By Chuks Akamadu
Many many years ago, Sunny Okosuns was forced to sing “Which Way Nigeria…?” In the same milieu, a compatriot of his named Peterside Otong, under similar circumstances also had to tearfully ask, in one of his songs, “Where Are the Prophets?”
In the life of the generation before theirs, Prof. Chinua Achebe had attempted both a prognosis and diagnosis of the festering Nigeria malaise in his book titled “The Trouble With Nigeria”.
Regrettably, whatever it was that worried these three patriots then have since grown progressively worse; to the extent that I feel duty-bound to ask: WHERE ARE THE PATRIOTS?
We used to have them (I mean patriots). We had them in the 80s, and we had them in the 90s. They were authentic patriots – some public intellectuals. What they all had in common was that at great personal risks, they consistently told truth to power. They loved Nigeria without repentance and lived sacrificially for her people.
The patriots under reference were objective, conscientious, consistent and indiscriminate. Among them were Christians, Muslims, Traditional Religion Worshippers as well as atheist. The list included Gani Fawehinmi, Tai Solarin, Chima Ubani, Bala Usman, Fela Anikolapo-Kuti and Alao Aka-Bashorun. They all were, in the strict sense of the word, patriots. They were neither religious bigots nor ethnic irredentists; and to be sure, they were not politicians.
Had they been alive today, they certainly would not have been part of the current satanic conspiracy of silence by the Nigerian elite. They would have stood with the dying, insecure people of Nigeria. They would have, in unison, confronted the widespread atmosphere of fear.
Gani for instance would have looked President Muhammadu Buhari in the face and told him that Nigeria, under his watch, has become a sinking ship. Fela on his part would found the courage to tell Mr. President that the “killing field” Nigeria has so tragically become makes his administration look like a blood-sucking demon.
Part of our problem in this part of the world is that we almost always bring politics into everything. Pray, why should APC and PDP be trading words over a ravaging tragedy that threatens to consume the entire nation and her diversity, unless a pan-Nigerian solidarity is forged? Why are we like this? But come on, why has President Buhari allowed the value of human lives to depreciate to this pathetic level? Life is no longer sacred and criminal elements are allowed to take what they cannot give without any repercussions whatsoever. What manner of society are we! Indeed, where is our humanity?
For me, the death of one Nigerian in the hands of these marauding brigands insincerely called “herdsmen” is gradual death of the Nigerian union, because it is the people that make Nigeria – not vice versa, not the land mass and not our sweet crude oil.
I wish to call on President Buhari to chew afresh on the Oaths of Office and Allegiance he took upon assumption of office on May 29, 2015 and determine by himself if he has truthfully been a faithful leader. Whether he likes it or not, the buck stops at his table. And for every operational blunder, intelligence failure or error of judgment attributable to the Armed Forces and Security Agencies, history would not fail to hold him liable – whether vicariously or not – as C-in-C.
By the way, it is not enough that he is doing his best or that he has the best of intentions. The truth of the matter is that his best so far and his good intention have not yielded the desired result; if anything, they have left more and more Nigerians in the cold arms of death. Please we are tired of mass burials and please we should be spared further police and army press briefings. Whatever that can be done to halt this orgy of blood-letting should be done speedily.
Let Mr. President not be deceived by some elements that have his ears. Nigeria is sliding into the Hobbesian state. There is hunger in the land and there also is anger in the land. Darkness appears to be closing in on us and many can no longer cope with the debilitating sense of siege that currently assails us.
Wake up O’ King, your kingdom is dying!
This debt (truth) I owed Mr. President, my generation and posterity; and I’m glad I have paid it.
