Do-Chop-Go

In the global village of today, one thing that most multinational companies talk about is thinking global but acting local, hence the word glocal. This simple phase has come to see companies restructuring their operations, supply chain, recruitment and marketing to fit the culture of the different countries that they operate in.

I looked at this and thought what if Nigerians have unknowingly adopted a glocal approach into the key area of selfless service in government. The typical Nigerian is so used to bad government caused by so many  years of corruption that he seems to have localized the international concept of selfless service in governance to fit his reality. 

Sometime recently I was speaking to a colleague of mine at work who stated that a certain governor who had been recognized on an international level for doing great work to improve the state would be stupid not to have stolen money. When I queried him on this his reply was this Igbo proverb;

Onye nwetara onwe ya rienu ukwu orji ga e ji si ke kpata nku nke nnukwu maka na omaghi zi ubachi nga enwe uhere ozo ria elu osisi ahu

Translated it means 'he who is fortunate enough to find himself on an Iroko tree should be wise enough to gather all the firewood he can, as that may be his only chance to climb such a tree'

As I pondered on this I came about my own interpretation, Nigerians elect people who climb on the Symbolic Iroko tree of leadership, while they are there, they should do well by throwing firewood and other useful resources that they see on the tree, which was what why they were elected. However, while they are at it they should ensure to take for themselves as well. But at the end of their tenure when it is time to leave, do kindly leave.

From this the Nigerian interpretation of selfless service of 'Do, Chop and Go' emerges.

Nigerians seemed to have agreed to a concession of some their expectations for truly selfless government to this ideology of 'Do, Chop and Go'. That's why you can hear a Nigerian congratulating the governor of a certain state for providing basic necessities that typically should be there but because they have been deprived of it for so long, what would have deemed inconsequential in a developed country is cheered and ahhed in Nigeria.