At this time of the year, media and other similar organisations chose their Persons of the Year and award and or recognise them for one reason or the other.
The year 2021 was not any different.
Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, has been named Person of the Year 2021 by TheWill Newspaper. The media outlet said it was naming him its Person of the Year because “the real test of individuals in positions of authority anywhere in the world – whether presidents or prime ministers, heads of corporations or educational institutions – is not how much of a smooth ride they had while in office but in surmounting the rough patches along the way.”
For Leadership Newspaper, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are its Persons of the Year
While Osinbajo was chosen for his key role in steadying the ship of state through the storms, and being the steady hand in the stormy and fraught Nigerian political waters in 2021, as well as laying the foundation for the social intervention programmes of the current administration, Okonjo-Iweala’s choice was for raising Nigeria’s place on the global stage, leading to her selection by members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as their top trade official, despite fierce opposition from major stakeholders including world powers like the United States, in spite of a well-oiled campaign of calumny against her and Nigeria by forces that regard all global institutions as their puppet theatres.
The Guardian Newspaper chose President of African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina as its Person of the Year 2021 “… for showing that Nigeria too has qualified and strong men who can develop strong institutions to lead Africa, and the Black race; for making iconic Nelson Mandela to sleep well as an oracle who was persuaded that Africa and the black people of the world would not develop until Nigeria could wake up.”
Abroad, Time Magazine named World’s richest man, Elon Musk its man of the year for his strides in entrepreneurship and contribution to the fight against climate change among others. Time editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal wrote that the recognition “is a marker of influence, and few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on Earth, and potentially life off Earth too. In 2021, Musk emerged not just as the world’s richest person but also as perhaps the richest example of a massive shift in our society.”
As for me, my Person of the Year is the Nigerian, the ordinary Nigerian. The one who has remained resilient, in spite of daunting challenges in the country. I celebrate the never say die spirit of the ordinary Nigerian who has shown rare courage and tenacity in very difficult times.
Those in the throes of everyday survival who comb the streets in search of daily bread.
Those who have survived kidnappers and bandits and those who live every day in fear because they have no where to run to and it is only a matter of time before the criminals catch up with them.
Those who have survived armed robbers on the highways from the Southern to the Northern part of the country.
Those who have survived insurgents and crisis by separatist groups in parts of the country.
Those who have escaped and survived accidents on the many bad roads that dot the entire landscape.
Those who have survived food inflation and have had to adopt unorthodox means of survival such as eating once or twice a day in smaller rations just to stay alive.
Those who have survived the astronomical cost of living and have had to adjust their already poor standard of living to even lower standards.
Thousands of graduates who have become despondent as a result of unemployment.
Those who have borne the brunt of poor government policies and who watch helplessly as those in government fritter away their common patrimony.
Parents and other family members of school children that were kidnapped in their hundreds in 2021, some of who are still with their captors, while state actors remain unbothered.
Those whose lives were lost in needless circumstances.
Those who were lucky to survive the near absence of quality health care in the country while many others died.
Those who may have to in the next few weeks, embark on protests to challenge the removal of fuel subsidy as they did ten years ago during the occupy Nigeria protests, because of government’s refusal to do the right thing at the appropriate time.
These are my Persons of the Year 2021.
Happy New Year!
