Adopt Change

The difference between the government and the governed here is so seamless that it is difficult to find a crack; the love and patriotism the citizens exhibit is beyond that which is advertorials solicited for. So, what you find is a situation where citizens are ready to fill in for the government in provision and maintenance of infrastructures. For example, there is a program called, ‘Adopt a road’ which allows residents to pick a particular road that they will clean, clear litters, move drainage and generally maintain the road. This is completely voluntary as they do not get paid for rendering this community service.

There is a similar program at home? Well, the environmental sanitation day outlived its usefulness some decades ago and has not been able to transit into relevance since then. Firstly, the environmental sanitation programme was a brain child of the government, forced down our throats in order to discipline us into submission. Discipline we needed, while submission would have come through mutual respect and engagement. Rather than fulfil it’s purpose, it became a useless tradition. Every last Saturday of the month and for three hours the economy is always on lockdown for us to clean our environment. However, the kids use this opportunity to hone their football skills on deserted streets, fathers go for street meetings while mothers seize the time to catch up on latest gist as they prepare for the party that will start after the program. So, nothing gets done and the economy suffers for it.

Primarily and out of sheer mental laziness, government has not been able to re-evaluate this program and assess its continued relevance and functionality. Secondly, the government has not shown enough sincerity in her limited engagement with the citizenry and lastly, the people are weary and tired from shouldering government statutory responsibilities like generating energy by themselves, providing potable water, enforcing personal security and providing Medicare to bother about community services. We may have a point in our seemingly lethargy, if this is viewed strictly from above perspective, but the truth of the matter is that we are the one living in these communities and therefore owe ourselves the duty of making the best out of what we have.

Let the change begins by scrapping the environmental sanitation. And imagine what Lagos-Ibadan expressway will look like if all the religious organizations on that stretch should decide to adopt portions of the road. It is time to make the crooked ways straight!