The art of non violence. Our once peaceful and sublime Nigerian space is increasingly filled with upheaval and turbulence, and the Nigerian-craft is not only loosing altitude, but bearing and stability, as violence, rancor and the many elements that inflict further divisions within us, continue to wax stronger. The killings of hausa traders in Imo, coinciding with the 1966 massacre of Nigerian leaders in time, is a sad commemoration and pointer of our drift towards violence, a trajectory away from the much needed peace that supports growth and development. The continuous rampage of benue farmers by fulani herdsmen who in turn suffer cattle rustling, gives the undertone of a non relenting phenomenon that will forever decimate any meaningful drive for development. Our ethnicity, far ahead of our claims of religious differences, is the primeval element of our existence that basically fuels our wars and clashes with each other, permanently hanging in as a factor that keeps us blindsided to tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Because it suits our political or selfish economic positions, we drive these differences and perpetuate violence, claiming the lives of innocent people who have no bother who you are or what you are doing, nor your religious and tribal inclinations. The control for power and resources is primarily the motive behind all the uprisings and the killings and yet we find our folly more often than our wisdom, in understanding what these proponents of malfeasance and angels of death are all about. Wars round the world end up on negotiation tables, northern and southern sudan a classical example, where today, southern sudan is reaching out for help from its self by reaching out to its northern sudan brothers. We are then reminded to ask ourselves this question; how many times are we going back to renegotiate Nigeria? Does it mean that every time we have a new crop of leaders we must discuss our union all over again? I saw someone ask a very queer question, and he said, so are you saying IBB is a northernor and Jerry Gana a middle belter? In the light of that question, what do you want to call Asari Dokubos kids whose father is from the Niger Delta and their mother a fulani woman? The blueprint and nature of our existence and our geographies, inspite of our diversities, has it in such a form that Nigerians certainly cannot cheat nature. Nigeria is like a mangrove full of different woods and shrubs deeply rooted to the ground and whose survival depend on each other. As much as President Jonathan wants to experiment on our coexistence with yet another confab, he is also unwilling to do it properly, and so will the outcome of the confab be treated improperly. The elite will continue with the economic balkanisation of Nigeria, but never will they push for its disintegration. The more our grassroots politicians become more enlightened, the better Nigeria will be for it. Leaders with sentiments will no longer be foisted upon them and we will begin to see real time transformation and development. While the government invests on infrastructural development, What we really need is the development of our psychy and of our minds. The enlightenment that improves on our mindset to understand that we will not have any real progress untill we are ready to break all barriers and remove all boundaries that continue to limit or stagnate us. What will we gain by shedding blood in Ikhana in Rivers State? People from the same state wielding guns and pumping the lives out of their brethren? This is the height of monstrosity and it becomes difficult to understand that it is not, as it clearly exudes the hunger for human flesh! The solution to our wars are never realisable through hostilities. We must embrace non violence as the new world order. China as the fastest growing and developing economy is busy forging ahead and tapping world resources and technologies while the rest of the world is at war. Nigeria must understand who its real enemies are and not who comes from where. The south western part of this country have become more advanced than anywhere, breaking religious and tribal barriers from within them. South western Nigeria has become a role model and the earlier the northern giant in slumber and the south south merchants in turmoil redefine themselves, the better for us all. Instead of preparing for hostilities come 2015, our positioning should be towards change. A change that will begin to bring change and a departure from the business as usual or the do the needful schemes that stand erect today, coming in the way of Nigerias progress.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 06:20:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015