[ad_1]
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” the Holy Book says in Proverbs chapter 13 verse 12. When a heart is sick it means that patience, endurance, courage, and tolerance have been exhausted.
Considering the myriad of challenges plaguing Nigeria at the moment, it is certain that Nigerians are suffering from the postponement of hope and all efforts to mend the nation have been exhausted.
The Nigerian people are fed up with a failed Nigerian state where nothing works. Nigeria has a constitution that symbolizes a promise to guarantee equality, fairness, life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, Nigeria did not respect the principle of this sacred declaration.
Therefore, the constitution is nothing more than a fraud designed to empower certain groups to the detriment of other Nigerian groups and entities. The promise enshrined in the constitution has not been fulfilled. Instead, the government tries to suppress and oppress those who demand changes not just for themselves but for a better nation. The 1999 constitution must be abolished and replaced by the original constitution which affirmed federalism and regional autonomy.
Nigeria is a failed state operating a unitary system and claiming to be the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the same time. What irony? The time has come to stop the deception, to restructure or divide the country into regions or nations.
My guess is that it is too late for restructuring. I hope I am wrong in my assumption because at the moment Nigeria can no longer guarantee life, freedom or the pursuit of happiness. Citizens are being killed, raped, kidnapped and robbed on a daily basis.
The government has lost control and is inept. International communities call Nigeria a failed state that waits to collapse and disintegrate as soon as possible.
There are unrest in the Southeast, the Southwest, the South-South and the Center-North that have fallen on deaf ears for so long. Instead of the government responding to the voices of the people, they used brute force to quell the will and agitations of the people.
Naturally, the people are ready to resist brute force through peaceful means, non-cooperation and civil disobedience.
Sadly, the government is determined to use force, intimidation and state sponsored attacks to quell any legal protest and demand for systemic change.
Nigeria is at a crossroads where the people are willing and ready to peacefully resist the brutal attack by the government and at the same time defend themselves in the event of an attack.
The problem with Nigeria is rooted in tribalism, corruption, nepotism, the radical Sharia Islamization agenda, and a fraudulent, lopsided constitution. The promise of fairness and security has not reached all Nigerians, only a segment enjoys security while the majority are insecure and are marginalized by a small group who have hijacked the government control apparatus and all security institutions. There is no justice, the police are corrupt, and the command structure is controlled by an ethnic group loyal to the President of Nigeria.
People are sick, tired and fed up and may have violence as their only option, God forbid. Yet the oppressed Nigerian people are engaged in peaceful protests and protests, yet the government continues to use brute force as in the case of #ENDSARS and many others without accountability or consequences. There are numerous cases of state sponsored murders, arbitrary arrests and numerous atrocities that continue unabated across the country.
The assault on Sunday Adeyemo’s home is reckless, dangerous, and a declaration of war against the Yoruba tribe and nation. Likewise, the kidnapping and arrest of Nnamdi Kalu, if not treated with care, could be the start of Nigeria’s total disintegration. Now is the time for dialogue, diplomacy and international condemnation of the Nigerian government.
Civil disobedience, demonstrations and many peaceful expressions of the right to protest must continue until positive change, civility and restructuring can be achieved. In addition, perhaps the hope of the people rests in the hands of the impartial judiciary and the legislative branch of government. We must not overlook their influence. We believe that in good conscience, fairness and seeking the truth, they will rise to the occasion by listening to the voices and understanding the minds of the people and hopefully prevent Nigeria from disintegrating.
The culture of Fulani domination is no longer acceptable, institutions must get rid of Fulani marginalization, nepotism, corruption, violation of human rights, abuse of power, incompetent law enforcement officials, arbitrary detention, assassinations sponsored by the State, kidnappings, rapes, and other vices.
Nigeria needs economic growth and development through investments in agriculture, technical education and entrepreneurship. These activities cannot take place in an environment of insecurity caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and kidnappings led and dominated by the northern Peul ethnic group. These criminals have been aided and mostly allowed by a show of hands to rampage across the country since Buhari’s government came to power. Sunday Adeyemo and others clearly understood the enormous challenges in protecting their people at the expense of their own security.
Agreement is the basis of power. The constitution is an agreement and it lays the foundation for the Nigerian state. However, there was no popular agreement for the 1999 constitution which was imposed on Nigeria by those whose intention is to hijack the nation for their own sake.
Nigeria is in denial. It is time to tackle the structural problem and change the constitution. You can no longer pretend all is well when the nation is on fire. The nation must be restructured with regional autonomy or separate, peacefully.
There are many broken hearts at home in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. We have many broken hearts to heal through open dialogue and a conversation about how to heal the nation.
However, to heal the nation requires trust, trust requires vulnerability, transparency and the search for truth.
Are we ready to change the system, stand up for the truth, and build a new nation?
We have a responsibility to educate ourselves and to teach history in our educational system about the events and our people. Knowledge is power! Dr Martin Luther King said that there is nothing more dangerous than ignorance and stupidity of conscience, whether it is willful ignorance or cultural ignorance. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves and educate those who oppress us. Non-violence is a powerful catalyst for transformation, substantive change and moral awareness. Grace, humility, empathy, understanding, knowledge and truth are the foundations of moral courage and social change.
The Bible says perfect love casts out fears. We must approach our problem with love because God is love.
Teacher. Babs Onabanjo President: Nigerian Alliance for Democracy (1993-1999) and President, AD King Foundation, USA
Source link
