All of us have cautiously entered the unknown year 2022 in the hopes of deciphering its alluring dangers. Satire writer and author Jonathan Swift described “The Day of Judgement” as a time when “the graves give up their dead,” “thunder roars and lightning flies,” and “the world’s mad business now is o’er.” Swift lived in the eighteenth century. Nigeria makes a huge stride toward that day—the end of “pranks” and “designs”—in this new year, 2022. The year before the last was one of dread and death; of lockdowns and isolationist locks and keys. When 2021 finally arrived, we overcame our worries of a pandemic, but the nightmares of dread and banditry persisted. Last year, Nigeria was powerless, but it has always been thus. The year that follows will be determined by what we make of this one. I’m talking about 2023, its vague promise, and the uncertainties that exist right now.

There can be no calm in his dominion when the leader always has a shield with him. The king’s basic responsibility of keeping his citizens safe has been neglected. For our nation, the night has been exceptionally long. Nigeria will always be the resting place of its people’s happiness and serenity, or as the Yoruba refer to it, “a child of tears.” A bad head will not lead to a change in the situation. We ignore everything and act as if nothing occurred even after we are humiliated and insulted. Nigeria was ranked as the third worst governed nation in the world in the Chandler Institute of Governance’s first Good Government Index (CGGI), which was published in April of last year by the Singapore-based organization. On its list of notoriety, our nation was ranked second only to Venezuela and Zimbabwe. It smelled of anguish and disgrace, like a faecal crown of thorns. However, after receiving that judgment, our commanders proceeded as usual, with a more sinister tone. According to an editorial published in the Nigerian Tribune on May 3 of last year, Nigerians have come to terms with living in wantonness between the violent irresponsibility of those tasked with providing security and the banditry of outlaws.

A saying states that a cockroach aspires to dominate a chicken. Hiring the fox is the only way it can accomplish it. And we have precisely that. There is a proverb in every African tribe that connects the leader’s chi to the lot of the led. However, in Nigeria, we select captains from among a group of incompetent seamen and then lament when the ship veers off course. Nigerians exhibit a distinct strain of humanity not found anyplace else. Every year, we sow the same seed and hope for different results. We rapidly wish for a bad year to end as it starts. We enter a new year believing that the cross we bear will end at the end of December. Then, when the wheel of pain keeps turning and the cycle of disappointment keeps going in the direction of another December, we collapse into anguish. We fail to see that poor leadership is the main cause of our problems. Look for the ruler of a joyful people you see. A good leader, according to the Congolese, is like a jungle of fruits; everyone who visits one brings something worthwhile home. Our situation has been horrible.

Whatever this nation’s final fate will be in and beyond 2023 is poised to unfold this year. The nose with its expressway of nostrils would be visible to the eyes if they were patient in focusing. For example, this year there are two gubernatorial elections: one in Osun and one in Ekiti. The door to what is to come is opened by those two polls. No matter where you are from in Nigeria, they will have an effect on you. I implore you to pay attention to both stages, especially Osun and its paranormal activities. Politics acts as though there are only conflicts and wars in the globe. That state will predict whatever occurs in U.S. politics in 2023. Its jungle’s seismic tremors are not in vain. Nigeria’s principalities are already coming together and casting lots. I should know, too. In Osun State today, interests drive decisions rather than political parties. There are competing platforms and intersecting interests, so nothing is clear-cut. I see PDP in APC and APC in PDP in that anomic state. Keep an eye on that area.

In order to save a people, leadership is essential. An elderly man was once challenged to justify the need for a just ruler among his people. He gestured to a jumbled mass of black ants. When these animals were at their best, they would move in orderly regiments across the jungle. Yet those who came before the elderly man weren’t. The elderly man claimed that because there was no leader in charge, they were not observed in neat columns. He quoted a proverb from Uganda that says, “Even black ants are confused without a leader.” A hunting party that would select a worn-out, incompetent captain would not return home with nice games. Nigeria lacks that kind of wisdom.

There is an old tale about the qualities that wise people consider in potential leaders. This is my story, taken precisely from James Baldwin’s “The Sons of William the Conqueror,” my favorite folklore rewriter:
Once upon a time, William the Conqueror, a legendary monarch of England, had three sons. When King William appeared to be brooding about something that was causing him great sadness one day, the wise men surrounding him inquired as to what was wrong.

He remarked, “I’m considering what my sons might do in my absence. For they cannot hold the kingdom that I have gained for them unless they are strong and smart. It is true that I cannot decide which of the three should succeed me as king.

The wise men said, “O king, if we only knew what your sons most admire, we might then be able to predict what kind of men they will be.” We could determine who would be most suited to reign in your place by asking each of them a few questions.

The king declared, “The plan is well worth trying, at least.” “Ask the boys what you would like, and have them come before you.”

Following some brief conversation, the wise men decided that the young princes should be brought in one at a time and asked the identical questions of each.\

Robert was the first person into the room. He went by the moniker “Short Stocking” and was a tall, stubborn boy.

One of the guys asked, “Fair sir, answer me this: If God had chosen for you to be a bird rather than a boy, what kind of bird would you rather be?”

“A hawk,” Robert replied. “I would prefer to be a hawk because no other bird bears such a strong resemblance to a valiant and brave knight.”

Little William, the pet and namesake of his father, arrived next. His round, happy face earned him the moniker Rufus, or the Red, due to his red hair.

“Fair sir,” said the wise man, “answer me this question: If, instead of being a boy, it had pleased God that you should be a bird, what kind of a bird would you rather be?”

“An eagle,” William replied. Being an eagle would be my preference due of its strength and bravery. It rules over all other birds since it is dreaded by them all.

Henry, the youngest brother, arrived last, walking quietly and wearing a serious, contemplative expression. Because he had received reading and writing instruction, he went by the moniker Beauclerc, or the Handsome Scholar.

The wise man responded, “Fair sir, answer me this: If God had chosen for you to be a bird rather than a boy, what kind of bird would you rather be?”

“A starling,” Henry murmured. “I would much rather be a starling because it never tries to rob or mistreat its neighbor and is polite, kind, and a joy to everyone who sees it.”

The wise men then conferred among themselves for a short period before speaking with the monarch when they had reached a consensus.
“We discover that your oldest son, Robert, will be courageous and brave,” they declared. He will accomplish some amazing things and become well-known, but in the end, his enemies will triumph over him, and he will pass away in prison.

“The second son, William, will possess the bravery and strength of an eagle, but his cruel deeds will make him despised and feared.” He will live a depraved life and pass away in disgrace.

Henry, the youngest son, will grow up to be a calm, sensible, and smart man. He will go to war only when he is compelled to do so by his adversaries. He will pass away peacefully with many valuables under his belt, having been loved and respected both at home and abroad.

After several years, the trio of lads had developed into adulthood. As King William lay dying, he considered once more what would happen to his sons once he was gone. Then he recalled what the wise men had said, and he declared that William should be King of England, Robert should have the estates he owned in France, and Henry should have no land at all—just a gold box.

In the end, everything transpired precisely as the wise men had predicted. Like the hawk that he so greatly admired, Robert the Short Stocking was audacious and careless. After losing all property his father had left him, he was finally imprisoned and held there until his death.

All of William Rufus’s subjects feared and despised him because he was so tyrannical and ruthless. He lived a depraved life and was hunted down by one of his own soldiers in the wilderness.

Not only did Henry, the handsome scholar, inherit the chest of wealth, but he also rose to become King Henry V of England and ruled over all the French domains his father had inherited. Everything was passed on to him.

Story ends here.

These three prince types exist in Nigeria. There are hawks here. There are eagles here. Starlings are birds of riches, independence, and power. What decision do we, however, invariably make? Which decisions are we currently making? Henry, the prince, would be called Iwalewa if he were a Yoruba man. That is pretty simple to translate. It implies that “beauty is character.” However, the quality of character is the least valued in our leadership. It’s the cause of our ugly nature. Starting in this new year, a knowledgeable and open-minded leadership will mend Nigeria’s imperfect walls and knock down the frames of injustice, changing our story.

Cheers to a prosperous new year.