Laughter for instance is the same language the world over, but seems to assume entirely different meaning in Nigerian context given that it could however mean “say your last prayer”. Sounds rather funny but very true in this land of uncertainty.
A damning report by the world poverty clock revealed that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared to India’s 73 million. Nigeria has been ranked with the highest number of extremely poor people in 2018 with estimated 87 million people. The World Poverty Clock report stated that Nigeria’s poverty line keeps growing as 6 people become poor every minute. Was that also caused by PDP or COVID-19?
The problem with Nigeria is that the country is plagued by the worst of protracted security and socioeconomic challenges that could annihilate any human enclave and I make bold to add that absolutely no country can survive the situation this country have landed herself into, unless there was immediate change of mindset as key to reversing the plague.
Part of the problem with the self-acclaimed Giant of Africa is hidden in the bone marrow with a view to evading diagnosis and possible treatment. It is evidently pronounced in motive and action, therefore could be traced and uprooted for overriding public interest, only if we could get a super hero to bell the cat.
The country is inevitably inviting the likes of Jerry Lawrings, Nnamdi Kanu, or the historical Scottish nobleman Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus. Archibald was a Scottish nobleman, peer, politician, and magnate.
Archibald in particular got nicknamed “Bell the Cat” for obvious reasons. He became the most powerful nobleman in the realm in a successful rebellion through which he established his family as the most important in the kingdom. It is rather unfortunate that many leaders are so keen about killing history and research that they barely get to know where they are at the moment.
Now let’s answer the question of “do we have a country presently”? From me the answer is an emphatic No! because all I see is a geographic enclave where the winner and the favoured takes it all. According to Chinua Achebe, there was a country, even as I keep wondering whether he was referring to the Niger – Area or the Bight of Biafra.
Corruption, crime, lawlessness, insurgency and tribal hostilities are not our problem. Nigeria is down with a man-made immune deficiency syndrome comprising lack of vision, disregard for human life, tribalism, sychophancy, religious extremism, desperate quest for political power and shameless desire for ill-gotten wealth.
Nations are built by deploying human and material resources, so can eventually go down when this formula is tampered with as is being witnessed in Nigeria today, except for divine intervention which the blood of innocent citizens already wasted may never permit. We have to pray, work and hope for better days anyway.
Everyone wants to survive naturally, but how can we coexist peacefully, rather than exist today, only to be smoked off tomorrow in a country where human life has become less valuable than cow meat? It has gotten so bad that you must die whether or not you talk. So why not take the plunge and earn positive reference in posterity?
What is the essence of mobilizing criminals to participate in elections knowing fully well that human life becomes at stake from the moment they’re engaged till God knows when? How many percent of criminals have ever repented with all sense of sincerity that makes a government think its going to be a smooth ride ahead in the future after grooming tigers in a domestic setting?
Truth be told, Nigeria is arguably the only country where the real enemies of state enjoys more protection than innocent citizens. Honestly I don’t see Nigeria’s security and socioeconomic status changing anytime soon unless the managers tell themselves the truth by taking decisive steps needed to restore sanity in governance without fear or favour.
It can only take you and I to reverse this terrible change if we still have an inkling of conscience left in us.
© Tony Ezike
