The most haunting
words I have read on Facebook are the words penned by one of the
martyred youth corps members, Ukeoma Aikfavour, who had served in the
restive north of Nigeria. Thinking that the worst was over and perhaps
a few hours to the mindless termination of his life, he had written
these words:
“Na wao! This CPC
supporters would hv killed me yesterday, no see threat oooo. Even after
forcing underaged voters on me they wanted me to give them the
remaining ballot paper to thumb print. Thank God for the police and am
happy i could stand for God and my nation. To all corps members who
stood despite these threats esp. In the north bravo! Nigeria! Our
change has come.”
The stories that
continue to emerge from the post election violence reveal the depth of
depravity of the urchins, the rascals whose passion for human blood was
unleashed on innocent youth corps members and on persons of different
ethnic extraction and religious persuasion. The nation can, however,
take consolation in the heroic stories of Muslims who protected
Christians at a great risk to their lives. Such Nigerians should be
applauded for showing immense courage in the face of these acts of
barbarism.
If the report of
the refusal of the authorities of Yusuf Bala Usman College of Legal and
General Studies, Daura, Katsina State, to provide a bus to ferry youth
corps members to a secured camp is true, that marks another case of
insensitivity, an abhorrent behaviour, that could have exposed these
young Nigerians to harm had not a Good Samaritan stepped in to pay for
commercial buses to convey them to safety. The repeated inability of
our security forces as well as emergency agencies to help at this
critical moment illustrates a huge capacity deficit.
The low level of
care and security provided for these youth who served as ad hoc
personnel of INEC in the elections leaves much to be desired. These
youth were posted to northern Nigeria to serve the nation and not to be
hacked, brutally murdered and burnt on account of the electoral
process. It is nauseating to note that in Gombe State, one of the
earlier flashpoints, the mayhem began on the basis of the fact that the
margin of victory of the CPC over the PDP was not as wide as they had
wished. A similar trend equally emerged in Kaduna, shortly afterwards.
Apparently, for
these folks, victory or loss can provide convenient cover for
destruction. It is time for all parties to realize that in this season
of bloodshed, tears and sorrow, there will be a tomorrow. This is basic
wisdom if any party hopes to stay as a platform for national unity,
drawing support from across the nation.
The duty and onus
of responsibility for quelling the raging flames lie heavily on the
shoulders of our president. While it may be rather far-fetched to call
for a state of emergency to be declared in northern Nigeria, we cannot
overlook the fact that the dire situation warrants mobilisation of
military forces to check these violent outbursts before the nation is
engulfed in another senseless and unwarranted orgy of destruction.
Looking at the
electoral framework in our country, we must be thankful that for a
candidate to win the presidential poll, the person must secure at least
a quarter of the votes cast in two-thirds of the states of the
federation and the Federal Capital Territory, apart from securing a
majority of the aggregate votes cast. If victory were to be dependent
on just the winning of a majority of the votes cast, then it would have
been a different ball game.
The 2011 elections
may not be perfect, but it has clearly been seen as a huge improvement
over past efforts. Only a person to whom wrong is right and right is
wrong will refuse to acknowledge this.
My heart aches each
time a new story emerges from the sufferings of the victims of the post
election violence. When I recall that I have enjoyed living in and
making Edo State my base over the past three decades on account of
being posted there for National Youth Service, the essential usefulness
of the programme as a unifying force is real to me. Today, I begin to
have doubts, and do support the need for the evaluation and redesign of
the scheme. I am still pondering what my response would be if any of my
children is posted to serve in restive northern Nigeria. I know they
would have to decide for themselves, but a parent’s duty is also to
ensure that evil hordes and their sponsors do not kill the dreams of
our children who wish to serve their motherland.
Goodluck Jonathan’s call for all to step up to the rebuilding of the
nation is apt at this time when the smoke of battle can becloud our
sense of purpose. We urge the president to go beyond the promise of
compensation for the victims of the post election violence and take
steps to honour the youth who lost their lives while providing heroic
service to the nation in these hostile times.
