If…

If we continue to bring home ant-infested firewood (thanks, Achebe) we certainly shall be visited by a horde of lizards. As we drill into the very foundations of our country with gusto in the name of politics, we are losing Nigeria little by little without realising it. Many of those who have been openly wishing […]

If we continue to bring home ant-infested firewood (thanks, Achebe) we certainly shall be visited by a horde of lizards. As we drill into the very foundations of our country with gusto in the name of politics, we are losing Nigeria little by little without realising it. Many of those who have been openly wishing that the country would do them a favour by imploding have not bothered to consider what their status would be in other parts of Nigeria should their wish come true. Wole would require a visa to visit Kano; Emeka would require a residence permit to work or trade in Lagos; Abdulkadir would require permission to take his cattle for grazing in the new countries of the South. Crazy!
I concede that there is another powerful argument to the contrary: that it is better Nigeria was split into several countries which could turn out to be good neighbours than to continue the present cobra-versus-mongoose charade. What that argument fails to address however is what becomes of the diet of hate we have fed our children about people outside our own ethnic groups? Have we not unwittingly created fertile grounds for the festering of strife between our various peoples even if they were to be grouped into several brand new nations? Anyone who doubts the seriousness of this point should please check what our young people are posting online. Some parents have so narrowed the worldview of their children that all these young people see in groups outside their village circle is hate.
In the name of politics we have completely lost fellow feeling, preferring the brotherhood of fellow West Africans to that of fellow citizens. It hadn’t always been this way. The return to democracy in 1999 was supposed to enable us bring out the best potentials of our people to forge ahead as one nation and make Nigeria take its rightful place in the comity of nations. But we have stood politics on its head instead. The fight for political space has become so deadly that the actors don’t mind if there would be no Nigeria after them.
If the prediction of doomsday forecasters that Nigeria would disintegrate in 2015 comes to pass, it will be against the sturdy opposition of chroniclers like us who still see sense in the contention that it is better to be part of one successful big enterprise than to be sole proprietor of a tiny shop. Isn’t that the logic of publicly quoted companies?
You want to gauge our level of national consciousness? Check out the reaction of various groups to the Boko Haram terror. Some people think it is a Northern problem. Pontificating from the reassuring safety of their remote villages hundreds of kilometres from the theatre of war, they think the madness will never get to them, as if insanity has borders.
I have news for you. If you kept quiet when Boko Haram was slaughtering fellow human beings; if you sneered at the inability of our soldiers to rout the terrorists; if you celebrated the declaration of an Islamic caliphate in the North-East of Nigeria by Boko Haram; if you ever shared conspiracy theories about the truth of the abduction of innocent female students from Chibok by the terrorists; if you ever believed that all that is happening with regard to Boko Haram terrorism does not concern you — here is my prediction: One day, at the rate they are going, the terrorists will knock on your door.
Then your lamentation may well be an adaptation of the great German pastor and theologian, Martin Niemoller’s famous lines:
First Boko Haram came for the Chibok girls, and I did not speak out, because I was not from Chibok;
Then they overran parts of the North-East, and I did not speak out, because I was not from the North-East;
Then they bombed churches and outlawed Christianity, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Christian;
Then they slaughtered Muslims like rams, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Muslim;
Then they declared a caliphate, and I did not speak out because my village was not affected;
When they eventually bombed my village, there was no one left to speak out for me.
Thanks to those who have been speaking out against this novel form of raw evil. I am particularly impressed by the intervention of Col Abubakar Umar Dangiwa for whom I have great admiration. In his latest press release, Umar admonished as follows:
“Nigerians irrespective of our religious and ethnic differences, at home or in diaspora must feel threatened and act accordingly, against this growing threat of BH insurgency. We must be psychologically and emotionally involved in the war against BH. It is a task that we must do while we still can. The BH cancer must be prevented from metastasising. For an effective war against the insurgents we must resolve to do the following:
“Show unity of purpose by stopping all divisive recriminations as to which group of Nigerians is responsible for the emergence and support of BH. It is not true that the Federal Government is behind the BH, or is any anti-President Jonathan politician responsible….
“More than ever before, Nigerians must be security conscious. Politicians must desist from using our security challenges to score cheap political goals. They must also show example by refraining from excessive celebrations during their electioneering campaigns….”
Wise words! If we choose to step back from the precipice as one people with a singular purpose, a thousand Boko Harams will vaporise like snowball in a furnace. Only if…!

Nigeria vs. Congo

I watched the Nigeria-Congo match with my heart in my mouth. Sweet is the taste of victory. I thought the Congolese coach, Mr Claude Le Roi suddenly aged within the 105 or so minutes the match lasted, as if the two goals scored by Nigeria added 20 years to his age. Thank you, Super Eagles!