Nigeria and Nigerians have in the last twelve months witnessed a series of events; ranging from the mundane, to the absurd, barbaric and cataclysmic. From the disappearance of a sitting president to his eventual demise, succession travails, build up to national elections and the on-going post-election violence.
These were events that I followed closely, and freely commented upon via different social media. This essay is a follow up of the same theme I have been emphasizing throughout my writings, it is also in response to several misconceptions and misinterpretations that are gaining currency at the moment.
Where we are today as a Nation was predictable and avoidable.
When UMY disappeared in Novemeber 2009, without following the due process of power transfer, very few spoke up, too many were tolerant of this abuse of office by the Executive branch. When it became all to apparent that he had become incapacitated as the C-in-C, the statutory bodies also failed to respond in the manner stipulated by law. The public was stirred into action; but action was more akin spectators at a theatrical comedy than of aggrieved citizens.
On the eventual announcement of the president's demise, the lines were blurred even further. It was widely reported that the wife of the president and a few others had hijacked the apparatus of state, denied the VP access to his boss and vicariously held the entire nation hostage. Yet, this was never addressed nor investigated. Worse still, Nigerians never demanded an explanation, nor did we seek closure.
In the build up to the elections, I stated on several occasions that we failed the primary challenge in re-writing the destiny of our nation- which was to identify, promote and sponsor worthy candidates. Every other thing that followed was and still is an exercise in futility, as far as changing the status quo is concerned. I urged my friends and colleagues not to lose sleep over any candidate, that none could deliver any meaningful change.
Alas, the enthusiasm was intoxicating, the fervor too strong, everybody (well nearly) caught the fever, and all of a sudden, the hopes and aspirations of tens of millions coalesced into a palpable pulse, and the hope solidified, and Nigerians... believed, that it could happen.
When voting was deferred on the first day of the elections, I proclaimed loudly that such could only happen in Nigeria, when in the absence of a disaster or wide-scale emergency, polling could be called off while voters and electoral officers where already at polling booths, and after some ballots had been casted.
Alas, Nigerians were quick (too quick) to come to the defense of the Electoral Commission. I opined that the excuses given were lame, that even if the contractors failed to supply materials, there ought to have been a back up plan in place, I strongly suggested, that perhaps, once again, Nigerians were being kept in the dark about the real events that would shape their future and collective destinies... too few listened or took heed.
The aftermath of the Presidential elections is just too sad to narrate. The results are glaring, anybody could be a target; Emirs, politicos, businesses, Christians, NYSC members, non-Northerners; everybody. Wanton, senseless, destruction of lives and property.
Emotions are high, the disgust and outrage palpable. The loss is incalculable, the survivors and families of victims inconsolable. It is tempting to describe the violence as the culmination of everything bad and evil about Nigeria, but sadly, it isn't. This is just another manifestation of the sorry state of our nation.
The single thread that connects the UMY saga to the current outbreak of violence is not the involvement of the ethnic North, but our penchant for disregard of the law and due process. Demonstrated first in high office and manifested later in the streets.
At the moment however, we prefer to deny this inconvenient truth. Folks from the south are more willing to denounce the 'northern muslims' and the 'almahjiris' rather than own up to our collective faults and errors, as a society, and as a nation.
The present situation was predictable and thus avoidable.
Predictable because over the years, there have been intermittent outbreaks of violence in several parts of the country with the same results- the victims are left to lick their wounds or retaliate, but the perpetrators are never found, investigated nor brought to book.
This culture of tolerance has encouraged the nurturing of violence as a social tool; for self-determination and emancipation in the Niger-Delta to self-expression and popular protest in the North.
I stopped short of warning of post-election civil unrests for two reasons; firstly, I was of the opinion that it was obvious enough, secondly, I did not wish to be liable for creating or planting the idea into the minds of all too willing people.
It was obvious because most people expected some form of rigging or the other, which is the reason for party agents at polling centers. And surely, electoral rigging was sure to leave large sections of the public, cheated and disenfranchised.
Avoidable because these causes are far from natural causes.
This essay is not going to be a review of the state of our affairs however, I intend it to illuminate a possible pathway out of the doldrums, to a new and prosperous nation.
This will be explored through a series of articles on this blog, but I want to leave room for discussion. We need a collaborative effort, we need to exchange ideas and rub minds. I realize that I have a tendency to gloss over recent events, largely because I had long anticipated them. I acknowledge however that others are devastated, and have not, or cannot yet move beyond it. I also expect others to hold a different opinion, view or perspective.
I encourage everyone tagged to air their views, I will appreciate it a lot. It would serve a common good, and possibly lead to a re-birth of our nation-state.
Thank you
(To be continued...)
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