Thinking back will prepare and propel me/you forward in 2021! I started 2020 with news of CoViD in Wuhan. Before long, it arrived Nigeria through our porous borders. ASUU started warning strikes and Gov’t didn’t bother. Lockdown arrived and schools shut down. ASUU also struck. FG seized their salaries for ten months not minding whether these striking academics died or lived during lockdown when other Governments were handing out palliatives! Many of us died though. In the midst of lockdown, popular protests broke out: #BlackLivesMatter from the US and elsewhere, and our own eye-opening #EndSarsNow! Govt responded with usual killings of innocent protesters giving birth to #OurPalliatives Riots nationwide! Our Governments hoarded palliatives freely donated by NGOs and Private Sector! Meanwhile, CoViD 19 also became incorporated with e-home feeding and phoney Interventions we never saw in all our lives! I can swear, Just watch out for a repeat performance with the unfolding Vaccine Incorporated!
A whole lot of bigtime looters of our bleeding economy, Pension funds and EFCC were nabbed, but as usual, their cases may remain inconclusive! We are still waiting for a comprehensive account of recovered looted funds in Buhari’s ‘next level’! But big time external borrowing continues! I hope our children watch!
Meanwhile, the Killings, public looting, armed robbery and kidnappings have continued, just as Boko Haram is beginning to assume the face of Government judging from the manner and settlement for kidnappings!
We also still have a National Assembly that’s afraid to represent the people and call Buhari to account for tyranny: the obnoxious anti-people bills and respect for Agreements and Social Contract freely contracted!
These are some of the matters arising for me from 2020 that I would wish would be put to rest in perfect peace…as we all look forward to a brand New 2021…
…are you coming on board while we watch, pray and work for our national and human dignity!?
- Dr. Liwhu Betiang is of department of theatre, film and carnival studies, university of calabar
