Simbi Wobate And The Table-Manners -By Tife Owolabi

Nigerians see things through different lenses or filters. There are those that will sue for professionalism, and that is how they view things. Their orientations are influenced by professionalism and they don’t care where you are from but so long you have the requisite knowledge they will back you up any day and anytime. While others see with ethnicity filter, it must be from our tribe, or else we will shake the table or tumble it. This filter or orientation promotes regional champions, distrust, acrimony, and fans embers of hatred. Lastly, is a deadly weapon, religious filter, or orientation. Many will sacrifice themselves on this prism and they will maim and kill for this. They may be educated or not but they are naive and gullible. If anyone other than their faith is not appointed into a position, they are saddened but if it’s theirs then they rejoice because one way or the other they get their share of the national cake from it and not necessarily direct or physical benefit but it gives them succor.

The question is, why are these orientations or filters colorations in the National discourse? Nigeria is on a shaky foundation. It has been standing on a faulty foundation since the joining together of the Northern and Southern protectorates and from inception “ the area called Nigeria has been variously described as “ a mere geographical expression “(Bode Thomas and Awolowo, I947),” a country without, a common language, a common tradition, and indigenous name”(Alan Burns,1904,), “ a mere collection of self-contained and mutually-independent native states separated by great distances, differences of history, tradition ethnological, racial, tribal political social and religious barriers “ and (Hailey 1955) “ a notoriously previous lumping together of peoples of separate identities.”

With these aforementioned, the elites are the group that actually in control of these orientations projecting it and twisting it to their favors whenever they are on the table dinning or out of the dining table in which, the table manner is that you do not talk while eating because It is bad etiquette. This has resonated in a manner in which many Nigerians comments on burning issues or discourse. Most of us are comfortable seeing our kinsmen occupying a certain position because it brings succor and it commands a sense of belonging to this opaque system of allocating resources and positions. The Federal Character itself is a weak document and it promotes tribal champions rather than the best minds to occupy the position of authorities or gainfully employed.

So, for those calling for Engr. Simbi Wobate, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring, (NCDMB) head are not really concern about his achievements at the Nigeria Content such as the NOGICD Act, that will change decades of foreign domination of Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar oil and gas sector, the Egina, a multi-billion-dollar giant complex Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel or the 17 story building in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital that will house all IOCs that have left the Niger Delta, just to mention but a few but because I have seen people, especially his benefactors and kinsmen reeling and churning out giant stride by Simbi at the NCMBD. These people care less about those achievements and if the table turns them would not necessarily destroy Simbi’s achievements or better still, outperform him but on the prism of Table-Manners.

In this nation of ours after many years since independent most Nigerians can’t get basic amenities in their domains except one person bestow with an appointment in a place of authorities. Just recently, DG of Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the road leading to the Referral center in Abuja has been at a deplorable state but, thanks to the Covid 19 pandemic, the government have now seen reasons to fix the deplorable road. Shame!

We are rather reactive than being proactive. Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan got the apex job not by merit but by agitations. Today, in Bayelsa state and the rest of the oil-bearing states are witnessing some developments simply based on few good men like SimbI Wabote that have occupied certain positions who either have to go out of their ways and bend the rules in other to provide some amenities to their people because if they fail to do so they will be challenged by their kinsmen that they didn’t do well while in office. Mind you, former President Goodluck Jonathan is still receiving backlash for what he did or didn’t do for his kinsmen while held sway to power.

And with the scarcity of resources not because we lack them but, because we are bereft of ideas and appreciations for other groups or those who do not fall within our orientations. So, the Nigeria cakes are shared on the prism of Professionals, Ethnicity and Religious orientations and the Table-Manners is, you don’t speak while on the dining table and please don’t condemn those speaking against you because after all, all we want is a decent life and a hungry man is an angry man and as late Pius Adesannmi will say ”there are many goats than there are yams”. Nigeria is turned by turn limited where sentiment and myopic views reign supreme.

Stay home and stay safe!

Tife Owolabi
+2348064698045
Journalist
Niger Delta
@tifeowolabi
facebook.com/Tife Owolabi
” if it bleeds it leads”…