FAULTY FOUNDATION

A post-mortem of concerns: a brief examination of some areas of concern in the life of the nation may be useful at this point but, for the sake of brevity, certain facts and data about the country must be taken for granted: its setting, features, people and endowments will recieve attention only as they are relevant to contentious issues and a source of concern. The political development of the past half century, although obviously important, cannot recieve more than the briefest mention but the change in society responses to developments in education, infrastructure, health, the state of the economy and governance will be relied upon to give focus to the deteriorating social conditions.

We shall consider, as a post-mortem, those seven
(7) initiatives which were intended to correct perceived shortcomings in governance and, if these have not been entirely successful in the opinion of the common man, will attempt to elicit what modifications or alternative therapies might have succeeded. At one time or the other in the life of this nation, it has occurred to our leaders that something is fundamentally wrong with the foundations upon which our existence as a modern nation is based and many have been the attempts at correcting these errors: the war against indiscipline, the movement for ethical re-orientation, the creation of multiple states, the war against religious intolerance, the embrace of presidential democracy, the green revolution, the war against corruption, DFRRI & OMPADEC (now NDDC) and a Ministry of the Niger Delta have been aimed at resolving one aspect or the other of perceived problems.

Whether or not the symptoms of this malady has responded to these prescriptions can be judged by the insidious and ominous spate of assassinations and kidnappings as a means of settling scores. It is safe to say, that the medication has at every turn missed its mark and there has been "a looking in the wrong places for the right answers". In addressing an audience such as this, and to approach it with anything less than the prophetic and miraculous, one is immediately at a handicap in discussing the problems of this country and its attitudinal re-orientation as a panacea because of the tendency either to over-simplify or trivalize the phenomenon or to leave ones audience more confused or in the dark than ever before. Some sections of the population feel aggrieved that it's part of the country yields the greater part of GNP and has been cheated out of it's proper share of derivable benefits and have resorted to violence to even the score. Whilst it is impossible to justify violence, it is equally impossible not to identify with the aggrieved party.

One, therefore, walks a dangerous tight rope and must either put all cards face-up or decline the challenge to analyze the social issues back of these troubles and to offer solutions. This speaker seeks the protection of the middle course placing upon his audience the onus of drawing it's own conclusions. IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER The Churches, especially of the Pentecostal movement, are tightening thier grip on the jogular of society with results which threaten the existence of the family unit. The cohesiveness of the family unit is breaking down as the younger generation desert the "family" church to embrace modern-day denominations, fellowships and sects. Behind this phenomenon is the activity of prophecy peddling churches who are turning children against parents and vice versa. To this extent, the activity of the Christian church is cause for concern. However, on the other side of this coin, one recognizes the ground breaking activities of the church in education and social services and observes how commercialized the church has become.

For the best part of two centuries, the church has wielded financial strength to disastrous consequences and has today become openly materialistic with expensive services discriminatory in availability and those things which should unite mankind have become the wedge separating it. There have even cases before the courts of the land between contesting fractions of the oldest churches seeking decisions which the business empires view only as the battle for business franchises. Public/private partnership in the development of civil infrastructure has, in the opinion of this writer, erred by ignoring the vast investment potent which the church commands but first things first. The church cannot partner with government and other private sector interests unless she takes on the corporate status with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities under the company law. The activities of the church in the operation of schools and hospitals are not charitable institutions: they make economic charges for thier services.

This capacity should be harnessed and encouraged to blossom into fullscale economic activities thus creating employment for the teeming youth of this country. The church has evolved business method from which the secular business world can learn a few lessons and service availability will be that much the better because of her involvement as business partners and many are the areas in which this partnership can bring improvements: in health, education, public transportation, the hospitality industry to mention but a few. The church, cannot in good conscience continue behind the facade of pre-occupation with the spiritual needs of a man while, at the same time, engaging in economic business activities.