My intention today was to continue with races in the country and how they walk the Nigerian experiment without a vision, an ideology to guide their participation contributions and well being in a united Nigeria. Last week, some of you who have become ardent readers of this column would recall that I took on the North and highlighted my love for them just for a particular reason: of all the groups that came into this forced union only the North seems to have an agenda almost all the time. I had wanted to continue to examine the rest but ugly developments which obviously have correlation to this agenda setting efforts began to happen with frightening rapidity, leading to unnecessary bloodbath in some parts of our society and palpable tension across the entire country. I decided to take a look at emerging phenomena, because even drawing from recent history anyone can easily see that the endpoint would be so much bloodshed, violence everywhere and general state of anarchy if the trend, as we currently see them, are allowed to fester for a little while. That is the basis of my intervention, which I hope would throw some light and bring reason to bear especially on the side pushing unreason.
Already, if truth be told, at more than any time, the omission and deliberate commission of some misguided ones amongst us, especially in the leadership cadre, is beginning to take more tolls in every facet of life than at any other time in the history of our country. We have always had economic downturn. Gradually we allowed it to grow to the point where it has become part of nature, we suffer and yet find strength to keep going with a planted smile, but in all those instances life was never as hard it is today.
By the time I put pen to paper last week, official report especially the account from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was emphatic that our country was experiencing negative indices on economic growth. I think in their choice of words they appeared full of charity otherwise given what we know, their observation should been in language that is both strong and reflective of the terrible mess we are in; they ought to have told us in very stern words that our economy is closing in on us and that would have brought the message home and made more sense to everyone, especially those leaving substance to engage in the useless game of chasing shadows.
Hardship has become a permanent resident with us. We are into unprecedented level of rising unemployment, millions wake up each day and not certain where the next meal would come from, yet our leaders in midst this find sense in spending public funds chasing what should be at best private indulgences. State of infrastructure keeps growing worse, power supply is for most times very epileptic as a result of near absence of electricity generation plants can’t be established and those already in existence can’t run profitably. Yet, a leadership that should be concerned about finding quick solution, leaves that to invest attention and of course scarce resources to pursue control of national waterways while our refineries are dead. I am not the one releasing the bad news lest you brand my patriotic assertions hate speech. It was government officials that gave us the news and spoke as if it is not enough trouble on its own.
We deal on imported petrol and so can’t control prices, yet petrol is at the centre of economic growth. Petroleum prices and foreign exchange are competing in terms of instability and attendant hardship, yet we have time to focus on Corporate Affairs and Allied Matters, to see who is not using his money very well. As our leaders go after frivolities, inflation is galloping. Yet, our leaders are busy chasing rats while the house is burning. They are foisting on the people policies that are not properly thought out and pursuing vain hegemonic options at a time other nations are deploying science and technology to make life and living a song worth singing for the great majority of their citizens.
One of the early activities of the government which shook the country and raised tension was the release of a circular on religious matters prescribing tenure for founders of churches. I said that much last week. What that move had to do with national transformation only the Lord God and the government know. Would such create tension and distractions? It is no longer a question. Of course, we all saw the outcome, tension everywhere.
We have been saddled with cattle routes and colony, all these at a time our full attention ought to be on science and technology to attain industrialization and self-sufficiency. We all know one state can house all cows and supply all areas with adequate protein, it can be done but it is no good way to go because it would not promote hegemonic tendencies. Constitution prescribes freedom of expression, but a minister is encouraged to subvert it by means of a broadcast code even when we know ideas come from multiple of counsels.
Leaders commit all manner of crimes, lift flag of poor governance but fear to be questioned. They want to gag the citizens. There is the waterways bill and the new CAMA 2020 under which non-profit organizations can lose their leadership to strange fellows at the raise of one frivolous allegation. It came under the cloak of ease of doing business. What is the relationship between taking someone’s office and ease of doing business? Given where we are, which one is more important to our well being, laws on non-profit organizations or regulations on productive education, healthcare, petroleum, security and agriculture? Why are we not concerned with speed trains and vehicles without fuel, solar energy and the like?
Now Southern Kaduna, North Central and the South East are virtually turning into killing fields. It has been there for sometime but it has gone haywire in recent times and recent weeks. Everyday we wake up to the dastardly news that citizens who went to bed healthy couldn’t wake up next day, not because they were sick or hit by epidemic, but invaded at night by assassins and killed in the most brutal manner.
In the case of Southern Kaduna, a predominantly Christian populated area, the claim has always been that it is a long standing communal clash. Fine, next question would be if cause is identified, how come it has remained intractable? Why is the carnage growing worse especially under these times we see misguided political and religious engineering? Government officials also say it is about revenge attacks. Fine, revenge bids that are so frequent and have determined locations, beat national intelligence agencies hands down and beyond policing and arrest of culprits? Reprisal? How can hoodlums attack schools and seminaries, take hostages, traverse our territory and escape undetected?
When the leaders talk, one can see an orchestrated tragedy designed to achieve a predetermined end. Presidency talks of revenge bids yet no quick measures to find what the cause really is and to deal with it decisively. Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State comes out worse in all of this. I watched him on Channels television talk about the Kaduna killings. One could be tempted to take him as co-conspirator; he was temperamental and judgemental. He felt the natives were not in tune with citizenship against indigeneship; the governor is educated but failed woefully to appreciate that a constitution that should emphasize citizenship, the rights and stop there also promotes indigeneship.
Citizens are being murdered at home in their sleep, yet Governor El-Rufai says it is nothing abnormal because there are massacres taking place in Zamfara, Sokoto, Benue, Plateau and Bornu states.
Which leader assumes such posture when lives are destroyed this way? He says he won’t talk with local leaders because all they want is money. This man told us he went after foreign barbarians and gave them money to go away and stop carnage in the country. Hmmmmm! He talks about punishment but not by way of what his administration has found but via work of a commission of inquiry constituted by military regime nearly 30 years ago. Asked if he visited the areas to ascertain things first hand, he replied that there was no need since security agencies go and report to him.
El-Rufai knows he runs a deeply plural state but see how he has helped the situation: he replaced a Christian deputy governor with a Muslim; the Speaker of the State Assembly is a Muslim, all senators and two ministers are Muslim. This is the make up and yet he wonders why peace is elusive. He ought to know peace is not a gift, it is a choice. It is nurtured.
In South East, a group of men branded as IPOB were stormed in a gathering and live ammunition pumped into them. IPOB may be proscribed and the case still at Appeal Court, my contention is: is there no way our country can deal with citizens with divergent views who don’t bear arms? Do we lack ability to handle civil situations without shooting citizens in the manner of hunting bush animals for food? There should be an end to killing Igbo youths just any how. Enough should be enough!
Truth is all these would not stop except all of us resolve to rise and say, No more, enough is enough. Hmmm.