I read a book in my primary school days titled, ‘one week one trouble’, where the main character always fell into one problem or another each week. The memory of this book draws some semblance with the successive problems that has been plaguing Nigeria for some time now.
Sadly today around the global, the name Nigeria conjures up terrorism, kidnapping, ethnic war, religious crisis, repression and cold blooded killings in the minds of people. As I write this now, so many things flood my mind about the country considering the multiple challenges be-devilling it currently.
Where do I start from? Do we talk about ‘Boko Haram’ who have been blamed for most of the violence which has left about thousands of people dead? Reports reveal that Boko Haram crisis, which is still ravaging Nigeria to date started formally in 2009 with the sectarian religious groups in Northern Nigeria.
What about the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)? It is one of the largest militant groups in the Niger Delta. MEND has been linked to attacks on petroleum operation in Nigeria as part of the conflicts in the Niger Delta, engaging in sabotage of oil installations, crude oil theft, property destruction, guerrilla warfare and kidnapping.
Should we talk about certain intermittent or lingering ethnic wars that started centuries ago in our country? The Tiv and the Jukun is a typical example. There was an extremely violent confrontation between the Tiv and the Jukun in 1990-1992. No one, including the government or the groups involved, can give exact figures of casualties. However, there was massive burning of houses, business premises, and schools, accompanied by looting of property
What about the recent ASUP strike that paralysed the activities of all the polytechnics all across the country? The federal government and ASUP are in a logjam over certain demands by ASUP.
Chibuzor Asomaga, a concerned citizen, reveals that the union is calling for the release of white paper on the visitation panel to federal polytechnics. He was quoted as saying that “we are faced with feeble moribund infrastructure on our campuses, with no serious challenge to motivate research and learning. No doubt, the students who are our own people are being victimised.”
The Nigerian educational system already is in a state of quagmire. It is nothing to write home aboutt. It is a sign that the government and the leaders are confused and mad. My puzzle is: at the stop of one menace another will spring up. Or as one menace is being looked at by the country, another will spring up. This, in my perception, has always been the case. Are we suffering from a curse? Nigeria, who has bewitched you?
In conclusion, let us not totally believe in the human government alone to give us liberation. I remind you to look at the American appellation: ‘In God we trust’. If you can decide to turn from your evil way now, and another does the same thing and so on, it will be a good and reasonable step to receive liberation. Nigerians, know that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
