SHOULD WE BE GRATEFUL?

In a recent post on Facebook, among other things, Femi Adesina said Buhari deserves our gratitude. Is he right?

Personally, I think this administration has done a lot in the last half decade, especially in infrastructure, and has set new records of achievement in Nigeria, and we should recognize those great efforts. But requesting for gratitude? Now, that's reaching.

Buhari himself was a soldier. The job of a soldier is to die for others to live. His reward is in his service, nothing else. The country owes him nothing. It's just courtesy when we decide to honor him. It's not an obligation, and no soldier can force, blackmail or arm-wrestle us into honoring him. Every good soldier knows this. And I  want to believe Buhari is a good soldier.

Also, we are Africans. In Africa, government is of no real use. We do not depend on government for survival. We are not like the Brits and Americans that closely monitor their government, knowing that any little mistake on the part of their government will have heavy ramifications on their lives. There are no food banks or social security nets in Nigeria. We provide everything for ourselves. So for what should we be grateful to the government?

Also, we may have suffered under bad governance for so long, but not long enough to have caught Stockholm Syndrome. Believe it or not, the same people who helped to destroy the country are the ones still in government. And by the way, the president is like every other employee. He is simply doing his job! A job for which he is being paid heavily. And we all know how much he cried and begged to be given this job. So it is Buhari who should be grateful to us for giving him the job and letting him keep it this long. If we feel the need to appreciate or honor him, we will. If we don't, we won't. There's nothing anyone can do about it. But as Africans, we are kind, thoughtful and respectful people, so you can trust us to give honor to whom honor is due. You don't need to remind us.