Jelani Aliyu is a Nigerian who has just been appointed the Director-General of the Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council. He grew up in a far way Dogondaji, South-west of Sokoto, where his parents lived. He later studied Architecture at the Birnin Kebbi Polytechnic where he had an Associate Degree in Architecture and was granted a scholarship for advanced studies in Detroit, America. There his American Dream came alive and he graduated to join General Motors where his motor designs won first place out of hundreds of entries. Jelani designed the successful Chevrolet Sedan and after much accomplishment, President Buhari brought him back and made him the new boss of the Automotive industry. Today he has produced the first Nigerian electric driverless vehicle! The point here is that he typifies the new Nigerian on the streets; he represents the future of new Nigeria devoid of yahoo boys, kidnappers, fraudsters, ten percenters, corrupt and clueless government officials. Really the average Nigerian is proud, haughty, and selfish. Jelani is a sharp departure from this visionless cycle. A quick check on the behavior and attitude of most Nigerians will expose them as empty shells who gallivant the streets, roads driving, and causing traffic hold ups aimlessly. Make an attempt to “correct” them and you will be told your life history. They are regularly abusive, tension soaked, and gripped by paranoia. Watch them on the roads and you see immediately they are tensed up, short-tempered and predictably impatient. Look around and you understand better: nothing seems to work anymore from the ATMs that are crowded and seldom free, the banks where counter officials will deliberately ignore you, and do not make the mistake to ask a Nigerian for direction; he will certainly frustrate you! Visit the supermarkets and watch the people who claim there is hardship buying the supermarket; they probably hope that people are watching them showing off their wealth. Another place to decry their behavior is through traffic points: They neither obey traffic lights and are frequent to deny when caught. Because they often in hurry, they get to road intersections and block themselves—no one wants to give room to the other! A Nigerian driver can suddenly cross from the left side of the road to the right side without warning. When accosted, they will then quote the laws for you and claim rights. This sickness has spread into politics where a politician hardly gets elected and he is scheming for the next one. This explains why people like Shettima of Borno State for 8 years was governor only for him to “win” election into the senate. “The cause is not so much bad leadership, but our upbringing. Nigerians grew up to know “struggle”. “So, it is a winner takes all mentality then”, concludes a recent report on why the socio-economic situation of the nation is in dire straits—and turmoil. |We need to change this attitude,” said Comrade Peter Ozabo. “Those of us who claim to be Christians should behave”, he stated adding that restoration is best for the nation. And in what seemed a veiled warning to the old brigade of northerners, Comrade ozabo frowned at their fading insistent on holding on to power with nothing to show for it; he also decried the preposterous role of ethnicity and religious sentiments in the affairs of what is supposed to be a clinical society
