Follow Us on Google
All they ever wished for us was pain, agony and the like. We are convinced by their body language, actions and inactions. They never wanted anything good for us.
They are pained whenever we are happy. Our joy irritates them to no end. They detest our smiling faces. They feel uneasy when we are at ease.
These characters who claim to be our leaders? They are from a wild and weird world. They are made from the very bottom of hell. That is why they are sad when we are joyous.
Whenever they feel we’re feeling comfortable, they go into their situation room, consult their oracle. Then they hit hard at us to erase our joy.
From the blues, they churn out wicked policies. They don’t care, not even a hoot. They derive absolute delight in our tribulations. They scornfully laugh us off, clinking glasses and recklessly popping champagne!
We’re left all alone to lick the deep wounds deliberately inflicted on us. No sympathy, no empathy from them. They carry on as if we matter not.
One sad but graphic sampler: Fuel scarcity is it. Where do we place the on-going fuel crisis? It has become an agonising recurring decimal in our national life. What a calamity!
We are running against the tide. The waves, the winds are obviously not on our side. The drift is glaring and the speed is alarming. A big stop is urgently needed. A break is highly desired. Who’s going to bell the cat?
Iba Gani Adams stood up to them. He did it with all the strength in him. He bravely showcased the hard stuff he is made of.
Surprised? Not quite, really. He actually did what was expected of him. Even at this critical time of our existence as a nation.
Gani Adams is Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land. Remember? So? He wasn’t doing anything out of place. He’s perfectly in tune with the aspirations of his immediate constituency. He has no viable alternative. A true, committed generalissimo he is!
He broke out from the shell, bold and brave. He couldn’t hold it back any longer. That would amount to a monumental disaster. He took up the gauntlet. He ignored all odds. He was focused, resolute and determined.
The challenge was not for a small mind. That was not lost on him either.
He sort of damned all the consequences. Real and imagined. He knew our situation was awful, appalling, dreadful and frightful. Yet, the patriot in him dared it.
He brought it home succinctly the other day. He was practically on his knees. He feared Bosnia might happen to us. And very soon too. He certainly wanted none of that.
So? The Aare Onakakanfo craftily put pen to paper. He titled it: “Avoiding a Replica of the Bosnian War in Nigeria.” It was a powerful and strongly-worded correspondence.
He sealed it. His addresses included but not limited to: United Nations Secretary-General, António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, African Union (AU), European embassies, United States Departments, International Association for Religious Freedom in the United Kingdom and Council on Foreign Relations.
Gani Adams didn’t need to burn candles all night. He had all he needed to depict the situation at his fingertips. And he thoroughly did justice to it. You can’t fault him.
Excerpts from the devastating and indicting missive: “Things are no longer normal in Nigeria. What happened in the defunct Yugoslavia that led to the balkanisation of that country is becoming like a child’s play in Nigeria.
“Pitiably, terrorists moving from Northern Nigeria to the South are being embraced, encouraged and empowered by powers that be in Nigeria.” That’s our seemingly unending dilemma.
Short flashback. A similar alarm was raised in the defunct Yugoslavia. Nobody cared to listen then as it is now in Nigeria. And the pogrom in Yugoslavia continued unabated.
It was the lackadaisical attitude by those benefiting from this national malaise. It invariably led to the Bosnian War, 1992 to 1995.
Adams then came back home: “Ironically, Nigeria’s President is a Fulani. The Fulani have been fingered in abductions, kidnappings and killings in the North.
“They are gradually moving down South. The danger is that people in the South are already determined to engage them. This might lead to a full-scale war.”
Aare’s horrible list of atrocities is legion. Let’s agree to use this as a case study: “Deborah Samuel, a 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was killed and her body burnt by some blood-thirsty fundamentals because, according to them, she was guilty of blasphemy.
“The killers are visible in a viral video seen by peace-loving people all over the world but the government only arraigned them for ‘disturbance to public peace’.”
He concluded his “epistle” this way: “It is generally believed that those in authority are helpless, complicit or both. Nigeria is at the point of no return, showing all signs of a failed nation.
“Instead of tackling these atrocities by Fulani terrorists, government officials are busy planning and strategising for the 2023 general elections. Something urgent must be done to avoid a final collapse of the country.”
We need more of Gani Adams to put this regime on its toes permanently. They should stand up and be counted with pride. Now!
The UN even lent credible credence to Adams’ claims. Its Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, said: “I am gravely concerned about the recent waves of violence affecting civilians in North East Nigeria. The violence raises immediate concerns for the safety of civilians.”
Yet, our own government refused to be convinced. In its absurd thinking, it has “made significant impact on security.” Above is how they made the impact for the wrong reason.
President Muhammadu Buhari even extended it to economy and corruption. Haba, Megida! He told a bewildered nation at a police event in Kano last Thursday:
“We can say that recent positive developments have shown that we can see general improvement in all three areas (security, economy and corruption). We have taken a strong stand against pervasive corruption.”
And what is the result of the “strong stand”? Corruption in reckless abundance, of course! He was as empty as ever. Nothing changed. Blatant lies, falsehood and deceit unlimited.
Living in perpetual self-denial is their greatest undoing, their uncharacteristic trademark. They cherish it with relish. They eat, drink and smoke it. Unknown to them, self-denial intoxicates. The reason government fumbles, staggers all the way, all the time.
Come to think of it. Didn’t we deserve these pains? We actually asked for it in 2015. We repeated the “feat” in 2019, against all odds. We are getting it “in good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.”
Ab initio, some of us never saw a Messiah in them. We knew who they were and still are. We were sure a leopard never changes its spots.
But we were singled out and vilified. We were derided as wailers. Oh, we remain ever proud. We are eternally grateful that label sticks; just as we stick to our guns.
Our leaders have gone berserk and adamant. They have become tin gods, playing God. They don’t need our prayers anymore.
We need our prayers for ourselves only. Why? That Bosnia may not happen to us right here.
PRAY…
