For Naija, Sabi Pesin (Know Somebody)

By BARRISTER MONKEY JACKET

This writer was in a gathering of young bright Nigerian minds where the state of the nation was the subject of discussion, issues like the challenges of a Nigerian youth in the country be it educated or uneducated being very similar, the lack of financial power to attend to personal growth and development, the lack of job opportunities bedeviling the labour industry, the turbulent atmosphere one has to face every day to survive, etcetera etcetera etcetera, then someone said, you know in all these wahala mentioned, some youths are still getting it good in this country, and another concluded by saying “for Naija, sabi pesin”.

‘Sabi pesin’ simply put means connection, knowing somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody in the right position, it is believed that any Nigerian youth lucky to find his/herself in this web of connection would sail smoothly despite the tide surrounding the everyday affairs of the country. Knowing somebody before you get what you want, or achieve any meaningful result is now the order of the day and gradually being adopted by the system as a usual way of doing business.

From the palliatives that was provided for citizens during the Covid-19 lockdown that only became known when warehouses were broken into, to employment into Government parastatals/Agencies being reserved for connected members of the public, to benefiting from Government loans and grants, to getting an approval for a contract bid, to even the little things like getting assess to meet a personality, have all fallen under the ‘Sabi Pesin’ syndrome.

The ripple effect of this is that a large number of the populace are left out from truly enjoying the fruits and yield of the Government, so even though the government is performing or not, majority cannot really say, as only a few caught in the connection web benefit directly from what the national cake has to offer. Merit, integrity and academic qualification is becoming irrelevant on the pathway to success, rather just ‘sabi pesin’ and your road go clear.

In my humble opinion, there is no significant difference between an American, European, and a Nigerian, but the way of doing things and conducting affairs have put us at par with one another. The developed countries are doing well because their system runs on institutions that are stronger than any particular individual, policies are implemented and enforced irrespective of persons, even the President of the United States of America, considered to be the most powerful seat on earth is subject to due process of the law, one has to be competent and qualified enough before considering vying for such coveted seat because of the checks already put in place by the system. It is not enough to know somebody alone, you must be competent and equipped enough to do the job, and to my mind, that is how things should be done in Nigeria if we want any genuine change to the systemic errors slowing the pace of our developments.

There should be equal opportunity for all, let those who have put in the sweat to be legit and progressives in a country like Nigeria be rewarded for their efforts, hard work should pay in this country. A nobody with the required qualification should be appointed to offices befitting of his/her status, a poor man’s child who has passed through the four walls of a higher institution (University, Polytechnic, or College) irrespective of condition should not become poorer after graduation.

A wise man once said, we cannot continue to do the same thing over and over again, and expect a different result. We as a country, cannot continue to allow the syndrome of ‘Sabi pesin’ to be the order of the day, and expect the country to fully reflect the policies of the day, simply put, if the right people are not behind the desk, the right result cannot be achieved.

If we all put hands on deck and begin to do things rightly, the system will gradually begin to reset into a place where we have stronger institutions, rather than stronger personalities.

God Speed and God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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