Within the last two weeks or even one month Nigeria has recorded and is facing, and contending with a refugee problem comparable only to the Biafran-Nigerian civil war days.
At least in the day of the civil war, the direction of the attack of the enemy can be predicted. People even prayed for night fall which temporarily halts advance of the attack until the next day. The rain also was very helpful in inhibiting the fast movement of the enemy. The real trouble with the Biafra/Nigeria war was that the attacks were from air, land and sea.
These days when we are suppossedly in peace, even though we have never really had peace; not with the rampant attacks of Boko Haram, kidnappings and armed robberies we are also having, and are contending with another form of air, land and sea invasion on Nigerians.
The greatest danger being that neither the night nor the rain inhibits the enemy, instead they both aid and make more severe the enemy’s attack, advance and impact on the populace.
The rain came through the air and joined the sea and they both are handing out very deadly and cruel blows on the land and the people therein.
Suddenly Nigeria is having too much water more than she needs has ever had at least since her independence.
The enemy just like that soldiers of the civil war days has no respect for the rules and regulations. Only one language is spoken. Attack the land, destroy all that is within reach, from the houses to house owners, kill and destroy their means of livelihood including their neighbor creatures that make up the ecosystem.
Initially thought that the situation was to teach us Nigerians, how to swim because we behaved like people who have never seen water before and so, could not grab any of the Olympic numerous swimming gold medals. Please leave silver and bronze medals alone.
However innocent houses that have been in the localities for decade of years began to collapse and go down on tethered goats, not leaving out mother chicken and the chicks, and hitherto hiding bush animals of various descriptions began to float, it became obvious that things here have gotten out of hand.
The only explanation that has so far been given is that floods are ravaging Nigeria.
The Niger-Benue Rivers which have been here with us with there fishermen neighbors even before their fabled discovery by Mungo Park, are presenting new and bizarre experiences talking of Niger angry flowing its banks and the question will be, is there a River Niger in Akwa-Ibom,Cross-River, Bayelsa and Edo States?
For the floods in Adamawa we blamed the dam in Cameroon. For the flood in Kogi we are blaming the angry rivers Niger and Benue.
Our style has always been to blame someone or something else and derive satisfaction and pretend to be free of any blames in our morbid conscience.
This is exactly the way we behave. Meterologists kept warning about the impending doom and floods arising out of climatic changes and so called global warming. Of course, we do nothing until we see something; yes we could not do anything for prolonged degradation and deprivation of the land and people of the Niger-Delta region until we saw their youths rise up in arms.
Our Emergency Management Agencies and Ingenuity is zero because we will always appear taken unawares and therefore helpless.
As it tends now food shortage is beconing in more than 20 states of Nigeria because all their preserved food materials and the once ready for harvest have been washed away by floods.
As usual we would do nothing until the children begin to die at their mothers back because of hunger and consequent malnutrition, God forbid it.
The Okene-Lokoja-Abuja high way has been under construction since Abuja became the Federal Capital Territory and because we saw nothing the road was left to the whims and caprices of the contractors.
Actions and reaction are equal and opposite so we only chose to react than proact. Unfortunately the reactions come after the action and perhaps preventable harm and damages have been done.
The other day God saved Nigeria, the embarrassment of a National disgrace over a distressed quarter passenger air airliner had the plane crash landed and burst into flame we definitely would have been disgraced. One NEMA official, after we had been spared of the accident was explaining the measures they took on ground to prepare for the emergency. As he kept talking on the TV I kept laughing because the very fore fighting vehicles he was enumerating was the very ones that operate even inside Lagos Island with out water to part off common domestic fire incidents.
Hear this!!! The Meterologists as the Bible will put it say it is only “one woe over and there cometh another” because heavier rainfall is expected.
So what remedial measure are being contemplated? The present, flood has neither dried up nor reseeded and when more flooding occurs areas hitherto untouched might become victims thus increasing the number of refugees, their demand for all things that make life meaningful since they have lost all to flooding.
After now there will be no harvest in December because planted crops have been washed away and the ecosystem destroyed or disoriented. May be we shall call in the United Nations to help out in checkmating our air, land and sea invasion since all have compired to expose the gross inefficiency of this land entity called Nigeria.
Where the Christians to declare OPERATION ELIJAH, to halt the rain some will say, but we prayed for the rain, the former rain and the later rain,a prayer to which nobody in Lokoja, Agenebode or Ogbaru will say Amen! At least not for now. No time for jokes. It is a season that calls for concern because the effects now and more after now would be severe. No Nation has ever suffered serious air, land and sea invasions without seeing the scars many years after. It is not enough for ministers and National Assemble men to go and see. They should reture to do something.
