Are we okay…in Nigeria?

By Prince Charles Dickson PhD

Success isn’t magic or hocus-pocus. It is simply learning how to focus—Jack Canfield

A group of engineering students and their teacher were given free airplane tickets to go on a holiday. Once on the plane, the captain announced that they were on the plane the students had built.

Everyone freaked out and rushed out of the plane, except for the teacher who stayed there calmly. When the flight attendant asked why he hadn’t left, he responded: “I know the abilities of my students.

This shit won’t even start”

So, let us talk about wolves…

Wolves are indeed known for their remarkable discipline and organizational skills, especially when it comes to their social structure and hunting tactics. Here are a few key points that highlight their disciplined and organized nature:

1. Social Structure: Wolves live in tight-knit family units known as packs, which are typically led by an alpha pair – the dominant male and female. The pack hierarchy is well-defined, with each member understanding its place within the group. This social organization helps maintain order and coordination within the pack.

2. Division of Labor: Within a wolf pack, each member has specific roles and responsibilities. For example, while the alpha pair often leads the pack and makes important decisions, other members may be responsible for hunting, caring for the young, or patrolling the pack’s territory. This division of labor contributes to the overall efficiency and success of the pack.

3. Communication: Wolves have a sophisticated system of vocalizations, body language, and scent marking that they use to communicate with one another. This clear and effective means of communication helps them coordinate their activities, whether it’s during a hunt or while defending their territory.

4. Hunting Tactics: When hunting, wolves display remarkable discipline and cooperation. They often work together to pursue and capture prey, using tactics such as strategic positioning, teamwork, and coordinated attacks. By working as a cohesive unit, they increase their chances of successfully securing a meal.

5. Territory Maintenance: Wolves are territorial animals, and they are disciplined in defending and maintaining their territories. They mark their boundaries with scent markings and vocalizations, and they work together to repel intruders or rival packs.

6. Adaptability: Wolves are also known for their adaptability. They can adjust their social dynamics and hunting strategies based on the availability of prey, changes in their environment, and other external factors. This flexibility allows them to thrive in a variety of habitats and conditions.

You would have been forgiven to think that my column would just be about wolves…

Last week, Lagos task force crushes 1,500 seized motorcycles was how a national daily put the news, it further stated that The Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, along with the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Wale Musa, on Monday, observed the destruction of 1,500 seized motorcycles on the Lagos State Task Force premises in Oshodi.

The Lagos State Government posted images of the exercise on its X account on Monday.

The caption read, “Commissioner for #lagosMOT1, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, with the Permanent Secretary, Wale Musa, at the crushing of 1,500 seized commercial motorcycles at the Lagos State Task Force premises on Monday.”

I don’t want to go into the demolitions of property in Abuja, Lagos and other such places because it has become a norm.

What do we produce as a nation, not with factories closing like finished toothpaste at the end of the month or the fact that those that are still managing to exist do so like a faded toothbrush.

Do you know that this is the country where an ex-accountant general stole billions, are we okay in this country where a civil servant was making billions for manufacturing “pure water”. Don’t let me remind us of the monkeys, snakes and all those carnivores and reptiles that constantly made away with public funds, but we are the same people that spent N535.8 million on school feeding programme during the lockdown against the coronavirus pandemic.

From toothpicks to pencils, Panadol to inhalers we produce nothing, when we manage to produce, we look for foreign or imported options and abandon ours. We export crude and import fuel, I recall a senator once serving palm wine imported from Malaysia at his event shamelessly. It is like eating Pringles imported from the UK in Bokos, the land of Irish potatoes in Plateau State.

Even Wolves cannot understand us, our banks declare profits year in and year out, do all sorts of bonanzas, give loans to importers, politicians at the expense of local industries and agripreneurs, and when it gives, they take kickbacks and fronts in manners that the real farmers never get these facilities. 

There is a crisis in Israel but we still will look for where to go in the name of pilgrimage and stone the devil but come back home and continue to steal. The wolves cannot understand that in this country, torrential rain washed away tractors that were bought by a state government or that a whole ship was declared missing. That our politicians protect ballot boxes more than they protect citizenry.

In conclusion, wolves’ disciplined and organized nature is essential to their survival as a species. Their social structure, division of labor, communication methods, hunting tactics, and adaptability all contribute to their success in the wild. Studying wolves can provide valuable insights into effective teamwork and cooperation, which are applicable to various aspects of human society as well. 

My anecdote about the airplane built by engineering students is a metaphor for the challenges faced by Nigeria. The teacher’s confidence in the students’ abilities parallels the need for belief and trust in the capabilities of Nigerian citizens. The flight’s failure to start symbolizes the potential setbacks Nigeria faces in achieving success.

Like Jack Canfield puts it, success isn’t magic or hocus-pocus. For our leaders devoid of focus, there is plenty of focus on hocus-pocus. We simply refuse to get it right, every act of governance raises questions regarding sanity or otherwise. My question is, when will we learn from the wolves so that Nigeria may win!

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