Strange? But talking seriously, this Nigeria must die. Its high level of toxicity can no longer be tolerated. It has to go. This is not sounding alarmist. It’s the way out.
Nigeria has to go through the process of death. Great nations in one form or the other once experienced death. And they came out clean and clear. That’s why they are where they are today. Toxicity
We feared the needful. We are scared of doing the necessary. We are at pains in sticking to the right things. In this absurd clime of ours, we are not bold enough to confront our challenges.
And these obstacles are obvious and legion. We have them in careless abundance. Nothing works for us here anymore. Everything is broken, everything is missing.
Wanted: A new Nigeria! There must be a complete break from our ugly past. We ought to have learnt our bitter lessons earliest. We must turn a new leaf.
We need to do things differently. This path that we tread is not it. We’re missing it every second. We have walked this road wrongly enough.
Let’s honestly examine our way. Are we truly on course? No, not even remotely. Real reason this Nigeria must die for new things to spring up.
We insist: Our old, odd, awkward, absurd ways of life must pass away. All things must become new. And that is biblical. It’s divine.
Take it or leave it. We are under perpetual alarm. No alert. The situation is permanently out of control. Everything is upside down.
Sincere apologies to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. That our legendary musician of all times. A genuine patriot. He devoted his life to us. He literally donated it.
Almost in all his records and on stage. He saw today. And he did warn us. He was a seer of sorts. All he told us years back have come to pass. They became even more profound in the last seven years.
What had Fela not said? Practically nothing. He yelled. He “yabbed.” He shouted. He cried. We simply chose to ignore him. At our own peril of course.
All governments hated him with uncommon passion. They persecuted him throughout his chequered life. He was never allowed to rest. He never gave up until cruel death snatched him from us.
So? Whatever remains of Nigeria must die! That will pave way for an unfeigned new Nigeria. It has to be by choice. Not by compulsion. It must be voluntary. Not by military fiat.
We need an un-hypocritical Nigeria that we can call ours. Not this jaundiced, fake, bogus and insincere geographical expression. We have to be very critical about our intention.
There are certainly no two ways to it. It’s either we want it or we don’t want it. We have to interrogate all issues involved. No stone should be left unturned.
We have to sincerely identify the cornerstone(s). And effectively build on them. There is no pretension. There should be no deceit. There is urgent need for an honest change. Yes, in our tactics and attitude.
Let’s resolve a resolution. It is a determination. For once, let us shift focus. Our attention should be more on strengths. Let us downplay our weaknesses.
It’s in our strength that we will find more strength. And in our weakness we will find more weakness. We have been doing this since our existence as a nation state.
We keep on moving forth and back. See us. We are almost 62 years old. We are aging but not growing. As the clock ticks, we are receding at an alarming rate. Coupled with the speed of light. Great pity!
The beauty of it is that nobody can help us out but ourselves. There’s no messiah anywhere. The earlier we realise this, the best for us all. We have been deceived long enough and many times over.
We must talk sense to ourselves. We have to jaw-jaw. Fight over the roundtable, if need be. Disagree. That’s the essence of any dialogue. It does not come easy.
We need a collective agreement. Whether we actually need and/or want a thoroughly bred new Nigeria. This Nigeria is definitely not it. We can’t afford panel-beating it anymore. No more repairs. We need a brand new one.
Look around you. Do you see a Nigeria you really want and cherish? Can you candidly fulfil purpose in this wrongly-wired Nigeria?
This Nigeria is obsolete. This queer “Nigerianess” in us must be made less. Our current experiences prove to us that this entity of ours can no longer work.
To whom much is given, much is expected. That is not the case with us.
For our present crop of leaders, the exact reverse is the case: To whom very much is given, nothing is expected.
They came cap in hand in 2015. We took a risk. It was a leap in the dark. We gave them much more than they needed. Apparently, they didn’t expect that. They couldn’t understand our generous gestures. It was more than overwhelming for them.
Close to eight years now. Nothing has come out of our 2015 gamble. We offered them our all but they gave us nothing back. They are unrepentant ingrates.
Bishop Hassan Kukah promptly reminded us. He is in charge of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese. He was the toast at the recent celebration of his 70th birthday. He didn’t disappoint his guests.
He confirmed our fears of them: “The passion that drove people in 2015, those passions have been dissipated because people realised that they were lied to.
“We have videos of many northern clerics who confessed tearfully that they deceived their people by saying that these elections in 2015 were a jihad, whatever that meant. Now, we’re seeing the consequences of religious manipulations.”
Reason this particular Nigeria must die: “Young people have become aware of that. I know hundreds, thousands of farmers who definitely have changed their perception of what Nigeria is and have an idea of whom they can trust.”
Kukah is ever forthcoming. He does not mince of mix words: “In Nigeria, we’re playing politics without political science.” This is how.
He is very profound: “All these hit and miss, stumble, fall and get up that we are running…What we are running in Nigeria is a glorified varnished form of feudalism.”
To have an enduring new Nigeria, the cleric came on board again: “The people must interrogate their presidential candidates’ ability and capacity to govern by sheer brain and not bribe. The point is that even the whole idea of leadership is often exaggerated because we are confusing political officeholders with leaders.”
He is not done yet: “Critical to all of these, we are looking for a President that has the understanding of the complexity of what is wrong with Nigeria.”
He agrees our perception needs to be global. We can’t risk being left behind. It is what is required of a new Nigeria when this Nigeria dies: “The concept of leadership is increasingly being redefined as a result of globalisation.
“The world is no longer focusing on who your father or mother is or what your town is. The world is now focusing on what is in your brain power, ability, capacity to govern by sheer brain, not brawn. This is also the reality of politics in Africa.”
He would not give up on us. He was apt as ever: “Nigeria is an unequal society, an unjust society and an unfair society. This is why we continue to confront these bastions of injustice because until there is justice for everyone, there can never be justice for anyone.”
Are you still at a loss why this stinking Nigeria must die? Kukah was clear in his mind: “There will be no need to have a government if justice is not in the centre of it all.”
Yes, we are convinced. And that’s one strong reason this toxic Nigeria must give way. We no longer have any portion in it.
Nigeria must die for Nigerians to live and live happily thereafter. There is no viable alternative. It’s doable. It’s pretty achievable.
A brand new Nigeria must evolve. And 2023 election is it!