The recent series of agitations for secession in our dear country is the implosion that was long predicted about Nigeria. The country is now like a dysfunctional polygamist father, objectified by his children from the different wives as a source only for survival where all tactics, manipulations and schemes are not off the table as long as results are achieved. Unfortunately, in this venture, the wellbeing of the father is inconsequential. This is the story of Nigeria.
Nationalists like our founding fathers are a fast disappearing species while ethnic bigots are emerging as so called leaders of different ethnic groups championing the ‘cause’ of their people. Buoyed by the lucre of political power, every aspect of our lives from corruption to terrorism, treason, economic sabotage, policy sabotage and even government policies is now incredibly politicized by this dangerous group of ethnic champions. They shamelessly apply double standards to identical events corrupting the minds and psyches of our young impressionable minds while priming the minds of the illiterate youths that abound in this country for explosion.
The last elections, deepened our fault lines which have gradually deteriorated to gullies on the verge of swallowing us all. After such a divisive 2015 election, the major preoccupation of the President should have been National reconciliation. In this quest, the first place he would have visited should have been where he had the least votes to show a strong signal that he would be a president to all and belonged to no one. Politics tainted with religion and religion contaminated with politics has set us all on edge and portend cataclysmic consequences in the very near future if not handled with wisdom. The Biafra agitators in the east, the legions of militant groups in the south-south, the Fulani herdsmen saga in the middle belt, the Boko haramists in the north, the dare devil criminality and Oduduwa protectors in the south west are all consequences of a failure in leadership over the years especially at the Federal level. The question is; what went wrong and how did we get here?
Monumental greed and its offspring, nepotism are the bane of our society. But this characteristic in itself is an effect not the cause. The CAUSE is the quality of the mind our democracy throws up. Though the best form of government for now is said to be democracy but it is hugely defective in its lack of capacity to throw up great minds for leadership positions. If we could tweak our leadership recruitment process within the ideology of democracy to guarantee not just educated persons emerging as leaders but people with high spiritual consciousness, Nigeria and indeed all the different countries in political turmoil today would be in harmony. It is obviously injustice, inequality, suppression, poverty, oppression, corruption and double standards that has plunged our world into these levels of violence and conflicts. A scrutiny of all the leaders in the Nations in conflict today clearly demonstrates this assertion. While their compatriots wallow in penury and lack the basics like food, health care, shelter and quality education, a privileged few revel as kings and fully display their vulgar acquisitions and debauchery in the faces of their impoverished citizens. For how long did they imagine the human spirit could tolerate such oppression without revolt? The revolt is what has given expression in the levels and audacity of criminality and violence worldwide and in Nigeria as well. For any discerning mind though, this prevailing situation was definitely inevitable and it would get worse if the right and wise thing is not done right now. It is as obvious as boarding a flight bound for Lagos and believing that you are going to Sokoto. This is what our leaders do and what most of their policies suggests!
Selfless leaders with higher spiritual consciousness like Mahatma Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln, Lee Kuan Yew, Mandela, Obamaet al could never condone such divisive pettiness of ethnicity, religious bigotry or racism and would never be reduced to the level of their tormentors by retaliation. Rather, their response to the ignorance of their oppressors was and has been an exemplary self-control, forgiveness, love and inclusiveness which clearly demonstrates their understanding of humanity and our common heritage and Fatherhood.
What is the case in our Country? We have leaders who see everything through the prism of their ethnic group and religion and display a shameless bias even in the face of glaring and undisputable truths. How does murder not mean murder because it is carried out by a certain tribe and why should economic saboteurs demand for exclusion from accountability because they lay the golden egg! If they finally get the Country they want, will it be free for all robbery? Why should certain parts of this Nation be so starved of development while their wealth sustains the economy of the Nation? Why should the corruption scrutiny be focused on one party and the other partiesexempted? Why should greater patronage go to just ‘supporters’ of the government in power while others are marginalized? Why should appointments in the Federal and even in States be skewed to the ethnic group of the Chief executives? Why should the force of military response in civil disobedience not be equal in all ethnic groups? Why does it seem like certain ethnic groups are confronted more brutally while others with similar crimes are handled with kid gloves or ignored totally because of ethnicity? Except for Ezekwesili who is championing the cause of the Chibok girls (which is highly commendable), why do leaders of an ethnic group condemn only situations concerning them and turn a blind eye to conditions facing other groups?Why is there no northerner advocating for the development of the Niger Delta or why is there no southerner advocating for the rebuilding of the North East? How many southern group leaders condemned the situation with the Shiite in Zaria? How many northern groups have condemned the killings of Biafra protesters? Who is speaking up about the crisis in North East and Benue State? We all kept mum when people were dying like ants in Maiduguri. How many southern leaders or those of other ethnic groups and religion came out to pressure government to act? The norm with these so called leaders isself-centeredness no matter how crooked or bizarre and to spread hate across the nation!
Shouldn’t the rule of law as well as development apply equitably to all citizens of the Nation? Why, why, why? It is a direct consequence of the ‘littleness’ of the minds of our leaders, their myopia and ignorance of universal law and its inviolability. They claim to be God fearing and very religious and make a show of worshipping God in Israel and Saudi Arabia but most of their actions is an embarrassment to God. No love or unity exists amongst the Moslems nor among the Christians. It’s all about division, segregation and hate. Shouldn’t a religious person strive to emulate God in his or her actions? Is the sun, moon and all the elements of the earth not equally available to the good and the bad? Why should a leader of diverse people choose to favour some groups and not realize that inevitably, no matter how long it takes, the oppressed will revolt in equal measure and it would be ugly?
Exhibitionism of piety in any religion does not necessarily translate to a mature consciousness, it is all in their utterances and actions. Like one of the Holy book says, by their fruits, ye shall know them! A true leader must be honest, equitable to all, trustworthy and run an all-inclusive government be it local, State or Federal. He or she must have no ethnic group, no religion, no gender, and no color until (at least) the tenure is over. We argue that our solution is true Federalism which makes sense ordinarily but even the States’ leaderships still behave in the exact same way. Within the States or Regions are also several ethnic groups and injustice, ethnic bias and nepotism still hold sway in those smaller enclaves.
My point is that even if we create a country per family, if we do not understand the formula to coexist in harmony by practicing the principles of love anchored on equity and inclusivity, peace will still be a mirage. Just like a true mathematical equation or formula applies to all scenarios, the formula for peaceful coexistence applies to 180 million people in Nigeria, 5 million people in Akwa Ibom, a few hundred thousand in Essien Udim LGA, 20 people in your clan and indeed 2 people in your ‘new’ country!!!
The balkanization of Nigeria is not the solution to our problems! If it were, South Sudan, Korea, Eritrea who seceded and several other Countries with fewer ethnic groups and a more religious homogeneity like Bahrain, Syria, and Iraq would be living in perfect harmony! Why do we think that when we have a Niger Delta Country that all will be peaceful and well? How many ethnic groups are there in the Niger Delta? Are the groups in harmony now? What about a country of Biafra? Is there peace even in the Ohaneze umbrella? What about a Northern State? Will the Shiites Moslems or Christian minority be allowed their Country or will they be repressed within the ‘utopian’ country? What about the ethnic minorities in the North? Will they like humble sheep condone suppression or oppression? What of an Oduduwa Country? How many factions of Afenifere do we have today? Where is the harmony within all these ethnic groups?
The reality is that we are all looking for where we would be the majority to have the political power to suppress the minority. We are not pursuing love, inclusion and equity for all. I can assure all the secession agitators that just as the oppressed minority of today (which you are)rebel against oppression, when you become the majority and rule with this same defective proclivity, the ‘new’ minority will revolt and rebel in exact same format.The cycle will definitely continue! These agitators must not allow rogue Nations promising them support to deceive them any longer.
However, the cycle can be broken by a Nationalist and patriotic leader at the Federal level that can set examples for the State governors and local government Chairmen to follow. We need a detribalized, courageous, equitable,kind, fair, compassionate and conscionable leader who has love for all and passion to uplift the lives of all the citizens under his or her sphere of influence. A leader with a high spiritual consciousness such as Mandela fully comprehends the foolishness and stupidity of greed, primitive acquisitions, embezzling funds and impoverishing your people and could never indulge in such ignorance. This is the preoccupation of so called leaders with very “immature minds” which we’ve been saddled with in this country for decades now. Where is their joy after all this stupidity? They are now deeply hated and vilified by the people they once tormented and sleep with eyes wide open looking for where to hide. Where is your peace?
The system is not the issue. Whether we restructure, practice true fiscal federalism or disintegrate into a thousand countries, it is of no consequence if the managers of those systems continue in this perfidy. Even if we select prodigies from the best Universities in the world to lead us and they lack this basic concept for harmonious coexistence, their genius will amount to nothing. It is time to wise up and fight for Nigeria. Whatever our grievances are, we must ensure inclusion,fight for equity and use all legal means to topple any government that is sectional or biased. We should reject the manipulation of the poor masses and continue to speak in one voice against all injustices in all parts of the nation equally.It is important to remember that the face of poverty and deprivation is the same in the East, West, North and South. An attack on any Nigerian should be an attack on all of us. We must fight against the division introduced amongst the masses like during the latest fuel increase issues and also against leaders who seek to divide us.
Again, I reiterate that all we need are a new generation of nationalist leaders with higherspiritual consciousness. Leaderswho are totally detribalized and love all no matter their religion, heritage or class at Federal, State, Local Government and even community levels. Fortunately, we don’t have to await their birth, several well documented past and living examples already abound and it would save and serve us all to emulate and learn from them now or face the consequences of conflicts on all fronts and the catastrophe of a failed State.
JANET EKONG (Concerned Citizen wrote in from Abuja) janet.ekong@yahoo.com
The recent series of agitations for secession in our dear country is the implosion that was long predicted about Nigeria. The country is now like a dysfunctional polygamist father, objectified by his children from the different wives as a source only for survival where all tactics, manipulations and schemes are not off the table as long as results are achieved. Unfortunately, in this venture, the wellbeing of the father is inconsequential. This is the story of Nigeria.
Nationalists like our founding fathers are a fast disappearing species while ethnic bigots are emerging as so called leaders of different ethnic groups championing the ‘cause’ of their people. Buoyed by the lucre of political power, every aspect of our lives from corruption to terrorism, treason, economic sabotage, policy sabotage and even government policies is now incredibly politicized by this dangerous group of ethnic champions. They shamelessly apply double standards to identical events corrupting the minds and psyches of our young impressionable minds while priming the minds of the illiterate youths that abound in this country for explosion.
The last elections, deepened our fault lines which have gradually deteriorated to gullies on the verge of swallowing us all. After such a divisive 2015 election, the major preoccupation of the President should have been National reconciliation. In this quest, the first place he would have visited should have been where he had the least votes to show a strong signal that he would be a president to all and belonged to no one. Politics tainted with religion and religion contaminated with politics has set us all on edge and portend cataclysmic consequences in the very near future if not handled with wisdom. The Biafra agitators in the east, the legions of militant groups in the south-south, the Fulani herdsmen saga in the middle belt, the Boko haramists in the north, the dare devil criminality and Oduduwa protectors in the south west are all consequences of a failure in leadership over the years especially at the Federal level. The question is; what went wrong and how did we get here?
Monumental greed and its offspring, nepotism are the bane of our society. But this characteristic in itself is an effect not the cause. The CAUSE is the quality of the mind our democracy throws up. Though the best form of government for now is said to be democracy but it is hugely defective in its lack of capacity to throw up great minds for leadership positions. If we could tweak our leadership recruitment process within the ideology of democracy to guarantee not just educated persons emerging as leaders but people with high spiritual consciousness, Nigeria and indeed all the different countries in political turmoil today would be in harmony. It is obviously injustice, inequality, suppression, poverty, oppression, corruption and double standards that has plunged our world into these levels of violence and conflicts. A scrutiny of all the leaders in the Nations in conflict today clearly demonstrates this assertion. While their compatriots wallow in penury and lack the basics like food, health care, shelter and quality education, a privileged few revel as kings and fully display their vulgar acquisitions and debauchery in the faces of their impoverished citizens. For how long did they imagine the human spirit could tolerate such oppression without revolt? The revolt is what has given expression in the levels and audacity of criminality and violence worldwide and in Nigeria as well. For any discerning mind though, this prevailing situation was definitely inevitable and it would get worse if the right and wise thing is not done right now. It is as obvious as boarding a flight bound for Lagos and believing that you are going to Sokoto. This is what our leaders do and what most of their policies suggests!
Selfless leaders with higher spiritual consciousness like Mahatma Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln, Lee Kuan Yew, Mandela, Obamaet al could never condone such divisive pettiness of ethnicity, religious bigotry or racism and would never be reduced to the level of their tormentors by retaliation. Rather, their response to the ignorance of their oppressors was and has been an exemplary self-control, forgiveness, love and inclusiveness which clearly demonstrates their understanding of humanity and our common heritage and Fatherhood.
What is the case in our Country? We have leaders who see everything through the prism of their ethnic group and religion and display a shameless bias even in the face of glaring and undisputable truths. How does murder not mean murder because it is carried out by a certain tribe and why should economic saboteurs demand for exclusion from accountability because they lay the golden egg! If they finally get the Country they want, will it be free for all robbery? Why should certain parts of this Nation be so starved of development while their wealth sustains the economy of the Nation? Why should the corruption scrutiny be focused on one party and the other partiesexempted? Why should greater patronage go to just ‘supporters’ of the government in power while others are marginalized? Why should appointments in the Federal and even in States be skewed to the ethnic group of the Chief executives? Why should the force of military response in civil disobedience not be equal in all ethnic groups? Why does it seem like certain ethnic groups are confronted more brutally while others with similar crimes are handled with kid gloves or ignored totally because of ethnicity? Except for Ezekwesili who is championing the cause of the Chibok girls (which is highly commendable), why do leaders of an ethnic group condemn only situations concerning them and turn a blind eye to conditions facing other groups?Why is there no northerner advocating for the development of the Niger Delta or why is there no southerner advocating for the rebuilding of the North East? How many southern group leaders condemned the situation with the Shiite in Zaria? How many northern groups have condemned the killings of Biafra protesters? Who is speaking up about the crisis in North East and Benue State? We all kept mum when people were dying like ants in Maiduguri. How many southern leaders or those of other ethnic groups and religion came out to pressure government to act? The norm with these so called leaders isself-centeredness no matter how crooked or bizarre and to spread hate across the nation!
Shouldn’t the rule of law as well as development apply equitably to all citizens of the Nation? Why, why, why? It is a direct consequence of the ‘littleness’ of the minds of our leaders, their myopia and ignorance of universal law and its inviolability. They claim to be God fearing and very religious and make a show of worshipping God in Israel and Saudi Arabia but most of their actions is an embarrassment to God. No love or unity exists amongst the Moslems nor among the Christians. It’s all about division, segregation and hate. Shouldn’t a religious person strive to emulate God in his or her actions? Is the sun, moon and all the elements of the earth not equally available to the good and the bad? Why should a leader of diverse people choose to favour some groups and not realize that inevitably, no matter how long it takes, the oppressed will revolt in equal measure and it would be ugly?
Exhibitionism of piety in any religion does not necessarily translate to a mature consciousness, it is all in their utterances and actions. Like one of the Holy book says, by their fruits, ye shall know them! A true leader must be honest, equitable to all, trustworthy and run an all-inclusive government be it local, State or Federal. He or she must have no ethnic group, no religion, no gender, and no color until (at least) the tenure is over. We argue that our solution is true Federalism which makes sense ordinarily but even the States’ leaderships still behave in the exact same way. Within the States or Regions are also several ethnic groups and injustice, ethnic bias and nepotism still hold sway in those smaller enclaves.
My point is that even if we create a country per family, if we do not understand the formula to coexist in harmony by practicing the principles of love anchored on equity and inclusivity, peace will still be a mirage. Just like a true mathematical equation or formula applies to all scenarios, the formula for peaceful coexistence applies to 180 million people in Nigeria, 5 million people in Akwa Ibom, a few hundred thousand in Essien Udim LGA, 20 people in your clan and indeed 2 people in your ‘new’ country!!!
The balkanization of Nigeria is not the solution to our problems! If it were, South Sudan, Korea, Eritrea who seceded and several other Countries with fewer ethnic groups and a more religious homogeneity like Bahrain, Syria, and Iraq would be living in perfect harmony! Why do we think that when we have a Niger Delta Country that all will be peaceful and well? How many ethnic groups are there in the Niger Delta? Are the groups in harmony now? What about a country of Biafra? Is there peace even in the Ohaneze umbrella? What about a Northern State? Will the Shiites Moslems or Christian minority be allowed their Country or will they be repressed within the ‘utopian’ country? What about the ethnic minorities in the North? Will they like humble sheep condone suppression or oppression? What of an Oduduwa Country? How many factions of Afenifere do we have today? Where is the harmony within all these ethnic groups?
The reality is that we are all looking for where we would be the majority to have the political power to suppress the minority. We are not pursuing love, inclusion and equity for all. I can assure all the secession agitators that just as the oppressed minority of today (which you are)rebel against oppression, when you become the majority and rule with this same defective proclivity, the ‘new’ minority will revolt and rebel in exact same format.The cycle will definitely continue! These agitators must not allow rogue Nations promising them support to deceive them any longer.
However, the cycle can be broken by a Nationalist and patriotic leader at the Federal level that can set examples for the State governors and local government Chairmen to follow. We need a detribalized, courageous, equitable,kind, fair, compassionate and conscionable leader who has love for all and passion to uplift the lives of all the citizens under his or her sphere of influence. A leader with a high spiritual consciousness such as Mandela fully comprehends the foolishness and stupidity of greed, primitive acquisitions, embezzling funds and impoverishing your people and could never indulge in such ignorance. This is the preoccupation of so called leaders with very “immature minds” which we’ve been saddled with in this country for decades now. Where is their joy after all this stupidity? They are now deeply hated and vilified by the people they once tormented and sleep with eyes wide open looking for where to hide. Where is your peace?
The system is not the issue. Whether we restructure, practice true fiscal federalism or disintegrate into a thousand countries, it is of no consequence if the managers of those systems continue in this perfidy. Even if we select prodigies from the best Universities in the world to lead us and they lack this basic concept for harmonious coexistence, their genius will amount to nothing. It is time to wise up and fight for Nigeria. Whatever our grievances are, we must ensure inclusion,fight for equity and use all legal means to topple any government that is sectional or biased. We should reject the manipulation of the poor masses and continue to speak in one voice against all injustices in all parts of the nation equally.It is important to remember that the face of poverty and deprivation is the same in the East, West, North and South. An attack on any Nigerian should be an attack on all of us. We must fight against the division introduced amongst the masses like during the latest fuel increase issues and also against leaders who seek to divide us.
Again, I reiterate that all we need are a new generation of nationalist leaders with higherspiritual consciousness. Leaderswho are totally detribalized and love all no matter their religion, heritage or class at Federal, State, Local Government and even community levels. Fortunately, we don’t have to await their birth, several well documented past and living examples already abound and it would save and serve us all to emulate and learn from them now or face the consequences of conflicts on all fronts and the catastrophe of a failed State.
JANET EKONG (Concerned Citizen wrote in from Abuja) janet.ekong@yahoo.com
