Nigeria: Allowing blood to flow so long

As I grew older on May 5th, one thing I realized is that there is a time in one’s life that one should be able to speak the truth when the truth is needed especially in the face of adversity. My daily experience also taught me that the power of truth is so phenomenal that […]

As I grew older on May 5th, one thing I realized is that there is a time in one’s life that one should be able to speak the truth when the truth is needed especially in the face of adversity. My daily experience also taught me that the power of truth is so phenomenal that it can only be delayed or covered up but cannot be totally subdued.
I see myself boldly yield to the side of speaking the truth, standing by the truth, and defending the truth. I am sure many people out there, on many occasions knew the truth but failed to speak the truth or defend the truth, maybe, because of the fear of losing the privilege of what they benefited for been on the other side of truth.
 As I said earlier, I love Nigeria. I am sure millions of Nigerian citizens love their country too. But it is sad to say that we Nigerians do not love ourselves. I am not trying to start a problem, nor trying to put my country in a bad spot for the world to see. But I feel persuaded to cry out as a sign of warning that Nigeria is heading toward disintegration. The signs are clear and very visible that even a blind man can see.
Since the coming of this killer terrorist group, thousand of law abiding Nigerians have lost their lives as a result of the unlawful activities that they carried out without mercy, remorse, conviction, or respect to human dignity.
As pathetic as this may sound, I believe that nothing else is more important for Nigerian government than to use any available resources within their power to protect their citizens.
Boko Haram insurgency in the north has claimed the lives of faithful clergies and their worshippers, business men, students, commuters, pregnant women, kids, and churches burnt down to ashes.
I watched with dismay the ranting of some youths in Nigeria describing former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as a man for change in 2015. Ironically, Gen. Buhari and other military heads of state that have undemocratically ruled Nigerian for over 15 years are the ones that destroyed the foundation of Nigerian democratic process. It is a shame to see this young generation canvassing and still talking about Buhari as an instrument of change in Nigerian politics instead of them seeking political offices to effect the changes that they so desired.
Gen. Buhari and his military friends had their time in serving this country in different capacity. Buhari as an elder statesman is now supposed to be in an advisor to encourage the new generation that I belong, to seek political interest in order to bring fresh ideas and the needed change to Nigerian democratic system that we all are yearning for. The new generation should be consulting Gen. Buhari for advice if at all he has any to offer.
I am concerned because of the rising tension in Nigeria and that if something is not done immediately to calm down this tension by the government, Nigeria as fragile as it is, will soon break up or worst still, go into revolution like Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria.
I am worried about the hostilities and escalated power struggle. I am worried that our government has done so little to protect their citizens. I am concerned because the innocent people are dying every day and the government is smiling in the face of their blood. I am concerned because there is so much hunger in the country; the rich are becoming richer and the poor poorer. I am concerned because the rate of unemployment is skyrocketing every day. Most importantly, I am concerned because of the high level of corruption and our government is still governed by the same group of corrupt cabal that gives no hope for change.
Moreover, I am very disappointed by the unguarded utterances and strong condemnation of some northern elites on the state of emergency imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. In my candid opinion, if these people could have the face and guts to condemn the action taken by the federal government that is aimed and tailored to bring peace to this region, then they are the supporters of Boko Haram. They are the ones that have no sympathy and respect to their fellow human being. They are the ones that love to see their neighbours die in pain and their country going down the drain on the path of war.
 Let us be candid to ourselves that if majority of the northerners had come together in one voice to condemn the unlawful activities of Boko Haram and cooperate with the government, some of these excesses would have been minimized if not totally weakened.
I am not really a supporter of the state of emergency because of the inflicted pain to the ordinary citizens in carrying out their daily civil responsibility. It will also affect the economic situation of these states with strong adverse effect to the country as a whole especially in a fragile economy like Nigeria. But if this action will be the last resort to bring peace and stability, save lives, and protect the integrity and security of Nigerian states, then LET IT BE!
Every Nigerian has the constitutional right to live and work anywhere in the country. My faith, your faith, or how we look should not be a stigma or a target to be killed or destroyed.
I want to commend the men of the Nigerian armed forces for putting their lives on the line to engage in this fight for peace. I also want to thank the federal government for taking a drastic step in order to stop further killings of innocent Nigerians after allowing blood to flow for so long.
Evangelist Jacob, a gospel radio talk host, wrote from Jonesboro, Arkansas, U.S.A.