TOWARD DECOMPARTMENTALIZING NIGERIA(of Retrospect: Nigeria at 54)

                   

Few days ago we celebrated Nigeria at 54, where we had so many sanctimonious patriots who claim to be true citizens of a country where ethnic differences and cultural segregation seem to be worn like a cap on the heads of almost every citizen of Nigeria; the aroma of the decaying frame of the nation spreads like wildfire beyond the borders of the nation and has caused unworthy mouths to speak ill of us. The naysayers predict our fall, pessimists make a pre-extinct mourn, the negative minded ones imagines the expunging of the name “Nigeria” from the surface of Africa. But all of who I don’t blame at all, an adage says, ‘‘if the older woman brings one down, the little one climbs on him’, I have no word for them but I have loads of it for my nation who clocked 54 in putrefying body, being filled with the foul smell of distrust born by ethnic inequality, religious disparity as well as our incorrigible firmness to the past that gave birth to no fruitful future.

We speak of our desire to build a nation yet we bear an identity separate and disparate from the one and only identity that we possess which is the Nigerian identity; one rich in culture, intellect and talents. Now every man bears his father’s name which we acknowledge as our ethnic beginnings while we relegate the true beginning which is the beginning of Nigeria, we have failed to come to terms with the fact that the land which we ignorantly or consciously claim to be lord over was built upon the blood of patriots, those who ignored tribes and tongues to achieve one goal which is Nigeria. The building of a nation is not the responsibility of the president neither is it the work of the lower administrators but the sole responsibility of every citizen of Nigeria. Administrators are there to oversee not lord over us; we have the voice how come we have become one without a voice? Well the answer is glaring, so visible to the blind; we have compartmentalized everything in this country; we now answer to our tribes and tongues rather than as a nation, we now separate the poor from the rich, the privileged from the less privileged, Christians from Muslims. We now savor the taste of death which comes as a result of a scattered broom, dancing to the beats of disparity yet we ask preposterous questions if God is on our side. What folly!!

Nigeria was not founded it was made, molded and created by patriots who were ready to die for the course, they didn’t consider their gains but the gain of the coming generations so how come we have decided to forget this labor of our past heroes and heroines who with togetherness of heart fought for the course of the nation irrespective of their tribe and tongues. Our brothers and sisters in Diaspora cry over the prevalent racism they encounter as the tread on another man’s land, we have forgotten that the same thing pervades our very nation, we see Yoruba mothers tell their children not to marry from the Ibo tribe, the Ibo too warns his/ her child not to attempt it at all. Also, a Yoruba prefers to help his fellow Yoruba as long as he is ‘omo kaaro o jire’ while the Ibo assists only one who is able to say ‘kedu’ as well as our Hausa citizens. How will a nation grow in such stench of inequality?

When will we begin to realize that Nigeria is not the territory but those who occupy the territory? The development and growth of Nigeria is extremely hinged on what we do and not do, when we begin to do the right thing as a citizen of Nigeria then we are on our way to building a nation that other nations will look up to, we will no longer go out to seek solace from other countries that are tagged ‘developed’, we will find comfort and accomplishment in ourselves as a nation. Let every citizen of this country begin to live and stop existing, a man that loves is a man that lives, let love permeate this nation, let us begin to heal the rottenness of Nigeria with our outstretched hands of care and hospitality. Let there be neither rich nor poor; let everyone sit on the same table to eat together as one created by one God, let the headache of an Ibo man be the headache of a Yoruba man as well, if an Hausa man is hurt let the whole nation remain awake to heal him of his wounds. I ask can we do this?

Now we are approaching another election, can we all stand up and vote for one man that will represent us all, the man who will stand as a voice for everyone. If we come together then no one will ever be voiceless because we will all stand as one to speak the voice of one body, one entity, one nation, one Nigeria. No man can come from nowhere to use his bread of corruption to scoop off our soup of riches, fertility and tranquility; if we in one accord stand we will definitely defeat the swindlers as well as the marauders who hide under the aegis of religion to perpetrate evil, let us all bring out the giant in our nation enveloped in extreme decay and debilitation.

Let us all create a nation where there is neither the haves nor the haves not; a land where riches is circulated amongst all and sundry not amid the so call elite.
We are all we have, let us defend our land TOGETHER.



This was written at the 54th anniversary of our dear own NIGER AREA....Time flies anyways.