On the 16th of February 2020, I made a post with similar title which targeted different audiences. Today I feel like revisit that post in the light of the present day biological war against COVID-19.
Historians among us will remember Emperor Nero. Although notoriously brutal and ineffective as a leader, Nero may not have literally fiddled while Rome burnt because the fiddle was not invented until after about 1500 years later; but whatever he did and who he was prior to and during the fire incident could figuratively equate to fiddling while Rome (again literally and figuratively) burnt.
While the people blamed Nero for the fire outbreak that consumed about 70% of the city, Nero blamed the early Christians. Although he took advantage of the fire to build his own palace and gardens, he slaughtered the early Christians who became his scapegoats. The fire outbreak, behind which Nero hid to annihilate Christians became also the beginning of the end of the reign and the life of the notorious emperor.
Every time you are in a position to make a difference and you fail in that call of duty for whatever reason, you look like Nero, you represent Nero and you could end like Nero. More seriously, history will not be kind to you as is the case with Nero till this day. Also, every time you find yourself in settings where you could use who you are, what you have and what you know to help humanity or represent the helpless and you choose rather to play partisan politics, keep mute or dance to the gallery of nepotism, you are not better than Nero.
The story, and history of Rome under Nero the notorious emperor reminds us today that we are writing history by the deliberations we have here in this platform and elsewhere, but more importantly by the things we do or fail to do. Whatever that expression means to you, whether you take it literally or figuratively, see to it that you do not fiddle while Africa (especially Nigeria) burns.
Maybe it is for this reason that you are here at this time to help get Africa back on the path of progress and development. We must not be parochial when duty calls neither shall we be wimpy in taking decisions and making, if need be, sacrifices that are unprecedented. The mindset with which we approach the issues is very important. If you say you can, then you can. If you say you cannot, you are also absolutely correct.
We need fresh ideas and initiatives so desperately and we cannot push the problems that confront us forward or sideways for someone else…we got to figure them out by all means. So rather than trade blames like Nero did, we need our leaders to take ownership and responsibility on the issues that we have to confront. We need our leaders to carry us along and to communicate to us. There is a need to field our best players, fully equipped with the best of what we have and what we can improvise.
What affects one of us affects all of us because we are all in this war together. COVID-19 has hit us for real and our leaders seem to be hiding. If you cannot lead us from the front during crisis we make bold to declare that we don’t need you in that position anymore, whatever your name or job title is, from Aso rock to Ogbunka. At all levels of leadership we need updates on what you are doing to take care of our people who are infected by corona and those who are at home that have nothing to eat while we hibernate.
We call on the president to show example. This is not time to run to London to treat headache or corona cough. We don’t want Nigerians dying from lack of adequate care during this pandemic. Supplies are already insufficient which means the system has already failed before the battle. The world is watching and those of us in diaspora are waiting anxiously. There is fire on the mountain and we cannot continue to fiddle while motherland burns.
Mezie Okolo is Public Health and Leadership Analyst @mezieokolo.com 03/29/2020