Are We Now A Gang Of Cynics?

By Simbo Olorunfemi

What is with us that stridently strives to reject that good in anyone that does not seem to conform with the generalisation that everyone is bad around here? Have we now fully become a gang of Cynics?

Now and again, people share the picture of President Obama carrying his bag, holding his own umbrella. They share it to let us see how public office holders behave elsewhere in contradistinction to what obtains here.

So, what then can be wrong when people cite a Peter Obi queuing up at the airport, without fanfare or overbearing aides, his bag in hand, when most of our so-called VIPs will rather charter private jet or waltz into airports like gods?

What is wrong with pointing out a man who in spite of his many millions, opts to keep himself to only 2 pairs of Black shoes and a wrist watch for 17 years, in this age of primitive acquisition and conspicuous consumption, where a politician with no pedigree in business displays a chain of exotic cars?

What is wrong with drawing attention to a man who volunteers to render account of his security vote spending while in office, when NOT ONE GOVERNOR in this country has offered to do so?

What is wrong with amplifying the message of a man who keeps talking about cutting cost and savings in the age when all that the Governors seem to be bothered with is share, spend and waste?

What is wrong with listening to a man who would rather us cut the frills, fix the broken amenities rather than borrow to build new edifices?

What is wrong with saying we should fix the major and minor roads before taking on the gigantic fly-overs? What is wrong in asking us to think about making what we have functional rather than keep building big?

If we can share picture of David Cameron in the train, what can be wrong with talking about a Peter Obi here?

We have to be careful lest we capsize our boat in the storm of cynicism?

We need exemplars to guide our people right. We kill the hope in them when we seek to muffle voices drawing attention to the unusually good among us.

We kill hope when we make it seem everyone is bad and no-one is good.

Nuhu Ribadu did nothing unusual in rejecting a $15 million bribe. Dora Akunyili did nothing unusual in standing her ground against millionaire drug-counterfeiters. Muhammadu Buhari is just one of them, even when you have no evidence to support that.

We kill ourselves when we demonise the exemplars that reinforce the need to stand out and not follow the multitude to do evil.

Many are doing good. We kill that willingness for moral rectitude when we tear down those who stand out, on the wings of cynicism, politics, religion, or whatever else.

Self-discipline is the bedrock of everything else in life – private and public. There is something about any man who is able to discipline himself with all the pressures of life.

We do ourselves no good when we make it seem everyone is the same and lend ourselves to these hasty generalisations about Nigerians or any group.

There is a place for being circumspect, it is not the same with being unduly cynical.

Let us not kill hope, especially in the young, in the name of cynicism.

A gang of cynics does no good to the nation.