Where did we go
wrong? Who did we offend that we can no longer know peace, joy and happiness?
Imagine what we have been subjected to; imagine what we are made to endure?
Killings, maiming, kidnapping, and lack on daily bases. A country so endowed
with human and natural resources yet we live in pain and penury. What went
wrong? Can anyone assist me with a rational explanation? As a literary student
in my early secondary school days, I read books like. Weep my beloved country.
Much ado about nothing. Things fall apart. If rivers could speak etc. dreaded
some of the storylines that I read from some of these books and I felt that
these experiences accounted for were only possible and applicable in the
literary world but how wrong I was. I never knew that I will eventually come to
witness and experience such ugly scenarios as vivid realities.
In the early
1980s, news of wars, bombings, hostage takings, suicide bombers attacks, blown
up passenger airlines with massive casualties were frequently reported about
the U. S. A, Europe and other parts of the world but never in Nigeria. We heard
about militias, terrorists, militants, drug gangs and drug wars but these were
never mentioned in Nigeria. I never dreamt of these social vices and anti-human
groups being part of black Africa, not to talk of being seen or heard of in
Nigeria. I could remember my growing up days, many families could sleep at
night leaving their doors open either by omission or commission without any
molestation from thieves and robbers, some value items were left outside
without any tampering with them. At various times people could step into
another person farm to collect what was needed and they won't be accused of
stealing. Life was viewed from the biblical point which says.” You don't kill a
person if he steals to satisfy his hunger ". We hardly heard of rape as people
were born and bred under a morally upright society and every rapist was
ostracized.
But of late
Nigeria has become a home and headquarters for all forms of social vices and
antihuman activities. The worst is that Nigeria is now home to terrorism and is
well dreaded by well-meaning investor’s world over. How did we get here...? One
might be tempted to ask. We now have secret cult groups from tertiary
institutions to primary level even into our streets. In Diobu area of Igweocha,
traders live in fear of uncertainty as they are molested, raped, killed,
blackmailed, kidnapped and beaten by robbers and cult groups on daily bases
without police interference, so how did we get here. The holy book read that
evil communication corrupt good manners, it also warned the children of
Chukwuokike Abiama saying. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
Yahweh also warned His children that the land they are going to possess is a
land of idol worshippers whose way of life Chukwuokike hate, and so they should
not marry their daughters as wives; neither should they give their daughters to
them for wives, lest they turn their heart from following Chukwuokike Abiama.
King Solomon refused to heed this warning and he got subdued by the pressure
and pleasure of strange women. Today our sons and daughters are not learning
from experience, they just marry anyone and call it love, thereby producing and
replicating tyrants and animals with all manners of tyrannical inhibitions.
In those days
when good moral upbringing was the order of the day, there were no teenage
pregnancies, children and youth fights ended with punches of clenched fists,
throwing each on the ground and stuffing each other's mouth with either grass
or sand, depending on which one your hand could grab, and the next day you make
up in brotherly settlement, as no enmity lasted longer than necessary. But
today, a fight between two brothers of the same parents has been extended to
the street and schools in the name of cultism with heavy casualties, most times
death. Fights between youths is no longer a matter of fists, but a matter of
heavy armoury depending on how classy or sophisticated their cult group is,
leaving a trail of blood bath. This was never our way of life, we were brought
up to fear Chukwuokike Abiama and respect and value lives in one another, as
one who cannot give life has no right to take it.
In the days of
our ancestors, an election without Amadioha, Kamanuozuzu and Chineke in lot
casting was abominable and unacceptable, but today, in this unholy marriage of
mixed multitude, an election without fraud, bloodshed, satanic covenants and
agreement, maiming and ballot looting is not free and fair and inconclusive. An
aspiring governor in south-south of the contraption called Nigeria in a
pre-election speech once said “If my government is voted in, you will sleep
with your two eyes open". Instead of saying “you will sleep with your two
eyes closed". And of course, he is exactly what his mistaken statement
meant, as he has been confirmed to have joined the terrorists and heartless
killers.
But why are we
being killed and it is not being discussed in the national polity and
international discuss. Instead of world leaders and the international community
and neighbouring states and committee of intellectuals to discuss matters of
urgent priority like this genocide and ethnic cleansing going on in Nigeria,
they are rather talking about certificate and upcoming election. The most
annoying aspect of this joke is that most of our so-called learned leaders and
elders are daft, short sighted or deliberately greedy in that they are not
decoding this craftily encoded mission of these land grabbers and selfish
embezzlers. I have never believed in the oneness or the unity of this
contraption as it is more irrationally professed in disunity and in vivid
hypocrisy by some patriotic idiots. There is no federal character in the
federation, no unity in diversity, no peace in a chaotic system of gross
imbalance. Until the best is recognized and respected from the rest, until credence
is given to a man of honour, until the intellectuals are separated from morons,
until what belong to Caesar is given to Caesar and what belong to God is given
to God, there will be no peace in this contraption. Divide Nigeria now and let
Biafra go. Enough of discussing the inconsequential and ignoring the necessary.
Written by:
Mazi. Emmanuel
Igbeagu
Edited by:
Mazi Dimkpa
Ikenna Ikenga Amadioha-Gbo
For Rivers State
Media (Igweocha Province)
Published by:
Chibuike Nebeokike
For: Rivers State Media
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