Our Failing Social Order; Her Fading Crucial Other

 

 

The pockets of preventable deaths due to fire incidences resulting from accidental spillage of gasoline by trucks conveying these highly flammable substances over the past few weeks are proofs of dearth of a vital societal fabric in Nigeria. Poverty, illiteracy and ignorance may have been largely responsible for the unrestrained rush by passers-by to scoop ‘free’ petrol that may unfortunately burst into flames at the slightest trigger, resulting in wanton killings as witnessed across three States recently. Nonetheless the triple excuses I just stated, there is a prevailing decline of social order - a dangerous wave of less observance of standards, values and laws. How come Nigerians living in diaspora, irrespective of their socioeconomic, literacy and awareness status, observe the laid down social order (or earn sanctions) in their respective countries of residence abroad?

Notwithstanding the economic challenges that Nigeria currently experiences, and the policy initiatives being directed at tackling them, our country’s social order is her other crucial developmental trajectory that is failing and significantly limits the country’s progress towards a 21st century nation. Social order is about “how institutions, groups and values work collaboratively to keep a society stable and in order”. As obtainable in every functional society, social order comprises structures, values, standards, and laws by which residents are governed. The cacophony of political, cultural, traditional, religious and social leanings that inform our values and subsequent societal consensus on ‘right and wrong’ as well as poor enforcement of the rule book binding our conduct in these areas have all contributed to Nigeria’s current social mishap. 

However, it may seem insignificant to advocate, through this piece of writing, for government to urgently consider reversing the dearth of social order in Nigeria at this time of pressing economic demands. Conversely, an understanding of the crucial place of this subject in all-round societal progress can justify the need to include this agenda in todays’ priority list of government. All democratically elected Presidents since 1999 have been quick to tout unity and indissolubility of the Nigerian nation as non-negotiable outcomes of their tenures without being intentional about redefining our values, officially adopting these values, enforcement of their implementation across all facets of national life and sanction of offenders regardless of social class. How easy can it be to unite about 400 differing tribes & tongues with diverse cultural values if we do not pause to adopt a minimum set of shared ethos to re-enact our fading social order as a collective entity?

Government appears to be exclusively focused on erecting physical infrastructure (a necessity for development), neglecting the social structure that ought to guide how Nigerians will interact with these roads, rails, power, airports, seaports, hospitals, or even schools to either preserve or destroy them, knowingly or unknowingly. The Yoruba adage that omo ti a o ba ko lo ma ko ile ti a ko ta (the child we do not train will sell the house we built) should inform a new approach to social order to help preserve the hundreds of billions of naira planned for capital expenditure. And wait a minute – what image does a country portray of herself to potential investors when many citizens plying intra-city and inter-city roads find it convenient to throw garbage out of their moving vehicles without fear of backlash from the law enforcement agents? Do investors take seriously, a nation wherein a member of the elite class can arbitrarily shut down a road within his/her community with chairs & canopies erected on that public property for a party? The public indiscipline is one too much.

Therefore, reviving the waning social order is in fact, one emergency declaration yet to be made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The courage with which he announced - “fuel subsidy is gone” should be deployed to proclaim - “social disorder is gone”. If the government of the day ‘declares’ a new or refreshed social order (with set standards) in the following areas and sets in motion a strategic ‘public awareness campaign’ (through National Orientation Agency, States Ministries of Information, public & private media outfits and Civil Society Organizations) and subsequent ‘enforcement’ (through Nigeria Police Force, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, State-owned security outfits), will the ‘orderly’ outcomes not portray remarkable progress of the Nigerian nation in the eyes of the world?

1.      1. Peace & crime-deterring order – Curb rising cases of

o   Cultism among young people

o   Drug-peddling and substance use by all age groups and shades of the society, and

o   “Jungle justice” (gang mob of suspected criminals), and

o   many more

2.      2. Money-related order – Take a decisive stance on

o   Spraying money at social events – Are we condemning spraying of naira at parties to preserve the physical notes & reduce cost of currency maintenance by the Central Bank of Nigeria or because our society no longer condones the intangible effect called get-rich-at-all-cost-for-opulent-display on the psyche of all of us?

o   Naira mutilation at points of trade – wherein some traders and so forth, for instance, squash and stack our national currency in their underwear

o   Money-seeking ritual killings – the psychopathic killing of a fellow human driven by the erroneous belief that such malevolent acts, when done with occultic powers, mysteriously makes the killer wealthy

o   Inflation of government contracts, kickbacks and other fraudulent practices nearly normalized under Nigeria’s public procurement system and perpetrated by political office holders, top civil servants and government contractors, and

o   many more

3.      3. Queuing-related order – Without hesitating to punish offenders, encourage Nigerians and their vehicles to ‘line up’ appropriately

o   in the precincts of restaurants, gas stations, banks, ATMs, airports (check-in; embarkation/boarding; and disembarkation/alighting from an airplane). Wall signs (and other Information Education & Communication materials) promoting ‘queuing’ should be generously available at public places, and

o   many more

4.      4. Road-and-Traffic-related order – Rein in fast-thriving & almost “normalized” habits of

o   Scooping fuel from fallen trucks along highways (arrest and prosecute offenders as “scape goats” and publicize these punitive actions for nationwide deterrence)

o   Construction of roads without drains, shoulders, road linings, evacuation of left over materials used for construction and so forth

o   Bus conductors and “agberos” shouting to attract passengers and hanging themselves across the half-shut door of a moving commercial vehicle

o   Overloading of humans in commercial vehicles (4 people are routinely squashed in the backseat of taxis/commercial cars designed for 3 passengers in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory)

o   Overloading of materials in cars, buses, vans and articulated trucks (For example, timber-bearing trucks called “gbegilodo” in Yoruba, typically bear excess of the felled wood logs while transporting them from the forest to the sawmills) - with the drivers confidently driving past law enforcement agents.

o   Drunk driving – consumption of “taju taju” (intoxicating) drinks particularly “sachet alcoholics” by commercial vehicle operators before and in line of duty (alcohol breath analysers should be a universal tool by law enforcement agents)

o   Non-compliance with traffic lights – a social malady rampant among commercial vehicle operators, VIPs, police & military escorts that are not on any professional operation or call of duty, ambulance drivers and unruly road users.

o   Disobedience to zebra crossings, railway crossings and road signs

o   Driving against traffic (taking “one way”) in several cities

o   Absence of public bus sheds and/or designated ‘drop & pick’ spots along major motorways designed & built by government & her contractors

o   Bearing children on driver’s laps while driving (common among fathers & mothers of toddlers); putting children in the car without observing age-specific safety measures (seat belts or baby carriers) stated in traffic laws

o   Indiscriminate closure and/or blockage of roads for ceremonies (traditional marriages, funerals, birthdays, chieftaincy coronations, religious events etc.)

o   Wandering animals (dogs, goats, chickens, sheep, cows) in semiurban and urban settlements

o   Dog-walking (taking a dog on a walk) without appropriate measures to prevent the dog from attacking defenceless road users, and

o   many more

5.      5. Public sound order – Restrain and sanction the ear-punishing and mental-distressing trend of environmental barbarism demonstrated via

o   noise pollution by hosts & participants of churches, mosques, bars, clubs, lounges, musicians at sociocultural ceremonies (birthdays, funerals etc.);

o   horn-obsessed drivers along our roads

o   noisy generators in homes and business premises, and

o   many more

6.      6. Waste management order – Does our society welcome with open arms,

o   Throwing garbage out of moving vehicles

o   Open burning of domestic, commercial & industrial waste

o   Dumping of domestic, commercial & industrial waste

o   Open urination & defaecation, and

o   many more

7.      7. Physical planning order – Reiterate the Federal, State & Local government physical planning codes about siting

o   Buildings with fire-preventing and firefighting “consciousness”

o   mechanic workshops, vulcanizer posts, petty trading joints, beer parlours, restaurants, event halls, morgues/mortuaries by roadsides, and

o   many more

The list above is inexhaustive. Lest I forget the nuisance created by people who unapologetically and arbitrarily splutter saliva and/or phlegm on the ground without consideration of others in a public bus, along the walkways, marketplaces, through the window of a moving car, and so forth that appears widespread in some parts of Nigeria. Is that a threat to our social order and if yes, how do we curb that unhygienic practice?

Economic and infrastructural redemption aside, social order is Nigeria’s fading crucial other that presents a historic opportunity for Mr. President’s decisive and exigent response.

Dr. Adetolu Ademujimi is a Medical Doctor, Health Finance Specialist, Author, Reformer, Coach, Public Policy expert and social entrepreneur who can be reached in Abuja via adetoluademujimi@gmail.com