By Sam Nwaoko

Have you ever seen a white elephant? No…? Not even on the television? Well, I haven’t also seen one and I still wish to see one, even if it is on the TV. I really wish to see what a real white elephant looks like apart from just hearing about it. I first heard about ‘white elephant’ during my secondary education at Holy Ghost, Umuahia. The difference with what I heard back then was that the term ‘white elephant’ was used with the word ‘projects’. The story on the radio that day was that the Imo State government had embarked on “white elephant projects”. It sounded fantastic and somewhat hilarious, but it also triggered me to ask what a “white elephant project” might be. Since that time, I had always wanted to see what a white elephant looked like until I got to the age of reason in which other essentials pulls of life have drawn me away from that dream of a fascinated child.

Even though I haven’t read so much about white elephants, I have come to the settled belief that a white elephant is simply a fable. Maybe, it is a myth or even legend… I haven’t seen one to think otherwise nor for me to be able to say any other thing on my mind about the illusory white elephant. I’m sure it would be a spectacle if I saw one. However, one fact that I have also held on to is the explanation that ‘white elephant’ is derived from stories told of kings of the ancient Thailand. Before the changes that brought about the name ‘Thailand’ in 1938, the Bangkok Empire was known as Kingdom of Siam. Siam kings rode on decorated elephants and they adored the animal as they do today. Stories were that the kings of that kingdom were the ones who had white elephants. “Kings of Siam gave white elephants as gifts to courtiers considered obnoxious. This gesture was in order to ruin the recipient by the great expenses incurred in maintaining the animal.” That is how one source defined its origins. A dictionary removes all doubts of what a white elephant really is: “White elephant is a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is difficult to maintain or difficult to dispose of.”

With the dictionary meaning of ‘white elephant’ as our guide, may I heartily welcome all of us to Nigeria where white elephants are seen roaming both our jungles, villages, towns and cities. In Nigeria, white elephants are no legends, they are really what the dictionary has said they are: Useless, troublesome and difficult to maintain and difficult to dispose of. To further bring home the meaning, I think white elephants are those airports which are synonymous with ostentatious constructions in nearly all the states of Nigeria. The building of these airports by some states is regardless of the necessity of such airports and their viability; they are just constructed based almost entirely on mellifluous language, whims and ego.

Consider the Ekiti Airport inaugurated by Dr Kayode Fayemi just as he was rounding off his second term in office. As humans, we cover or protect that which we agree is dear to us. That is why we cover the hair in the loins regardless of the fact that there is more hair on the head. Oun tó wù wa la n bò, ta ni kò mo pé irun pò lori ju abé lo? A lot of the citizens of the state desire it, but the percentage of those who want the airport is infinitesimal compared to the population of the state. Economic reasons were adduced to give the construction of the Ekiti airport a basis, but a proper analysis of these reasons has not been enough to propel this airport. In essence, beautiful plans and well-couched verbal presentations do not translate to funds which are required for this volume of investment. As things stand, unless the Biodun Oyebanji administration goes out of its way to bring the airport to sound like and be properly called one, Ekiti Airport, so far has turned out to be a proper white elephant. The government and people of Ekiti State are currently pouring oil as libation on the project like one worrisome altar and the end of this is not anywhere clear.

Abia State has also settled for an airstrip, according to Governor Alex Otti. He said he would be managing the airstrip for now and might have to upgrade it to a full-fledged airport sometime soon. Good from a man many have agreed is doing well. However, is it not the same Governor Otti who had been everywhere with his microscope searching for the ‘airport’ his predecessor, Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu said he built? Ex-Governor Ikpeazu spent eight years on the throne as Abia governor and left some of the towns worse than he met them. My prime example is Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the state. There, Ikpeazu made a mess of Port Harcourt Road, a major street in the town, and many other streets and roads. Meanwhile, the Sam Mbakwe Airport, popularly called Owerri Airport is in Ngor Okpala. Ngor Okpala is not more than 45 minutes to Aba and about 50 minutes to Umuahia. But the road is not in a good condition. Both Otti and Ikpeazu desire airport for Abia and act like it is meant for the people and not more for themselves.

Osun has one ‘airport’ too, but the Osogbo Airport is more in a name than it should be in any other thing an airport is meant to be. We have them, white elephant airports all, flung and scattered around the country – in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; in Damaturu, Yobe State; and so on and so forth. Of all the 33 airports listed in Nigeria, how many of them are functional? People know those state governments that had constructed useless and meaningless airports and who, by so doing, have flushed their people’s money and related resources down the drain.

However, of all of these so-called airports, Zamfara State is coming with what would be the mother of all white elephants. When Governor Dauda Lawal announced what he said would be an ‘international airport’ he plans to construct in Zamfara State, many wondered what he was thinking. He said the airport harboured a lot of economic benefits and that its “multiplier effects were quite enormous.” Governor Lawal, in his magnificence, said: “The airport will have a tremendous impact on the ease of doing business and other social interactions in Zamfara.” Again, beautiful speech, but does this (again, mellifluous English) match the reality on ground in Zamfara State? Governor Lawal himself should know this, but who would check him?

Zamfara is one of the states with the worst records in all the negative statistics… Education, security, commerce, healthcare, and all. Insecurity in the state is among the most widely reported and the immediate past administration in the state battled some traditional rulers there who were accused of colluding with bandits and terrorists to decimate their people. The most reasonable thing one had thought Governor Lawal would vigorously pursue was how to create a way to reverse some of the negativities oozing out of the state. The things happening in Zamfara would dissuade tourists from flying to Gusau, or visit Kaura Namoda, Talata Mafara, Bakura and other towns in Zamfara.

Airports, it’s been argued, are an escape from the dilapidated roads that are common features everywhere in the country. Terrorists in Nigeria once proved that you can stop a moving train. The governors, rather than build a country for all, are building airports for themselves. When the roads and rails have all gone bad, the governors have resorted to flying. And one easy way of fleeing from our troubles is to fly above us and land nearest to their fortresses. God dey!