The bondage is about to fall. Then the people’s liberty and Conscience long tethered on the cross of executive recklessness, poor statecraft and crass impropriety will be freed. A true freedom indeed is what every ‘Nigerian’ yearns for the past fifty four years of perambulation. It is bewitching 1 learn that the ultra-modern city of Dubai (the newly born U.A.E’s commercial hob) of the Asian continent was built to such a marvelous standard with a handsome amount of about USD. $ 19 billion whereas Nigeria the self-acclaimed ‘giant of Africa’ had over the years sunk a whooping sum of about USD $ 21 billion into the graveyard of power sector known formerly with the acronym NEPA now renamed P.H.C.N with no hopes of realizing a steady power supply, the sing song of the roadmap to power reforms notwithstanding. This has more than anything else rendered Nigeria un-developable.
Of course freedom is not easily got on a platter of gold, it often entails a sacrifice of which the encompassing multi-ethnic people of Nigeria have made several commitments of sorts to sustain what obviously appears like a make-believe conjugation of clear incompatibles for a reasonable period of time (from 1904 of the amalgamation of the protectorates of Northern and southern Nigeria). In other words, what appears like a make-shift peaceful co-existence was majorly reinforced by a historical civil war (Nigeria-Biafran Civil War of 1967-1970) which was purported to end in ‘no victor, no vanquish understanding. The veracity of the impending apparent peaceful co-existence in the corporate Nigeria derives impetus from pretentious and cavalier attitude towards the common interest substantiated only by the discernible abundant natural resources particularly the black gold (crude oil) which discovery afflicted the erstwhile agro-economic with an overwhelming mix-grill of fortunes and anathema. Since, the discovery of crude oil, the groundnut pyramids, the cocoa boards and oil palm plantations and farm settlements went into oblivion thereby re-positioning Nigeria from an agrarian based to mono- economic oil rich nation. This disposition saw us smoothly into the alley of economic bondage, political instability and social malaise. Hence forth, the citizens (of which 95% are below the poverty level) are gasping for an indispensable fresh breath of reliefs from mental and psychological slaver. According to Dr. Nelson Mandela, “for to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” True to it, Nigerians have not known freedom or better put, a good part of Nigeria lacks it. For this reason, dissatisfaction and discontentment stare our leaders in the faces.
The citizens are abashed, but, everybody pretends that all is well or one day it will be alright. The waiting for the overthrow of tyranny by patriotism is over-stretching to become like that utopian expectations of the animals in George Owen’s Animal Farm whereby the beasts chant, “Sooner or later the day is coming and tyrant man shall be over-thrown and all the fruitful fields of England shah be trodden by beast alone” The vision of the animals was never realized because their servitude did not end. The precarious situation of things in this country makes one go schizophrenic as though the. masses have become debased to the status of beasts waiting endlessly to overthrow “marikiru. (wicked leadership). A scenario appears where only about five (5) percent of well over a population of 150 million are comfortable, even some stupendously rich, radiating opulence while about ninety five (95) percent struggle and strive to survive. It is increasingly becoming difficult for the poor masses to eke out a living within the confines of a battered and looted economy. But, the plunderers of to people’s common wealth (the super-rich who own oil wells) are equally not at ease because their Loots are only redundant in safe havens of foreign bank accounts where the West make hey days out to them.
Intermittently, the big men make detours overseas only to return home confronted with disarray and lurking danger signalled often times by a looming revolution. Perhaps, revolution is imminent and the system must change. They (the wealthy and rich class) have made their homestead very miserable and uncomfortable that not even their wards are free to relax in their own mount’ Consequently, the nexus that holds the loyalty to the sovereign become weak on daily basis until extend the elastic limit, go broken and dispersed the elements from the compound. Resultantly, that patriotism waned to the extents that nobody is interested in the common heritage, Nigeria.
Subsequently, pretences acid lip-service took over the passion for a union that was long pampered. The political air wave become fraught with agitations of all sorts, rain supreme and no’ criminality being enthrone over and above the sovereign. That was the most dreaded Habbessian prediction of a stage emanating as a fall out of negligent, irresponsible and non-responsive sovereign on the verge of being usurped by the criminal class. This phenomenon is now rearing up its face in Nigeria. That was why the demised literary icon, professor Chinua Achebe displayed resentment with a twice rejection of award of honour of Nigeria’s third most prestigious title (MFR). By this singular act
of turning down offers of National honour twice (first under former President Olusegn Obasanjo) and second under President Goodluck Jonathan still in the saddl e), the story teller, Asiwaju of African literature had proved to the world that truly things have fallen apart in Nigeria, things are no longer ease in every ramifications.
The Nigeria we have today as a country had long ceased to be and become only alive mere imagination of our minds. There was a country, then, when the centre held sway. Once upon a time there was a country the world stood in awe of as a great potential emerging nation. Before things went awry, Nigeria was a country where there was food security and citizens go to sleep with eyes closed even when the doors are not securely latched; where the cities like Owerri, Aba , Onitsha, Umuahia etc have facilities like portable pipe borne water with no need for private boreholes driven by noisy generators; where the school leavers get job offers while awaiting result and graduates have employers knocking at graduation exam halls of tertiary institutions (that churn out only employable but not unemployable graduates as is the case nowadays); where even first class (though mostly questionable nowadays) are roaming the streets looking for jobs in vain. In fact statistics for unemployment hardly make for scintillating reading; rendering where youths were readily empowered and young men and women got coupled in due time.
But, nowadays, things have fallen apart and the centre cannot hold. The average citizen find, it very difficult to survive. Everyday in Nigeria people toil, with scuffed shoes, and tough grit to find what to eat just to keep the body and soul together. It is indeed suffering and smiling as the late Fel Anikulapo Kuti of blessed memory sang it some years back; who also inferred that Nigeria is a Big blind country (BBC). The ghost of evil deeds done by the leaders of the Nigeria nation state is nay, hunting with no one to save the situation except God Almighty.
The Niger-Delta youths went restive in agitation against despoliation and deprivation of that region as the goose that lays the white eggs being the source of the mainstay of the Nigeria’s economy. Before then, way back 1967, Biafrans rebelled against annihilation, marginalization and inequity-which culminated in a pogrom (a civil war that lasted for 30 months from 1967-1970). Recently, and up till date, a group of religious extremists surnamed Boko Haram is unleashing mayhem up in the Northern region in agitations of issue as obnoxious and trivial as for the fact they abhor democracy as a system of government in preference of Sharia laws. At the moment they are on the rampage killing innocent people because they want the Nigeria constitution to be replaced with Sharia laws. This madness has continued for about ten years now traced to Zamfara State’s time at Senator Yerimah as the genesis who demanded to exalt Sharia laws over the above the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The then President Olusegun Obasanjo took such demands with grain of salt and treathed them with kid’s gloves. Today, it has spread across the entire Nor Ii snowballed into what has defied the Federal Military strategy. The next step was the request ft. Islamic non-interest banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Once again, President Goodluck Jonathan took this request for granted and the CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi took it upon himself to establish JAIZ Islamic non-interest Bank as an imposition on Nigerin without qualms. The rest is history.
Recently, the FGN is contemplating on a proposal to convene dialogue with the Boko Haran. But the spokesman of the Boko Haram, Abul Damas confirmed in BBC interview recently that they don’t want amnesty and will not negotiate with FGN on any grounds except they realize their goal. It is startling to know that their demand is to jettison the constitution of Nigeria and allow only Sharia Laws and a system of government based on Sharia laws in place of the new world order (Modern democracy). To this end, we have come to the cross-roads where the bitter truth must be told without fear or favour. Nigeria teeters on the brinks of collapse. It is instructive to mention that a hurining rights group named Billie Human Right Initiative (BHRI) had already taken the FGN to court demanding among other things for the indigenous rights of the Biafrans. May be it has got to the time for the Biafrans now to break loose the bondage of oppression where as in the days of the lsraelite3 sojourning in Egypt God said to Moses “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into good and spacious land Exodus 3:7-10. While the case is pending in an Owerri High Court Law, the members for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) threaten fire and brimstone to return hostility against oil companies in the oil bearing communities. Recently, Gen. (rtd) T.Y Danjuma declared Nigeria a failed state and a former state governor from the North openly invited the military to take over the Government before things go out of hand. All these developments are ominous of one thing; break up point for this country is near. Nigeria will soon be a history to be retrospectively said; there was a country, just as in my childhood times during moonlight tales stories begin with, “once upon a time”
