DNA OF ANARCHY
When a child is born, there is that joy that surpasses all
understanding. Though the nation was truly born and christened by Flaura
Shaw and Sir Lord Lugard in 1914, but
was reclaimed by our forefathers who after strong argument with our colonial master
that the nation bore the DNA of all Nigerians and not the white. After the appendage of the
signatures of our founding fathers, the nation was defined but along tripartite
path of three major ethnic groups even though its chromosomes are characterized
by diverse traits of more than 250 ethnic units. The concatenation of these
diverse groups into a nation by 1954 constitution came with flaws when the
northern region delayed incorporating self-governance with the western and
eastern regions until 1959,and the premier election in December of that year
was enwrapped with ill-omen for a republic that is just born.
When the agreement was signed by our heroes past and
princess Alexandra of Great Britain handed the relevant documents to Sir
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, lest did they know they obtained the so-called
‘independence’ as a Trojan horse rather than on a platter of gold. Little did
they know that the scheme established in 1960 by the consent of our white
masters, if all things being equal, will collapse by 2015. Now the West is now prophet
of doom, however the handwriting is on the wall. Year in and out the nation is
dividing even beyond its Y-path. The once pristine instinct of nationalism is
alarmingly becoming extinct.
After gruesome murder of Sir Tafawa Balewa and retaliation
from the north against Aguiyi Ironsi, between 1966-1970 the political format of
national coexistence was almost eroded by the tingling spirit of secessional
inclination by the Igbo people who saw, in fact still see, themselves as endangered
species. Pathetic, we are at the crossroad and we never know it. We found
ourselves, inability to clearly define the deed of national coexistence wobbly
scribbled in 1914 with clauses when the northern and southern protectorates were
amalgamated by our white foster father has metamorphosed, through coups and
countercoups, June 12 brouhaha, use of letter bomb against Dele Giwa, great
Kano 1980 riot with about 1000 innocent lives left dead all around Kano
metropolis , persistent ethnic cleansing in Jos, Boko Haram letting loose all hell on but Muslims
and Christians alike to mention a few, into a configuration far from a
nationhood. The dilemma, since Chief Anthony E Enahoro moved for independence, is
still persistent.
Though
we came out of the civil war in 1969 ruffled but sense of secession is still
earnest with us. This comes out in form of Boko Haram and MEND (although with
the amnesty program of the federal government, the tension of the Niger Delta
militancy is doused, although situation has evolved into act of kidnapping,
which has even spread to South-East). The question is this: ‘what next struggle
group will emerge even if the government is able to curtail the Boko Haram’;
thanks to activities of JTF in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state.
The worst of all is this governance structured on the legal
illusion calls 1999 constitution while all institutions are all in wobbling
state.
In fact on our political terrain we have built profile of
discontinuity and instability through the history of irregular transition of
power from military to civilians. Maybe our independence was hurriedly handed
over to us. Even though South African went though apartheid, but now is reaping
the benefits of their long-suffering. This is a rare-breed republic with epochs
of drama of odd preceding another.
Since the start of 4th republic, maybe a respite
from despotism, we have not engaged the reality of democracy in governance. Though
we have wriggled free from the grip of military iron hold, only to fall into
the shackle of militocracy. Our
present crop of politicians treat democracy, far from the puritanical thought
of the Great Abraham Lincolm, as ‘the government of the few , by the few and
for the few’. The few, even since the advent of first republic, flirt with
power and cycle the seat of government among themselves, their wives, children
and even their concubines, their cronies, evil stooges.
History is further disappointed with the present format of
democracy where good governance is out of our leaders’ dictionary of leadership.
Under their flowing Agbada, these
crop of politicians, find it easy to steal the state fund in Ghana-must-go while
dilapidating infrastructures, failing systems, poverty and insecurity have
become dividends of democracy to the electorates.
Politics has become lucrative business that even lunatics
can even aspire to be legislators. No wonder the sacred floor of our honourable
house has turned to wrestling arena. Quite a comedy of absurd at 9.00 pm news
sometimes. How can we the masses amuse ourselves after hustling in the streets
for daily breads, which often come meager, if we don’t have the like of Baba
Sala, Baba Suwe, Akin and Pawpaw as honourables!
How the Ghana-must-go will be lighter to carry by them if
the introduction of N5000 note by Mr. Lam Sanusi had scaled through.
So tragic Mr President could not sense in the air this monetary
policy has a screwed-in grand scheme of causing hyper-inflation: prices of
goods will skyrocket. How the leadership of CBN would have signed the automatic
death warrant of N5, N10 and N20. Even our children will lament when their
precious N5 cannot buy sweets and biscuits and N10 cheese-balls
With the population of about 70% of its people living below
poverty line, below 1 dollar a day, about N150, we would begin to see dead
bodies littering our streets, resulting from hunger, crime rate alarmingly
increasing, the labour asking for more, our beloved men in black reviewing
their ‘take’ on the highways from N20 to N50, improved recruitment of hungry
and jobless youths into insurgent groups which had already polarized the north.
Most of the time, the thought of crime and criminality are inspired by empty
belly and frustration. Subtly insanity of the present state of the nation has
crept into the psyche of the masses considering the Aluu 4 and Madu 40 as case
study. In fact the malady is evident everywhere.
Our elders says if cap makes head itch, it is necessary one
remove it to get fresh air. I think Mr President should remove his cap to get
fresh air that he shouldn’t make the general saying among his people define the
scenario that ‘there is no difference between the feeble and sick ’ even though
Mr. president is mustering his power in dealing with Governor Rotimi Amechi now
able to call it a bluff declaring emergency rule in some northern states.
Where there is no sense, there is no direction!
Our leaders have lost connection to intention of our heroes
past for nationhood. The original content of democracy has lost its flavour,
foundation is rotten from the root, corruption and injustice, profligacy of
state fund sprouting out so flourishing at the withering stalk of the nation
even that the so-called ICPC and EFCC are so handicapped to prune. This is
indeed cancer which we have allowed to grow, even now critically growing.
Before the doomed spiraled out in 2015 as
predicted by our colonial masters, what is the way out?
1.
Let there be sovereign national conference so
together we might define our future; and federal government should exercise
strong will to follow the consensus from the conference.
2.
The federal government should strengthen the
anti-corruption agencies to fight corruption and the judiciary support the
crusade.
3.
The Nigerian constitution should be fine-tuned
to allow through federalism.
4.
There should be equal participation of every
tribe in the process of governance.
5.
The local governments should be strengthen to
empower people with skills and vocations so everyone can add to gross domestic
product e.t.c
I believe if the
politicians truly serve the electorates in accordance to the rule of law,
people will truly serve the nation. Later in the future we won’t have to tell
our children that there was once a nation called Nigeria. If we all sit at the
fence and our nation to the mercy of these politician there wont be a nation we call our own. At
least our voice can count with our vote. By 2015, lets wrong the west with our
votes, and together we can ensure the consciousness of nationalism.
God bless Nigeria. God
bless us all.
