ENGAGING IN THE BATTLE OF GOOD VERSUS NEUTRAL

It is imperative to preface this discourse with H.G. Wells', whose critical anthem perennially ignites critics' spirits. Wells articulately proclaimed, "We are going to write about it all." We are going to write about business and finance, politics and pretences, pretentiousness, decorum, and indecorum until a thousand pretences and ten thousand impostors shrivel in the cold... We are going to write about wasted opportunities and latent beauties until a thousand new ways of life open to men and women. We are going to appeal to the young, the hopeful, and the curious against the established, the dignified, and the defensive. Before we are done, we will encompass all of life within the scope of the novel."

A convergence of political, economic, and social currents is presently shaping a generation grappling with the challenges of the present while harbouring even graver concerns about the future.

What is most disheartening? The reluctance of many individuals to engage in critical thinking, and their failure to grasp fundamental cause-and-effect relationships. Each time I encounter statements like, "Corruption doesn't affect my life" or "The current regime has already plundered, but if new leaders come into power, the plundering will resume," or phrases such as "Things will get better," it pains me deeply. Yet, how perplexing is it that hundreds of millions of years of evolution have given people the most amazing brain-and they don't use it?

It is incumbent upon us, both as a right and a duty, to advocate for those without a voice. This will prompt those in government, especially the governor and our representatives to take notice. Storm clouds loom on the horizon.

All too often, discussions surrounding Delta State's lack of development are tinged with fatalism. If only everyone thought about notions of justice and equity, life could be vastly improved. I am a critic, but also a critic of critics. I am an unapologetic proponent of the belief that incessantly highlighting governmental shortcomings is the most effective means of spurring improvement.

In Delta State, governors come and go, taking turns in power, yet the landscape remains unchanged. A State that earns the largest revenue has no landmark infrastructure to point at and no one is asking questions.

In 2023, Delta State Government received substantial revenues—₦483.57 billion from FAAC allocation, approximately ₦80 billion from Internally Generated Revenue, and an additional ₦24 billion from Ecological funds. The immediate past governor also received N20 billion from the CBN as part of the N135 billion loan under the Nigeria Gas Expansion Programme intervention fund, which is quite ironic. As of today, Delta State does not have any identifiable gas projects, except for the signature charade by the incumbent at NNPC HQ. The lack of investment might explain why gas production declined last year, despite Federal Government intervention. The State only found itself sinking deeper into debt, borrowing ₦110 billion within 2023, with scant interrogation from the populace.

Fear and greed are undeniably the driving forces behind politics in the State. The PDP in Delta State has consolidated its power through fear and greed, operating under the assumption that everyone can be swayed by bribery or intimidation. Understandable as these impulses may be, corruption transcends mere opportunism to become the moral decay at the core of our society. However, the pervasive grip of poverty and greed impedes many Deltans from mustering the courage to demand good governance.

Suffering is not the result of a spiritual force like evil, but rather the absence of goodness perpetuated by human actions. There is no mystical solution to logical problems; action is our only recourse. That's because God doesn't act in our world the way God acts in the Bible. If we seek miracles, we must become agents of change for one another. We must be God's agents here on earth.

Humanity's gravest evil is facilitated by what? All it requires for evil to prevail is the inaction of good people. This phrase has been attributed to many, though its source remains elusive (I have checked). Its accuracy is striking. The hypocrisy of neutrality, so-called "apoliticism," and recusal serve to mask traits such as laziness, cowardice, and fear, thereby providing the primary impetus for well-organized villains to rule over and dominate millions throughout human history.

I do not relish tragedies but prefer narratives where heroes vanquish villains, and good prevails over evil.