Until now, I have refrained from writing commentaries about the political landscape of our country, Nigeria. I have become disenchanted with the downward spiral of the absurdities that have become common place within the political space. Within the last few days, I have read several articles on the killings in Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue States, and I am convinced to add my voice to the outcry of government’s inability to act proactively in securing the safety of Nigerians from marauding and murdering Fulani insurgents, Boko Haram terrorists and the incessant and now common place kidnapping for ransom. Anywhere in the world, the first duty of any government is to secure the safety of its citizens in and outside of the country. It is clear that the government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is either incapable or unwilling to tackle the continuous decimation and subjugation of our people. In most other climes that claim democratic principles, those in leadership should have resigned from office. Not in Nigeria! Here we glorify ineffectiveness and inefficiencies.
In the epic 2008 song titled, “There is Fire on the Mountain,” by the Nigerian musician who goes by the name Asa, she makes the claim even though this fire is raging, surprisingly, no one is running. I find two corollaries, one in an old English idiom, and the other in traditional Yoruba oral tradition; for the English, “The proverbial ostrich that buries its head in the sand. And the Yoruba wisdom, “No one lights a torch and leaves it burning around a thatched roof.” In both instances, the culprit is inertia or the lack of desire to act in preventing a disaster. Either of which does not describe, even at the minimal level, a people willing to act fundamentally from a place of common sense! Unfortunately, when I see the shenanigans, politicians have reduced my country to, I can only conclude we have politicians who have knowingly set a fire to the country. And we have a citizen who see the fire and refuse to run.
Human life is sacred and each individual’s life should be protected. Sadly, the entire nation seems inured to a culture of bloodletting, savagery and the disposal of human life. Our social media space is diffused with gory videos and pictures of unthinkable scenes of inhumane accounts of man’s inhumanity and cruelty to other humans. More specifically, of brigandry to defenseless communities. A situation where aggressors over run entire communities, displace the communities and inhabit their homes without re-adjudication or lawful intervention by constituted authority and, or state intervention. I continue to hear of “insecurity” in the nation when in reality, what we have is the invasion of our sovereignty as a nation. It is sad that foreign armed groups are able to overrun the nations’ security apparatus not minding the mind bugling amount of funds voted every year in the nation’s budget on security. One is forced to question the usefulness and functionality of government sponsored and funded state security agencies. One cannot but wonder why insurgents are better equipped than the nation’s army in arms and intelligence gathering? Who are the invested players who supply them with arms and ammunition? How can bandits become so powerful as to brazenly over run our country’s army encampment, capture Nigerian soldiers, take their armored cars and weapons and put all of this on social media?