“We have replaced humanity with hatred and war. We have accepted criminals by replacing the innocents.
Today, we are in dire need of peace, justice and love, but sadly, we are the complicities of all our miseries, even though we are always looking for who to blame for being our enemies.” — DSM.
A regime that preaches democracy was angry, and using the Judiciary, NASS and Executive dictatorial impunity, removed elected officials, because, according to the king of democracy, those elected officials are not following the rules in the constitution. Sadly, the military impostor imposed under the sinister narrative of democracy has never abided or followed any court rules or constitutional tenets in the new abracadabra governance system. Yet, we are dancing naked on the falsehoods of our shamelessly brand of a political system with the semblance of … DEMON-CRAZY… Probably, in a crazy society.
Disastrous inferno only burns when the fire reaches your doorstep, consuming everything you hold dear.
Otherwise, the suffering of others remains a distant spectacle, a flickering image on a screen, a plume of smoke on the horizon, a muffled sound easily dismissed and slept through. ‘It’s all right’, so long as it is not us who bear the brunt of the devastation. So long as the ash and debris do not settle on our roofs, contaminating our comfortable existence, it’s acceptable. So long the blood spilled is not the colour of our own kin, staining our hands and consciences, it’s acceptable.
Some even go so far as to say that such destruction is not only acceptable but justified, if it is our own hands that ignite the flames, and our own actions that bring about the suffering of others.
In such cases, they argue, the ensuing silence is not the silence of complicity but the silence of righteous victory. A silence born not of indifference but of a sacred duty fulfilled. The gain, they proclaim, is holy amalgam, a necessary sacrifice on the altar of progress or power.
They justify their sinister actions with carefully constructed narratives of self-preservation, of national interest, of divine mandate, blinding themselves to the shared humanity that connects us all.
But what happens when the flame, fueled by unchecked ambition and self-righteousness, forgets its designated lane or track, overflowing its carefully constructed boundaries and spreading indiscriminately?
What happens when the fire, intended to consume only the designated “enemies, idiots and others,” jumps the gap, igniting the very homes and lives of those who initially kindled it?
‘It will and always does.’
Fire, by its very nature, is unpredictable and uncontrollable. It cares nothing for artificial boundaries or carefully crafted justifications. It consumes all in its path, making no distinction between the innocent and the guilty, the intended victim and the unwitting perpetrator. The history of humanity is littered with the ashes of great people, empires and nations that believed themselves immune to the flames they ignited, only to be consumed by their hubris.
The comforting illusion of control shatters, leaving behind only devastation and regret.
I firmly believe that by concluding at this point, my message has been effectively conveyed. However, I’m often reminded of a common observation regarding communication, particularly in certain African contexts. It’s akin to the scenario of a town crier delivering a royal decree, summoning all villagers to the village square.
There’s a prevailing sentiment, a cultural nuance perhaps, that expects the crier to reiterate the message multiple times, almost as if the initial proclamation wasn’t sufficient. This expectation of repetition isn’t limited to distant bystanders; ironically, even those near the town crier, those who heard the announcement the first time, often exhibit this behaviour. They might turn to a nearby onlooker and inquire, “What did the town crier say?”
This tendency to seek confirmation or repetition, even when the message was initially clear, underscores a certain hesitancy to accept information at its first face value.
We, as a community, sometimes struggle to fully embrace a message on its first delivery, acting almost as if we are unfamiliar with the traditional gong that signals a royal gathering. It’s a cultural pattern that deserves reflection, as it can impede progress and create unnecessary delays in responding to important calls to action. Just as the villagers should trust the initial call of the town crier, we should strive to cultivate a greater trust in the clarity and validity of first-time communications, recognizing that unnecessary repetition can dilute the impact and urgency of the message.
What else is left of Nigeria’s backwardness amid plenty?
Are we not aware of the genocidal inferno in Plateau, Borno, Kebbi, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Zamfara, Kebbi States? The sad thing about this present regime is that it has lived on denial and propaganda. Recently, the Governor of Plateau asserted that 64 communities in his state have been taken over by the bandits or terror herdsmen. To date, FGN has remained quiet, waiting for a president who is in Paris to call a press release as usual.
The most agitated was the outcry of Governor Zulum, one of the best Governors, calling for help as the terrorist attacks are becoming overwhelming. As a regime without any empathy and conscience, the Minister of Information debunked such a cry for help, and sadly, with a mean statement, “Ignore Governor Zulum. Boko Haram is not taking over Borno.”
What kind of inhuman response can one deduce from the above uncanny statement?
Must we use the lives of Nigerians to play politics?
As at today, no one can authoritatively assert that Nigeria is practising the ideal democracy. When a state is captured under the disguise of an emergency rule, do we need to understand the functions of a body system, where an injured finger would affect all? As at today, no Nigerian can tell us the political system(s) that Nigeria is practicing.
The presidency and NASS were angry that Governor Fubara and a few Legislatures sat, approved and passed the appropriation bill, and yet, see nothing wrong with a single individual sitting, approving and passing the same appropriation bill.
I don’t think that Nigerians are daft enough to pretend that their president has become more of a French national, hence, Paris has become a new designated capital of Nigeria. Don’t get me wrong ,and hence my question: “if a Nigerian General could be picked up like a chicken by bandits, what’s the average value of an ordinary Nigerian?”
Before you attack me, one will be forced to ask:” What’s the Economic strategy of Nigeria, and must Nigerians buy Naira as a commodity while CBN is galivanting with World Bank loans for Naira stabilisation instead of investments?”
There’s nothing new about the ugliness of Nigeria, except that it has a set of confused people with no idea of whether they are citizens or slaves.
A trajectory of some people marching into a burning fire with funfair, absolutely unaware of the consequences of touching the allure of a flame.
If our leaders continue to play down this path of self-enrichment and disregard for citizens’ miseries, the very foundation of our nation will crumble. A day of reckoning will inevitably arrive when both the leaders and the led will find themselves without a country to call their own.
This isn’t mere rhetoric; the warning signs are evident. The stability of our nation is precarious, and the current trajectory is unsustainable. The clock is ticking, each second bringing us closer to a potential catastrophe.
This isn’t just a prediction; it’s a stark reality that demands immediate attention. Only those who truly understand the gravity of the situation, those who are perceptive enough to see the writing on the wall, can grasp the impending danger.
The prophecy of a nation on the brink of collapse is not a distant myth; it’s a tangible threat looming large on the horizon. We are at a critical juncture, a turning point that will determine the fate of our country. The choice is clear, and the future of our nation hangs in the balance, and the time for decisive action is now.
Let us not be blind to the perilous path we are on, but instead, work together to forge a brighter future for generations to come. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of our leaders and all of us, and the hope lies in our leaders willingness to embrace true and selfless service to the nation, while the citizens MUST rise to demand for accountability by actively challenging the status quo of all evidences of evil in Nigeria’s governance system, even as I come in PEACE.
Rt Hon (Dr.) Sunny Oby Maduka (DSM)
