No doubt some of us love a big and united Nigeria. I was recently among some friends who are not citizens of Nigeria, and all the rhetoric about Nigeria in the discussion is hostile. I still feel like a Nigerian despite some humiliating but true comments about Nigeria. I prefer to come from a country big and powerful enough to be known among the committee of nations rather than from an unknown and less powerful entity.
However, my desire to be Nigerian and reunite with friends all over Nigeria is not superior to the voices calling for the country to be dismantled or restructured based on what is happening and what they can feel. They have the right to demand a change that can come if we negotiate peace in Nigeria. The dream of a peaceful nation will not be realised except all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria are given the right to renegotiate the marriage of convenience instituted by the colonial masters.
In 2007, I saw a black person behind me on a queue in a Whiteman’s country. At the London School of Finance and Accountancy, where I went to make inquiries about a master’s degree programme. Behind me was a smiling face in Abubakar. We developed a bond being Nigerians. We ended up talking every day, sharing experiences on careers and life matters until 2008, when I returned to Lagos. I remember the discussions on Abubakar’s date with an ‘Oyinbo’ girl. His aspiration to return to Nigeria after his study instead of struggling as a minority in a foreign land. I could still hear his voice demanding my visit to Kano whenever he returned to Nigeria. That might never happen, as I did not know Abubakar’s surname nor have any contact with him since 2008.
The advantages of the diversity of knowledge, religion and culture bestowed on Nigeria have been bastardised and replaced with mistrust, insecurity, and the clamour for succession
The advantages of the diversity of knowledge, religion and culture bestowed on Nigeria have been bastardised and replaced with mistrust, insecurity, and the clamour for succession. The phrase ‘Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable’ is stale and from the mouth of people who are not feeling the brunt of the majority. We might not negotiate our unity but for the sake of the majority, let us negotiate our peace for the average man who has nothing to do with politics to live and earn legitimate income without fear of being kidnapped by the Bandits. To our leaders, live and let live peacefully.
My recent experience left much to be desired. The fear arising from the insecurity of life and property is reducing the average life expectancy in Nigeria. The unexpected rise in adrenaline will create mental health problems for people due to the fear of uncertainty. Life in Nigeria has never remained the same. I was to travel to Lagos from Abuja on a Monday after a fruitful business engagement. The hotel I lodged could not provide me with a taxi ride to the airport, and I was left with no choice but to book a taxi through Bolt. As early as 6 am, I was ready to go and booked a ride through the Bolt platform.
The cab arrived at the hotel. He was a tall young man and slim. He dressed moderately and supported me in taking my luggage to the car. As he drove out of the hotel, he told me the trip is for cash. I didn’t book a cash trip, I replied. At that point, I checked my phone and realised my journey had been cancelled. My cab driver refuted my claims that he cancelled the trip on my behalf. I was left wondering if I was in the middle of a Nollywood movie or what is going on? My choice of doing the right thing, which was to get out of the car, wasn’t an option for fear of missing my flight. I decided to behave as if nothing has been changed from the peace I know in Nigeria ages ago. I consented to the driver’s request with a promise to check my wallet for cash instead of the debit into my register account with Bolt.
Emeka, presumably, the name of my driver on a fateful morning, sped off to the airport. The speed was so much that I had to moderate him intermittently as he drove his car. I felt as if I am in the hand of a kidnapper who has gotten his prey and running to the fellow predators. My mind wandered around what could happen, how ransom will be raised if I am kidnapped. The thought of moving in the forest without water and medication paralysed my soul. I was deeply seated in a pool of negative thoughts as Emeka drove veraciously to the airport. Emeka compounded my problem when he mentioned my flight and the name of the carrier I was about to board at the airport.
I was afraid to the marrow and almost got convinced that the plot to get me kidnapped has been executed before the motivational speaker in me found his voice. I heard a loud shout as if I am on a speaking stage. ‘Babs, you will get what you think of always. Do you really what to be kidnapped?’ The voice was the turning and tipping point for the return of my emotions to a positive state. Why are you dying before death comes to you, I muted? Even if you are kidnapped, you will speak with your kidnappers motivationally and save yourself from rough treatments, pending your release or death. Death, my mind skipped again. I don’t want to die now, and if I do, I don’t want to be buried with the unused potential in me. At that point, my sense of judgment returned, and I quickly checked my google map to confirm if Emeka is speeding to the airport or to the kidnappers’ den.
Oh, he is still heading to the airport. It is not eureka yet until he turns into the airport road from the expressway. The relief I felt when Emeka turned into the airport road was enormous. At last, I am going home to see my family. I was happy that my fear and thoughts were not real but imagined. The happenings around me fuelled my imagination. The environment fuels our imagination and reality. I would not have thought that way in 2008 when I was travelling to all the cities in Nigeria to train the security staff on how to prevent ATM fraud. But today, nothing has ever remained the same. Businessmen and women had to think twice before exploring opportunities around them. Police have become the enemy in the society they are servicing. Consolations and promises are what we hear from those responsible for keeping our community safe. Nothing has ever remained the same, and it is getting worse except we negotiate our peace.
To be continued.
