Nyanya Bomb Blast - The Sunny Side of it II

I did mention earlier on that I saw a glimmer of hope in the immediate aftermath of the Nyanya bomb blast. We will come to that shortly. 

Meanwhile, on getting the news of the bomb blast, I had panicked, like thousands of other Nigerians, and immediately began working my phone, trying to reach out to friends and loved ones that reside in the FCT. As I reached out, I could not help pondering what could prompt someone to drop a bomb in a public space, with the sole intention of just killing anything around!

Though unjustifiable, I could relate with the possibility that someone is unhappy that a church or mosque was built here and bombed it; a school was built here and you did not want it and so you bombed it; a security formation threatens you and so you attack them; there is a defined target. But, when you drop a bomb in a market or bus station, you kill men, women, children and babies, people of all ethnic, religious and political persuasions including chicken, goat, just everything around; people that go to church and those that don’t; people that go to mosque and those that hate mosques; those that go to school and those that don’t. You make a victim out of people that are already victims of social injustice!

As the nation shuddered at the horrific destruction that fateful morning, I braced up for the mudslinging which I was certain was coming. The script has been fairly unchanged in the past 3-5 years; only the ferocity has increased until it has come to a dizzying height. I could hear, in my mind, the APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohamed, “The PDP government has once again demonstrated it gross incompetence in providing leadership to the country… allowing innocent citizens to be murdered in their numbers. The PDP and President Goodluck are to be blamed…”

But if I anticipated the bickering, I was actually jolted by what I got. The PDP publicity secretary, apparently to preempt his APC counterpart, decided to take the bull by the horn. Without any investigation, he announced to the whole world that APC was behind the bomb blast! That was big! Didn’t anybody tell him that as the party in government, he does not have the luxury of fighting as dirty as the opposition?

Notwithstanding this turn of events though, relief would soon come my way and those of other well meaning Nigerians and that may prove to be the sunny side of the bomb blast. For instance, on a visit to the victims by the APC governors, their Chairman, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State while commiserating with the victims and condemning the violence said among other things:

“We notice that the increased blood shedding in our nation is becoming worrisome and as leaders we believe that this is not a time to say what is wrong or who is wrong. This is a time that we must all close hands to ensure the safety of lives and properties. This is not a time to talk about politics with people’s lives. While we urged all Nigerians to remain calm and prayerful, we pray that we should unite at this moment to fight this evil. We shall also join force with other democrats to ensure that this bad story ends as quickly as possible.”

Also speaking on the occasion, Gov. Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa, advised Nigerians to be vigilant and observe any unusual movement that was not in line with what they see daily.

“My advice to Nigerians is that we should be observant and vigilant. We should not in any way leave the issue of security in the hands of security agencies alone. Security should be everybody’s business; we should be more meticulous and observant of any suspicious movement and report to security operatives to complete their efforts of combating crimes,” he said.

Several others, like Wole Soyinka, Muhammadu Buhari, etc joined forces in condemning the violence, not fellow Nigerians, and calling for concerted efforts to defeat extremism. The Security Council meeting that was earlier aborted subsequently held with the APC cancelling their congresses to enable their governors attend the meeting.

Could it be that this tragedy would be the catalyst that unites us in a collective resistance against terrorism and violent extremism? May be it might just occur that these innocent souls lost become the ones to rouse us into positive action against those that would want to curtail our freedoms and subject us to perpetual bondage to fear. Can we sustain and build on this unity? If that were to happen, then the blood of the innocent departed would not have been in vain. Besides, Boko Haram may have unintentionally scored an own goal.

I can picture the storm over, being replaced by sunshine!

Teamup Africa!

Nyanya Bomb Blast - The Sunny Side of it I

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

That was a very profound statement made by Jesus Christ of Nazareth thousands years ago and remains eternally indisputable.

Also several centuries later, on June 16 1868, Abraham Lincoln borrowed from the same statement in one of his acclaimed top three speeches, delivered at the Republican Party’s state convention in Illinois, as he addressed one of the most contentious issues in the United States of America at the time – the slave trade. Hear him:

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new -- North as well as South.”

Lincoln lost the election into the United States senate that year to the Democratic candidate – Stephen A. Douglas. Why? He had spoken the truth, but the statement was not politically correct. Yes he lost, but the urgency of the situation was not lost on him, and he would rather lose than not stand for the truth at the time. Consequently, discussing the speech with his law partner, William Herndon, before delivering the speech, he had argued:

"The proposition is indisputably true ... and I will deliver it as written. I want to use some universally known figure, expressed in simple language as universally known, that it may strike home to the minds of men in order to rouse them to the peril of the times."

Does Nigeria need this kind of rousing at this time!

In times of critical national emergencies such as being witnessed in Nigeria and several parts of Africa, what is required is personal and collective sacrifice on the part of the citizenry. The political class especially needs to subordinate political expediency or correctness to national interest. Largeness of heart is required of the ruling class who are undoubtedly the greatest beneficiaries of the state. Unity and love of country is required to engage and contain the forces of darkness who thrive in their dark machinations.

Unfortunately, this sacrifice of personal interest and political correctness; this unity and love of one another and of the state have been conspicuously wanting in Nigeria. Consequently, the problem of insurgency has become intractable in Nigeria and is likely to remain so for as long as this house remains divided against itself. Now, this is not a prophecy like a religious prophecy. It is rather a statement of fact, corroborated by hard facts. Check out all the countries where insurgencies thrive – Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Central African Republic, Bosnia, Somalia, Sudan etc. I am pretty sure you can see a common narrative! On the other hand, take a look at all the countries that have relative peace – America, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, South Africa etc. The difference is clear. America, hated by so many, is one of the places the insurgents would want to destroy the most. But since love conquers all (I love my bible – it gives me answers to all questions of life, and you are quite free to disagree with me), they are not finding it easy to inflict as much damage to the country as they would want.

Nigeria is clearly in need of a couple of Lincolns, who would rather lose elections but rouse people to positive action than say only the politically correct things and damn the consequences.

Thank God recently, I saw a glimmer of hope, and that glimmer came at, and courtesy of some the most dastardly acts of the insurgents. It was shortly after the Nyanya bomb blast. Most people may not have noticed it. But the keen observers surely will not miss it.

To be continued…

Nigerian women: From Rwanda with love (2)

Continue this amazing story with this concerned Rwandan woman here:

I passed out soon after the shoot-out only to be awakened some hours afterwards by my little brother crying for me to wake up. He was pulling my arm, crying and saying “Please wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Please don’t leave me alone! Please wake up!”

I managed to drag myself out of the laundry basket. What I saw was appalling, awful and unbearable. My mum and my sisters were all dead. After raping them, they slit their throats and mutilated their bodies. They didn’t spare their breasts and vaginas. It was a horrible sight to behold! There was blood all over the carpet.There was blood on the bed.  There was blood on the walls. There was blood everywhere in that master bedroom. It was shocking and repulsive! I couldn’t even cry!My brother whimpered and was shell shocked! He too couldn’t cry. We tried not to look again as we quickly stepped over their half-naked mutilated bodies and ran to the corridor... Continue reading

Nigerian women: From Rwanda with love (1)

I couldn't put this better than this concerned Rwandan woman who had been in the centre of hell and missed death by the skin of her teeth. What I would only like to say is that everyone - men, women and youths should get involved in efforts to forestall this impending catastrophe in Nigeria. A stitch in time they say, saves nine. 

Read yourself and get involved. God bless Nigeria!

Dear Nigerian women,

I would like to start this letter by saying congratulations to the people of Nigeria on the country’s recent celebration of its 100th anniversary as a nation.

In Rwanda, we are also planning and holding many activities for the 20th anniversary of the genocide of almost a million Rwandans. The Rwandan genocide was 100 days plus of killings of fellow citizens. It started in April 1994 and did not end until sometime in July 1994. I am actively involved in the activities of the 20th anniversary of the massacres. And I guess that is why I got up in the early hours of this morning in cold sweat! I woke up sweating, panting and breathless. My heart was beating so fast! My pillow was soaked with sweat. I quickly turned on the lights and was relieved to find myself in my bedroom and not outside on a street full of dead bodies. I had had yet another nightmare which has become a frequent occurrence in my life! Continue reading...

The burden of conscience 3

Part three of this foundational series – The Burden of Conscience – takes a look at violence in Africa as a factor for retrogression and economic subjugation in the continent and one of the key factors that should jar one into action – a weight on one’s conscience as an African, one that I am unable to contain.

One is dazed at the shear extent of violence ravaging Africa; it is just mind boggling to put it very mildly. As I grew up, the most salient things I started hearing about African countries were mostly in relation to wars and conflicts – Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, Liberia, etc. Even now, the conflicts and violence show no sign of abating. The preponderance of African nations is battling one form of violence or another. Critically needed resources are being channeled towards waging wars and containing violence. The God-given resources are being exchanged for weapons that are used freely on fellow brethren with reckless abandon. In the midst of it all, the west gains while Africa grows poorer!

In Nigeria, the number of violent deaths being recorded on a daily basis is surpassing that of Syria that is mired in a civil war! Whether it is Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen, Ombatse cult, ritualists, kidnappers, militants or whatever name you call them, the killings, maiming and destruction of lives and property is being carried to terrifying heights! The human and economic toll on the nation is simply humongous! The trend of killings and counter killings portends grave existential danger to the nation. But the long term consequences of breeding children under these debilitating conditions, with access to education – a vital means of personal and economic freedom - denied might be even more catastrophic, having had their consciences seared with hot iron! Unless something is urgently done, Nigeria will cease to exist sooner or later.

But the situation is not peculiar to Nigeria. From Mali to Egypt; from Sudan to Central African Republic; from Somalia to Egypt the violence is rife. Africa is undoubtedly among the greatest patrons of the west, and more recently some Asian and Middle East countries in terms of light and medium weapons! While diseases, infrastructure decay, poverty and unemployment are escalating by the day, available resources are being exchanged for weapons! Consequently, African countries rank among the poorest and hungry nations of the world. Internal displacement of her citizens is equally among the highest in the world!

Looking at the specter of violence, I ask myself, ‘Are we going to continue this way?’ Whose responsibility is it to stop these mindless destructions? How do we go about resolving these conflicts and building a promising continent where our children and children’s children will like to live?

I conclude that everyone must get involved; I must get involved. The task cannot be left to government alone. Individually and collectively, we need to learn and preach the principles of non-violence as popularized and successfully applied by Mahatma Ghandi. We need to understand that as he says, ‘An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.’ It is time to explore alternative means of dispute resolution!

Let us waive the olive branch to our aggrieved brothers so that we can stop the violence and turn to prosperity. As God showed to mankind, it is a mark of true greatness to initiate reconciliation even when one has been wronged.

It’s time to Teamup!

The Burden of conscience 2

My friend, a very good friend, with his family resides in the United Kingdom. He graduated at the top of his class in an Engineering department in a Nigerian University. After a short stint in Nigeria, working in a bank, he secured a PTDF scholarship to study in the United Kingdom. He has not come back since. His wife graduated from the same department, same university, and same class and in the second position; they were not yet married then anyway.  She had secured her own PTDF scholarship for further study in the UK earlier. They are gone, never to come back, at least there is no intention of coming home for now. Two of our best brains, gone! The investment the country has made on them is being reaped by another country! Do I blame my friend? Certainly not! There is a cause.

Hundreds of Africans have met their Waterloo in waters off the Italian island of Lampedusa. Annually, thousands of Africans launch the desperate bid to escape debilitating conditions at home to a more promising land in Europe. Often, they sail in overcrowded boats from Libya, Tunisia etc attempting to get to Italy through this island. On October 3 2013 alone, over 300 migrants perished in these waters when their boat caught fire and capsized!

Bags containing the bodies of the drowned African migrants

   

But the Lampedusa route is only one of the many perilous routes that our brothers travel in search of succor from the perils back home. Thousands of others from Nigeria, Ghana, Niger etc make their own desperate bids from Agadez in Niger Republic through Algeria, (and walking several hundreds of kilometers in a desert) to Libya. From there, they hope make a last ditch effort to get into Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. Of course tales of woe abound, for those who are lucky to survive to tell the tale. Freddy Kasseri, a Ghanaian migrant narrated his ordeal in the hands of bandits. He was traveling with his group from Agadez en route to Libya when an armed truck intercepted them, ‘They made us undress and took everything of value. I prepared well before leaving [Ghana], but I have lost everything en route and am not sure how I will eat tonight.’  He said the bandits equally took 5 Nigerian women and 5 Ghanaian women away into the desert! Oh my! What will become of those women?

A truck smuggling migrants from Agadez, across the desert to Libya

Freddy was lucky to be alive to tell his story. Many simply drop dead in the desert, out of tiredness or sickness. Some lose their way in the desert and wander till they just start dying a very slow but surely agonising death! It is so pathetic.

All over Europe, Asia, America, and he Middle East, thousands of Africans languish in prison – so many thousands in actual prisons and yet another thousands in the prison of penury. We have our people, willing and able to work but unable to find one in Africa. They are compelled to migrate to where they are not wanted, suffer untold indignities and are consequently traumatized beyond measure. Some live in hiding until to return to their maker.

These things cause my heart to bleed greatly - when critically needed resources are compelled to emigrate with even more critically needed skills; massive human wastage in most shameful ways. It is a moral burden  for me and for all Africans to rise up to the challenge of building Africa. The potential is there. It is time to turn this potential into kinetic energy. It is a grave moral burden for everyone leaving in this generation. We need to do this for us and generations following. We must not fail in this responsibility.

Let us Teamup now!