Dr Promise Adiele

By Promise Adiele

British writer, Ian Fleming, has a reputation for his thrilling, adrenalin-pumping, suspense-filled, sometimes exaggerated theatricality in his novels. Although his novels do not belong to the list of canonized literary texts studied in schools, they provide critical insight into the remote possibilities of a world constantly enmeshed in power tussle, socio-political, and economic whirlwind. Fleming’s fifth novel, From Russia, with Love, published in 1957, narrates the story of how SMERSH, a Russian counterintelligence outfit schemed to terrorise the world by compromising global security. To achieve their aim, they must assassinate James Bond, a British secret service agent, who played a significant role in defeating SMERSH agents in the past. The plan is to discredit Bond with a sex scandal by using a Russian beautiful girl instructed to pretend to fall in love with him, luring him to bed for a passionate sex session. Bond is to be killed while in bed. The novel is a sad commentary on the waning of British powers and the rise of the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War.

Not many people are conversant with Russia and its domineering tendencies in world politics. For such people, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an eye-opener. It is an introduction to what Russia is capable of doing in their quest, whether legitimate or not, for power and influence. While many people argue that Russia’s intransigent attitude in their invasion of Ukraine is justified because the US did so to other countries in the past, many others are of the view that their violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty is brutally reprobate therefore condemnable. The debate as to the right or wrong of Russia, Ukraine, and NATO actions has dominated global discourse with gusto. Some of the arguments are base and infantile, while others are logical and well informed. As usual, Nigerians are all over the place, arguing, quarrelling, pontificating, teaching, copying, and pasting unverified information, peddling rumours and lies of infinite dimension, mindlessly contributing to the refurbishment of existing falsehood industries in the country. While we do this, we summarily forget all the unease on our soil. Every person, society or institution must bear its burden which many times is a consequence of earlier undoing. Let Russia bear its burden, let Ukraine bear its burden too. But let us, for the sake of responsibility confront our immediate challenges in Nigeria. To forget them or pretend that they do not exist is irresponsible behaviour that requires open purgation through a ritual of repentance.

Fuel queue

For our purpose here, let us immediately change the title of Fleming’s novel From Russia, with Love to From Russia, with Truth. Yes, let us all return from Russia armed with the truth of our conditions back home in Nigeria. Truth, that constant phenomenon of immovable status, will continue to stare us in the face in Nigeria no matter how far we are lost in Russia. The greatest challenge today facing Nigerians is not the Russia–Ukraine imbroglio or is it? The greatest challenge today facing Nigerians is not how wicked Putin is or how obstinate Zelensky is or how domineering the US is or just how the rest of the world is talking about these events. The greatest challenge facing Nigerians today is fuel scarcity, simple truth. Driving around town I see Nigerians agonize and suffer due to lack of fuel. It is nightmare redefined. While we condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, let us also, in one accord, condemn the Nigerian government’s ruthless invasion of citizens’ lives with hardship. Fuel scarcity is an economic invasion but unfortunately, government officials don’t experience it. Someone is responsible for this collective anguish inflicted on millions of people across the country. Regrettably, we are not dwelling on these issues, to hold the government accountable and ask questions of our collective misery.

Is Mr President not aware that there is fuel scarcity all over the country? Does he not think it is proper to address Nigerians, intimating us about what he is doing to ameliorate the situation? Is he not aware that Nigerians, those who voted him to power, are suffering a lot due to fuel scarcity in the land? Or is the government rejoicing that we are all occupied on social media with the Russia-Ukraine conflict? We have heard of fuel adulteration, we have heard of issues of delay on the high sea, we have heard of many other stories. As the Commander-In-Chief, Buhari should know better. We must demand an explanation from him. If Nigerians accept the fuel scarcity situation as normal in the country, then we are tottering precariously on the brink of an abyss. Since the fuel scarcity started, many people have died. If it persists, many more people will die. Yet, we have leadership in the country.

The greatest challenge today facing Nigerians is not the Russia–Ukraine imbroglio or is it? The greatest challenge today facing Nigerians is not how wicked Putin is or how obstinate Zelensky is or how domineering the US is or just how the rest of the world is talking about these events. The greatest challenge facing Nigerians today is fuel scarcity, simple truth. Driving around town I see Nigerians agonize and suffer due to lack of fuel. It is nightmare redefined. While we condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, let us also, in one accord, condemn the Nigerian government’s ruthless invasion of citizens’ lives with hardship. Fuel scarcity is an economic invasion but unfortunately, government officials don’t experience it

Nigerians must look away from Russia and face the truth at home. What is going on in our educational system especially the face-off between university lecturers and the government? The Russia-Ukraine palaver should never distract us to forget our predicaments in the country. It certainly does not speak well of this government that all public universities in the country are closed down while government officials send their children abroad to study. In a recent interaction between Nigerian students and the education minister Malam Adamu Adamu, the minister walked out of the meeting because he was asked why his child schooled and graduated from a UK university while he is overseeing a moribund education ministry in Nigeria. Yes, he got angry and walked out. For how long will our youths, university undergraduates stay away from school because their lecturers are on strike? For how long will our youths waste away and engage in criminal activities, including money rituals because they are idle and want to be relevant in a society where relevance is harshly defined by financial status?  Buhari should quickly call a meeting of all education stakeholders in the country to find a solution to the intractable ASUU-FG wahala. We must return from Russia and face the truth at home. From Russia, with Truth.

Although we appreciate the events in Moscow and Kyiv, we are aware that a report of the Auditor-General of the Federation recently revealed that 178,459 pieces of armaments from the armouries of the Nigeria Police Force are missing without any formal report. Out of this figure, 88, 078 AK-47 rifles and 3,907 pistols belonging to the Police Force are all missing. This of course is at the root of insecurity and proliferation of arms across the country. Since the report was submitted to the National Assembly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Nigerians have looked away. Ordinarily, this kind of revelation should immediately provoke a public outcry and the police officers responsible for these losses brought to the book. But Nigerians do not care. We are more interested in the Russian, Ukraine, NATO conflict and the science of its unfolding. Today, insecurity and arms proliferation pose the greatest challenge in Nigeria. Concerned citizens have queried – where do criminals get the arms they use? How come every Tom, Dick, and Harry has a gun of some sort? The National Assembly has done well to institute a probe, but Nigerians must be alive to these issues to ensure that it does not go the normal way of previous probe panels – under the carpet.

While we are at the Russia-Ukraine conflict, let us remember that Mr President recently signed the Electoral Bill into law after practically turning it into a personal document. Right now, what are the provisions of the Electoral Bill? I am sure not many Nigerians are aware of these provisions or care to know about them. The public has a responsibility to uphold the tenets of democracy and not yield or surrender to facile propaganda. It is indeed gravely unfortunate that many Nigerians believe that they are helpless in the country’s democratic journey. Yet, we are always ready to apportion blames when we outsource our civic responsibilities to criminals. Let us debate the Electoral Bill, lets us also monitor its implementations by INEC and all the political parties. A thief behaves differently when he/she realizes that the owner is aware even if the said owner is helpless.

It is exactly one year to the end of this administration. We must not look away as another administration beckons. While we discuss Russia-Ukraine, we must contribute our quota to ensuring that another deficient, backward, and ineffectual government is not enthroned. Achebe declares, “he who brings ant-infested faggots home should not complain if he is visited by lizards”. To continue to bury our heads in Russia and Ukraine while our country burns is to confirm that we are From Russia, with Pains.

Promise Adiele PhD

Mountain Top University

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