, I too know why the caged bird sings. And I also know why Nigeria has struggled since the 1914 Amalgamation, an experiment envisioned by Lord Lugard, backed by our British colonial masters, and later shaped by our founding fathers; Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and our first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
Perhaps Maya Angelou was not only writing about America when she penned her timeless poem, but also about Nigeria, or indeed the wider Black race her imagination giving voice to the song of the caged bird.
Only yesterday, I listened to President Bola Tinubu’s speech marking Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary. As expected, it placed a positive spin on our national challenges. Yet, Nigerians know that insecurity, hunger, and food scarcity remain the two gravest problems confronting us. They remain unsolved and certainly not under control.
I rest my case.
Prince Dr. Wumi Akintide a public affairs commentator writes from Oyemekun Terrace New York City
