Romancing regrets

My response was that it was difficult, nigh impossible, to join the sing-song of self-worship and praise-singing that has come to define us in Nigeria today.  I also pointed out that in all my writings, no matter how depressing some of them may be, there are always recommendations and admonitions for us to do the […]

My response was that it was difficult, nigh impossible, to join the sing-song of self-worship and praise-singing that has come to define us in Nigeria today.  I also pointed out that in all my writings, no matter how depressing some of them may be, there are always recommendations and admonitions for us to do the right thing.  The article on the extinction of the black race was essentially a wake-up call that it is either we unite and be wise, or we perish!  It may not be until a hundred or a thousand years, but EXTINCTION is where the current state of helplessness and mindlessness of countries like Nigeria is pointing.
Perhaps in affirmation of my fears, MEND decided to bomb Nigeria’s 50th anniversary.  Whatever the reason was – political or economic – and whoever was responsible, the fragile soul of this country was ripped apart and trampled upon on that day.  And if we are not careful, Nigeria will go downhill from there! The significance of bombing a country’s golden jubilee should not be lost on anyone. Nigeria was declared a DISASTER ZONE forever, on that day.  A war was officially declared!  Foreigners will give this country an even wider berth! A bloody Golden Jubilee?  Even by international terrorism standards, that was a dire statement!
Back to Lake Victoria, my friend, Ma’aruf Ibrahim, offered me even more insight.  Said Ma’aruf in a text to my phone; “On a broader context, Lake Victoria is in the Great Lake region controlled by Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and to a lesser extent, Burundi and Rwanda.  In addition to the Nile Perch, Britain’s ignoble Treaty has banished these countries from using the water of the lake, so that it can feed the White Nile!  The objective of this Treaty is to provide all-year-round irrigation for British farmers in the Nile’s fertile alluvial valleys which are proximate to the Mediterranean sea, hence easy transportation of harvests to Britain.  It is also intended for effective lordship over Suez Canal, Strait of Gilbraltar vis a vis the entire ancient Mesopotamia and Andalusia…

“The Suez Canal shortened the sea route by 5,000 miles; from India to the UK.  Ships no longer have to circumnavigate Africa.  Though developed by an Anglo-French consortium, in 1956, late President Gamal Abdelnasser expropriated it but there was war!  Russia came in to assert its cold war and influence in Africa. It collaborated with Egypt to build the Aswan Dam to the chagrin and ire of Britain and the USA.  We black Africans should heed the words of Bob Marley; ‘AFRICA UNITE’, else we perish… Black Africans are blindfolded by tribalism, and religious (bigotry), which are inconsequential to their emancipation from the shackles of racism, occidental imperialism, Arab expansionism, and in recent times, oriental rapacity”
Wow!  I advised Ma’aruf to challenge himself to commence writing full articles so that his race and Nigeria, could benefit from his vast knowledge. 
Back to the present and Nigeria’s future.  I’m thankful that at least a core few understand my messages and their urgency.  I will urge all to take a deep breath and think carefully about what is going on, so that we do not live to regret once again.  I know for a fact though, that Nigerians do not mind regrets.  For we repeat same mistakes over and over again, with increasing fatality.    The light we think we are seeing at the end of the tunnel, may be the lights of an oncoming speed train.  The silver-lining in the stormy sky may be the panel of an oncoming plane.
The story is told by another friend of mine, Labaran, of when he went to coordinate an election in one of the many nomadic communities in the north of Nigeria.  The nomads had told the officials that voting will not take place on that day.  Why? They said the political parties had to pay.  For they were not going to see the politicians again until after four years.  So the political parties (PDP and ANPP) paid up and agreed to share the votes equally.  But before you could say Jega!, PDP showed up with more money (for they owned the government), and so were allocated 75% of the votes to ANPP’s 25%.  Elections (laughs…) had been had, and a winner was declared!  Before tribal bigots go into overdrive, it must be said that this is what happens in most rural communities all over Nigeria not only in the north, and that is when you even have peaceful proceedings!   

So my point is that if after Jonathan’s presidency, which some say will last till 2015, but if the man has shown that he could be pushed to abandon a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ for the north to keep on until 2015, could actually be extended to 2023 (for he will start his own ‘original’ 8-years tenure after using Yaradua’s own till 2015, ending in 2023); if after his tenure Nigeria is sociologically the same, with the kind of ‘vote sharing’ above still going on, then the issue of zoning will rear its head in a lethal, unstoppable fashion!
I’ve seen it before, where Nigerians will act without thinking about the future.  I’ve seen it before when so called ‘leaders of thought’, ‘corporate gurus’, ‘captains of industry’, ‘intellectuals’, ‘religious leaders’, ‘top columnists’ and so on, set their countries on fire because they chose to be myopic when what the situation demanded was open-mindedness.  And I think this time we have crossed the Rubicon, as it is evident in the unprecedented desecration of Nigeria’s anniversary – a dark, new chapter in Nigeria’s history, and a confirmation to the world that we are a bunch of hopeless people. 
What we require is broad-mindedness.  Each time we allude to the ‘sanctity’ of the voting system, or fantasise about free and fair elections, we are only imagining things from the angle of a minority of ‘enlightened’ Nigerians.  When we say things like ‘who cares where the president is from so long as he performs?’, we are only speaking for ourselves and the educated few.  The vast majority, who are illiterate, poor and manipulatable do not care whose ‘brother’ is there as president, governor, local government chairman or councillor.  These majority are the ones who come out and riot.  They are the ones who carry out tribal and religious violence.  You and I, who ‘blow grammar’ in the comfort of our lush sitting rooms, will cower when the violence starts.  And since Nigeria may not be able to transform all of those people overnight, not even in the 16 years that Goodluck may rule, then we must be extremely careful, not to misuse this power of ‘incumbency’.
For many things have spoilt on our continent.  And that is why we are at this crossroads today.  It is our reality, and we must be realistic and reasonable in order to get out of it.  Alas, we daily search for quick fixes and silver bullets, instead of commencing the long and arduously slow journey to our salvation now.  As we search for quick fixes, many people pull back the project because of their tunnel vision.  If it doesn’t favour them NOW, then it should not see the light of day.  Even I, many times, regret being a Nigerian.  But being black, being Nigerian, presents me with the best opportunity today, to make a difference in the world.  Even though Nigeria is a basket case!