Who wants Nigeria dead?

I wonder why there has been increased tempo in recent times in the agitation by some groups and individuals to divide Nigeria along ethnic lines. Who are those really behind this sinister call? Curiously, nobody (among the agitators) has had the boldness to come out publicly to advance any rational reason Nigeria should no longer exist as a united nation. Have those surreptitiously calling for the death of Nigeria ever sat down to ponder the grave consequences of such a thing happening?

Have they also ever looked into the historical antecedents of nations, especially those in Africa, which had attempted to toe this inglorious and chaotic path? Or is their agitation based on sheer emotionalism or greed or both?

One basic fact the agitators must consider is the complexities and peculiarities of the Nigerian nation. It is these complexities and peculiarities that distinguish Nigeria from the pack. There is indisputable evidence that those Nigerians that had been driven by exigent factors to undertake this perilous adventure had ended up in deeper crises than they had set out to solve.  Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire and the like were all victims of belligerences caused by greed for power and crave for self-glorification. The late Samuel Doe thought he could use brute force to expropriate power to the detriment of some ethnic groups in Liberia. He lost his life in the gamble. The same morbid ambition led to the downfall of Charles Taylor – currently facing war crimes charges.

From the tension across the country, it is not in doubt that some greedy and power-hungry individuals are deliberately sponsoring the current crises in order to clog the wheel of progress. Their wicked agenda is to see how far they can go in making life uncomfortable for the sitting government and in the event of their plans pulling through by taking over the reins of power. Unfortunately, those behind this devilry do not care a hoot about what happens to other hapless Nigerians so long they achieve their infamous goal.

The insurgences across the country are one way they plan to achieve their wicked goal. But are they succeeding? Definitely they are not, because their mission ab initio has been adjudged to be self-serving, illegitimate, fractious, and clannish. This is why it is taking too long to accomplish. If it were a popular uprising, definitely it would have succeeded long ago. Probably, what the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity have failed to realise is they are wasting more innocent lives than they had envisaged, as they continue to wage their war against the government.

My concern has been: How Nigeria would fare at the end of the entire imbroglio. Surely, it is going to turn out worse. The operations of groups such as Boko Haram are concentrated on a particular geo-political zone in northern Nigeria, with little support from other zones.

It may be right to assume that the armed attacks in the North are as a result of injustice. Now if I may ask: Is it proper to kill innocent people in the name of agitating for self-governance or for whatever reason? Boko Haram, as I observed in this column last week, has wasted more than 3, 000 lives since it began its fight against the establishment. But how many of those killed deserved to die? Take Baga as a case in point. Over 183 innocent lives were wasted when the Joint Task Force (JTF) confronted Boko Haram in a gun battle. What did the 183 civilians do to die in such a painful and disheartening manner? The Baga episode was just one out of scores of other incidents in which innocent people were dispatched to their early graves. The worrisome thing about the insurgency in the North is that anybody can fall a victim. Of recent, some foreigners had been caught in the crossfire –paying even with their own lives.

What happens when an alleged Boko Haram member straps a bomb to his body and blows himself up killing some innocent people in the process? Has he achieved anything? Not at all! All the purpose it has succeeded in achieving is creating rising tension in the polity and smearing the image of Nigeria abroad. To tell you why there is an urgent need to change tactics: The particular people the insurgents have set out to attack surround themselves with impregnable security. In frustration, innocent members of the public are targeted. Most rebellions across the world are done with coordinated and well-articulated plan. There have been cases of persons who took up arms against their countries for the main purpose of liberating their people deemed to be in undue bondage. They were simply known as liberation fighters. In this category are Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Daniel Shafishuna Sam Nujoma of Namibia. Both men later became Presidents of their countries, as a reward for their steadfastness and courage in fighting for the cause of their people. But what do we have in our clime: individuals who want power, not for the good of their people, but for their selfish aggrandizement.

There are a few other liberation groups waging war against oppression, authoritarianism, perpetuity in leadership and other forms of injustices. Prominent among them was the Sandinista (political cum military organisation) of Nicaragua, which overthrew President Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979, thereby ending the 45-year dictatorship by the Somoza Family dynasty. In appreciation of the group’s exploits Daniel Ortega (its former leader) was elected President in 1979. He held office until 1990 when he stepped aside and was reelected in 2006.

The instances given above are substantially different from what we have in Nigeria at present. Do those waging war against Nigeria today expect to be rewarded tomorrow? I doubt it. This is because their style is crude, brutal, unconventional and vindictive. As stated earlier, they may have a just reason for their action, but can their action be said to be legitimate? That is where the problem lies. Justice and legitimacy go hand-in-gloves. If an action is just but lacks legitimacy (because of the approach adopted in its execution) then that action is illegal and anti-system. Again, when their action is misdirected – as in the case of Baga in Borno where civilians fell victim – then that action is anti-people.

I am worried if those who want Nigeria dead have learned any lesson from the unification of Germany. Before the unification, they existed as East and West Germany, with tall and formidable walls separating them. Living as separate entities they were vulnerable and unprogressive. However, things changed for the better when both sister-nations chose to bury their hatchet and embrace unity. And so it was when the walls came crashing – like the walls of Jericho. Look at the Soviet Union – it is polarised along ethnic lines. Though it was a good thing Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (one-time leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – USSR – 1985-1991) introduced Glasnot and Petroika (more openness in government) through his far-reaching reforms. Though his reforms helped to end the cold war, it also ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and balkanised the Soviet Union, breaking it up into splinter ethnic hegemonies with each fighting to exert its power and influence in the region. What is left today as the bastion of Soviet Union – Russia – used to be a formidably powerful country in Europe! What do we have today: A nation steeped in endless political crises that have weakened its foundation and exposed it to international opprobrium! Is it not preposterous that Russia – a member of the G-5 and one of the permanent members of the Soviet Union – is passing through excruciating and asphyxiating economic and political crises? Its opinion no longer carries as much weight as it used to. All this was caused by the fragmentation of a once monolithic power bloc.

These few instances have been marshalled to establish one fact: Nigeria will be worse off if broken into fragments. Forget the emotions and sentiments; it is a very uneconomical and wasteful venture. The truth is that the problem of Nigeria has nothing to do with power distribution, even though it is one of the causes of the ongoing crisis. The major problem with Nigeria is leadership and lack of love.

There has never been a more precarious time in the annals of our great nation than now that it is faced with myriads of problems – ranging from social and political to economic and religious. At every nook and cranny lurks one form of danger or another with the capacity to threaten our nascent democracy and bring to nought all the efforts of our forbears that fought for the independence of our fatherland.

The 2015 general elections are approaching speedily; and politicians, as usual, are already perfecting their acts. Very soon they will reach for their bags of tricks to pull some stunts on the ever-impressionable voters.

Keen observers of developments will have noticed the tension that is gradually enveloping our dear country day by day. There is no part of the country that is not enmeshed in one form of politically-related impasse or another. If it is not impeachment or threats of impeachment, it is threat of religious war or cases of assassination or threats of assassination. Already, some high-profile assassinations and murders have been reported across the country. The most recent of these high-profile murders was that of one-time deputy governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chudi Nwike, by his abductors. These incidents look every inch politically motivated. What of threats by the militias (MEND) in the Niger Delta to resume their insurgency? Some have even threatened to ‘set the nation ablaze’ if some candidates were not allowed to rule or continue to rule. In all of these, there is a clear pattern emerging. This pattern points to one thing: desperation on the part of some individuals to remain in power or wrest power at all costs to the detriment of our hard-earned democracy.

My worry is that those who should enforce order and discipline are themselves embroiled in the imbroglio. Instead of paying attention to the pressing issues of electronic voters’ registration and voting, a new constitution and earnest preparations towards having free and fair elections in 2015, some persons instead are interested only in how they can maneuver the process to win elections. Ironically, all the sermonising about adhering to due process in the conduct of elections falls on deaf ears.

Let me ask: When will we demonstrate true love for our nation that has suffered serial despoliation in the hands of greedy and callous politicians over the years? Has Nigeria not bled enough for all of us? We milk the nation mercilessly dry to the point that it is crying for help. And nobody incidentally is ready to sacrifice to help it. I have written in this column on several occasions in the past that if Nigeria were a human being it would have bled to death. Yes, it would have bled to death. On top of the injury already inflicted on it some unconscionable people are now calling for its demise. If Nigeria dies today, who will be the loser? All of us, of course!

I have read widely about profligacy, misadministration, corruption, malfeasance in other climes, but none can compare to the embarrassing dimension they have assumed in our own country. We run Nigeria as if we deliberately want it to die. If, God forbid, it eventually dies what then will become of our collective heritage? Are we not all agreed that Nigeria should develop to the level of competing with other nations in Africa and the world in order to assume global prominence? How can we attain this lofty objective with our growing indifference to matters that will engender national growth and development?

If you ask an average Nigerian child where he would like to study? You will almost get a unanimous response: “The United States”. Surely, everybody loves the United States for the singular reason that in it everything works. Yes, everything works in the United States, but we can as well make things work in Nigeria. The United States is where it is today because its forbears fought, and even laid down their lives, for it to survive. Read the history of America and you will appreciate the enormity of the sacrifices its past leaders, especially the champions of its independence struggle, made to enthrone sustainable development and functional democratic principles.

I love the United States. I love the United Kingdom. I love France. I love Germany. I love South Africa (especially for the sake of the legendary Mandela). I love Canada. In fact, I love every country that promotes peace, justice and social equality. Nonetheless, as much as I love these countries, I regret to state that I still love Nigeria with passion. Nigeria is one of the best countries on the face of the earth. Tell me any nation in Africa that is so blessed with a diversity and abundance of blessings ranging from natural and human resources to rich arable land, beautiful and highly enterprising and religious citizens, clement weather, and stable polity. But unfortunately what we lack is quality leadership to spearhead the harnessing of these resources to the benefit of the nation and its people. What reason do we have, therefore, to continue to wallow in poverty in the midst of plenty? Is it not high time we jettisoned our old, disgraceful ways and become more patriotic and dynamic in the face of global challenges in order to be counted when the day of reckoning arrives?

One thing many of us have refused to appreciate is that time is moving swiftly and it will get to a point we may not be able to salvage this nation any longer. We have every opportunity to make Nigeria attain a prestigious position on the world map. Or do we want to give credence to the ominous projections from across the world that Nigeria may disintegrate in 2015? Are these prophecies of doom not enough to stir our conscience and make us change?

One of the ways the enemies of Nigeria want to destroy it is by ensuring that there are never free and fair elections. The second is corruption. Corruption is a social ill that has exposed our country to international criticisms and opprobrium. As I stated earlier, the pillaging of the nation’s resources by a few greedy individuals has contributed to the backwardness we experience today, making us a laughing stock to the outside world.

Have our politicians ever paused and pondered what colossal damage their inglorious and ignoble attitudes have caused to the economic and social life of our fatherland? I regret to observe that our politicians have carried themselves as if they have no stake in Nigeria. This insensitive attitude must stop if we are to achieve our collective destiny. We cannot afford to sit on the fence while other nations are making progress to attain greatness.

It will be a tragedy of epic dimension if we should allow Nigeria to die in our time. Everything points to the fact that some Nigerians wish Nigeria dead. If Nigeria dies, then all of us will perish.

There is no way we can fold our arms and watch Nigeria disintegrate when we can do something to save it. This is why it has become imperative for all lovers of this great nation to come together, sink our political, religious and clannish differences and work for the peace, progress and stability of Nigeria.

We must, as a matter of urgency, kill the ethnocentric virus in us that drives our urge to steal from the national till; provide jobs for our youth in order to stop kidnapping and other vices; support INEC in its bid to conduct free and fair elections in order to enthrone new leaders that will bring change and drive development and, above all; promote peace and social justice, whose absence has accounted for all the upheavals that have befallen this country.

These are the ideals that should occupy our minds instead of working to destroy a nation we all so much cherish and love.

I pray today: Those who want Nigeria dead should have destruction awaiting them at the sentinel of their doors. Amen!