POLITICS OF HATE: IS THERE A NIGERIAN?

POLITICS OF HATE: IS THERE A NIGERIAN?
In the First World such as US and Great Britain, there are phrases showing citizen allegiance and patriotism to the fatherland such as ‘God save the Queen’, I love America etc. Just like the biblical saying that God loved and gave his only begotten son as a condition for us to love back, so did America give (job, education, opportunities) to her citizens for them to give back what they were given. That is the genesis of patriotism in such countries buts down in Nigeria, the story is different.

A country that has over 80 million youths with more than 60 million unemployed or underemployed leaves little to be desired. How can you believe in Nigeria when she does not believe in you? A country that provides little or no opportunity for her citizens to self-actualize. A country citizen’s right are trampled on by government agencies with no one held responsible. A country people are killed on daily bases by terror groups in the North and criminal gangs in the South yet nothing critical is done to counter such in future. Nigeria has given little to her citizens to demand patriotism from them.

On 16^th of April 2014 South Korea ferry sank with more than 300 people dead or missing and the Prime Minister on Sunday, 27^th of April, 2014 resigned stating that he is taking responsibility of the disaster because he felt that the government did not handle the situation very well. After months the Nigerian Immigration Service under direct supervision of the Honorable Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro conducted a recruitment exercise that not only defrauded jobless Nigerians their hard earned money but also claimed about 20 live and left thousands with various levels of injuries; no one has accepted full responsibility, no one has resigned or been sacked, yet we claim that those in government are there for the people. That is the picture of much Nigeria has given her citizens.

Talking of security, no one is safe anymore. After the Nyanya bomb blast that claimed at least 72 lives, nothing new has been put in place apart from long roadblock that has proved counterproductive and was unable to stop the second attack. Instead of the political class to brainstorm and find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram crisis, PDP was busy drafting a long letter that accused APC of being behind series of attacks that have been attributed to Boko Haram. That is how the political class view the suffering of the masses by using it as a means to score political point. What we only hear from the military and Polices is the familiar phrase ‘we are on top of the situation’ yet nothing is done and people keep suffering and dying every day.

 Is this the country you will give your all?

From the political class to ordinary Nigerians on the street one can hardly find who that believes in Nigeria Project. On 16^th April 2014 a high profile politician created a state (Northern Nigeria) in Nigeria State. He addressed his broadside to “Fellow Governors and Citizens of the North.” Nyako insists: “Northern Nigeria is on its own’’. Commenting on Boko Haram killings, he claimed that these incidents are orchestrated by “the Hitler-like evil-mindedness” of the government of President Jonathan. Says Nyako: “the Administration has hired militia from all across especially North Africa who have been deceived into accepting to come because they were made to believe that they would be fighting infidels.” From his memo it is clear that even as a governor in Nigeria; he does not trust nor believe in the ‘common project’.

State of the Nation Polity in strong terms rejects the position of Nyako that the Federal Government is directly fighting her citizen. However, is of the opinion that though Nyako was extreme in the use of words such as genocide, we should not jettison core issues convened by the memo. Government at all levels have been systematically and indirectly waging war against Nigerians through lack of creation of meaningful opportunities for citizens to actualise their potentials.  This has been achieved through many years of uncontrolled squandering of our national wealth and systematic denier of Nigerians basic means of livelihood.

Notwithstanding all the persecutions, abuse of right of the citizens by government agencies, corruption and outright short-changing and defrauding of Nigerians in the name of recruitment, we will not totally lose hope in Nigeria. Thanks to the ongoing National Conference though there are doubts on its capacity to give Nigerians people’s oriented constitution.

Nigeria is the only country we can truly call our own, therefore while we hope that those in government realise that they are there to sever the people, we urge well meaning Nigerians to shave their swords and give peace a chance for us to have meaningful development in our fatherland.

Okechukwu Ajaegbu

Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement

Tweet- @okeyajas