It is only a person in coma that will not perceive the palpable fear that now pervades our dear nation. Never before has this nation been in this kind of dilemma since it gained independence from Britain in 1960. Though we have had all kinds of challenges that included religious, political and economic crises and, even, a civil war, yet we have never been so threatened.? The situation is, nonetheless, accentuated by the ongoing nationwide strike and continual bombings and killings across the country. As indicated above, never in the history of our developmental democracy have we lived in such perilous times! In fact, it is agreed that unless something drastic is done very fast, the situation could degenerate into a tragedy of mindboggling proportion.
What is more worrisome is that everybody seems to be handicapped by the sad incidents that have characterized life in Nigeria, especially in recent times. From east to west, north to south, the story is the same. Nowhere is safe any longer. True to Hobbes postulation: life has become increasing brutish in Nigeria. While insecurity has assumed a frightening dimension, poverty has almost become a way of life for many hapless Nigerians.
Wherever one goes the tale-tall signs of the moral degeneration and confusion that have become our lot in recent times stare one in the face. Nobody seems to have any answer to the puzzling and unfolding drama. All that people have done is to resign to fate and wait for solution to drop from the sky as it did in the days of Moses and the Israelites.
What is happening in Nigeria today is very unfortunate. See how our leaders have turned a once-serene, peaceful country into a theatre of absurdities, with innocent citizens mowed down by their fellow citizens in cold blood in the name of politics, religion and tribe. The northern part of Nigeria is now a killing field with lives snuffed out with impunity by street urchins, rascals and fundamentalists.
They call it terrorism! If terrorism is allowed to take root in Nigeria – a multi-lingual and cultural nation with over 450 ethnic groupings – who will survive?
Has anybody spared a thought about what the consequences will be if we allowed the kind of terrorist activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan to happen in Nigeria? The Boko Haram insurgency has exposed our vulnerability as a nation. How ready are if a war situation arises tomorrow? Do we have the capacity to curtain any external aggression from a neighbouring country? These are salient issues we should consider with every seriousness and passion.???
I have been wondering why Nigeria should be in this state of belligerency nearly 52 years after independence and with all the resources available to us? I have asked this question because I hear some people threaten the excision of some sections of the country for reasons that bothered, in my thinking, on sheer ignorance, arrogance and myopia. Probably, those that threaten to destroy our nation are not aware of the enormous personal sacrifices our founding fathers made to nurture this country into an independent nation. If they did they would have been more human and cautious in their utterances.
How can a Nigerian ask another Nigerian to leave the place he has been resident for several years or be killed?
This is the height of intolerance and angst. Why can’t we cohabit together in peace and harmony as a people with a common heritage? After all, is the sky not too wide for two birds to collide? Nigeria is one of the largest nations in the world, in terms of land mass and population, yet it carries itself like a toddler. Why can’t we harness the abundant natural and human gifts God has bestowed upon us to our own benefit?
Ironically, every good gift God has given us has been turned into a weapon of destruction or agitation. Look at what oil has caused us? It has created restiveness, division, and caused incalculable harm to human lives and our national economy. Who owns the oil that is threatening to wipe us out of the face of the earth? Yes, it is geographically located at specific places, but it is a product that God, in his mercy and grace, has given us for the benefit of all. The gift of God is diverse and multifarious, and that is why he has chosen to bestow it on whoever he so pleases. To the north, he gave groundnut, cattle, tomatoes, beans, etc.; to the east, cashew, palm oil, cassava, assorted fruits, etc.; to the west, he gave cocoa, kola-nut, etc.; and to the south, rubber, oil, aquatic animals, etc. In all of these, his intention has been that each should utilize its own gift for the good of all. This is why he allows his sun to shine on both the good and the bad.
The fuel subsidy removal and the attendant upheavals it has caused in the past few days are all signs of a nation in search of self-reinvention. Why should a policy such as fuel subsidy removal grind to a halt the economy of our nation? It has happened because of the attitude of both the leaders and the led to the survival of Nigeria. Where is the patriotism we profess everyday with such intensity and ardour if we cannot collectively work for the development of our nation. When one listens to the way some of us speak one would be scandalized by the threats, arrogance and bravado. Who is man that he should speak with such airs around him? Is it not this vain world that is passing away?
In any case, I am compelled to ask: How did we get to this messy state in our national life? At what point did the journey become awry? For good 52 years we have tried unsuccessfully to create a semblance of a united country.
What we have got in the end are half-hearted results. The various constitutional conferences convened to fashion a functional style of governance have not achieved the desired goals. Rather the bond of unity among the diverse ethnic groups that make up corporate Nigeria has been stretched to a point of elasticity. What then happens if the bond breaks abruptly? Will we be able to contain the negative consequences that may follow? It is always simple for people to threaten the break-up of the country.
Yes, it looks simple on paper, but very complex in execution. Nigeria of today is quite different from the Nigeria of the pre-Civil War, when many did not know what it meant to live together in peace and harmony. We may be slow in developing, caused by the greed and lack of foresight of our leaders, but we have achieved some measure of success all the same. At least, we command a place of prestige in global politics and economy. Nigeria may not be as rich as the United States or its colonial masters, United Kingdom, but we cannot be said to be poor.
It is an aberration to refer to Nigeria as a poor country. We are not poor, I repeat. What they refer to as poverty is what I have chosen to call ‘misruled nation’. If the enormous resources that abound in the country had been judiciously utilized we would have ranked among the first 5 top economies in the world. How long did it take China, Singapore, Taiwan, or even South Africa to be where they are? I find it offensive when Nigeria is compared to smaller countries such as Ghana, Seychelles, Mali or Burkina Faso. These were countries that depended on Nigeria at some point in their national development to find their feet. Today they are flexing muscles with Nigeria. What an irony!
In last week’s piece entitled: 2012 is unpredictable, I made allusion to the gathering storms over the political firmament of this country. I warned of unpalatable consequences should the leadership not take immediate measures to enforce normalcy and order. Less than three days after the warning, things have started happening in quick succession. As I have always insisted, I do not want to be dragged into the fuel subsidy imbroglio since I do not claim monopoly of knowledge in the dynamics and politics of oil. Those who are versed in it should be allowed to school us on what it entails for both the nation and the ordinary man. In my elementary knowledge about subsidy what it means is that government bears the cost of a percentage of what it takes to bring in refined fuel into the country. This percentage is yearly appropriated and built into the national budget. This is the much I know about subsidy. To the ordinary man, subsidy means his own direct share of the national cake. I have also seen some highly-placed Nigerians that think in the same manner. To them, therefore, the removal of subsidy on fuel amounts to taking away their common patrimony. And they are ready to die for it.
Curiously, the majority of those I interviewed on the propriety or otherwise of the subsidy removal opined that the intention was right, but the timing wrong. I do not see anything wrong if government could do anything to check the current threat to our national sovereignty, even if it involves swallowing the bitter pill. No amount of sacrifice is too much to make for the peace, security and unity of our dear fatherland. Those who engage in undue audaciousness and bold-face should know that the interest of Nigeria supersedes any other interests – be it tribal, political or religious.
President Goodluck Jonathan faces an acid test in the way he handles the present crisis. The hallmark of a great leader is to know when to apply the brakes. The confidence that Nigerians placed in him by the gargantuan votes they gave him during the elections should make him think the people first. I know of his burning desire to move Nigeria out of the woods – which is sincere and patriotic. But I urge him to carry the people along. That is the essence of democracy. It is only in a military or autocratic government that things are done with fiat. What the occasion calls for now is further consultation with all the relevant stakeholders.
Allowing fifth columnists and other misfits to hijack the situation will create a bigger problem for the nation. Already security agencies are accusing some persons of sponsoring the crisis for their own self-aggrandisement, which is why government is ready to deal with them decisively as the occasion demands. We all know the consequence of allowing security agencies to apply brute force to suppress any insurrection. There will be bloodbath and catastrophe. Reports from across the country indicate that confrontations between protesters and security agencies have led to loss of lives and injuries. And the casualty figures will keep rising so long the crisis lingers.
Nobody should pretend that all is well with Nigeria. Nigeria, sincerely speaking, is sitting on a keg of gunpowder, which may explode with dire consequences if the government chooses to close its eyes to the agitations and sensibilities of the people.
As citizens, we have a duty to show restraint in the face of adversity by not doing anything that will jeopardize our nascent democracy. We should avoid violence and any action that will destroy the progress we have recorded so far. If out of anger we destroy our nation, do we have another? Nigeria is all we have and we must guard it jealously. What is happening today should not be allowed to lead us into another civil war, because no nation fights two civil wars and survives.
We should also spare a thought for the economy which is receiving all the pummelling since the strike began. From available data the nation loses N320 billion daily. As at the time this piece was being written the nation must have lost over N1 trillion. The longer the strike goes, the more losses we incur. It is as simple as that.
In all sincerity, the people have every cause not to trust government with all its promises, because of the experience of the past. Nevertheless, I think the present government may mean well going by some of the actions it had taken since it came into office. Again, knowing who President Jonathan is, I believe he will not allow the situation to degenerate to such a level. It will not serve him or us any useful purpose. In the contrary, it will inflict deep pain on us and polarize our nation. Who knows, it may even cause Nigeria to caput. God forbid!????????????????????????????
Nigerians think! ?