Elliott Ugochukwu-Uko
The much touted indivisibilty of Nigeria, is always glibly mouthed by politicos, who do not seem to give a hoot, if their actions as leaders inspires unity or not. Today, that phrase does not mean much to Nigerians anymore.
Nepotism and impunity has done irreparable damage to the psyche of Nigerians and has created huge lack of trust, faith and interest (in that order) in the future of the current unitary Nigeria.
The fact that politicos from every region of Nigeria, conveniently agree amongst themselves on the pillage of our commonwealth, as long as the arrangement suits them and their opulent lifestyle taken care of, does not vitiate the truth that the country is very sick.
The structure cannot carry the edifice much further and the loss of faith getting deeper day by day. Bad governance, collapsing economy, frightening insecurity, grand unemployment, sickening nepotism and impunity adds despair to the general hopelessness ruling the land.
The reluctance to engage the agitators seems to suggest an agenda of conquest and domination, to the encircled and isolated masses of the region.
The ruthless Fulani herdsmen have successfully redifined many a compatriot’s faith in one Nigeria. The horrifying fact that the destructive vermin seem above the law truly sucks, people are helpless at their impunity and ruthlesseness. Moreover the deliberate decision to isolate the entire South East in the headship of all military cum security agencies in the country, also seem to confirm a deliberate agenda to exclude Ndigbo from participating in the affairs of the country. Some thing that grants the agitators so much sympathy amongst the people.
Moderate Igbo, who do not share seccessionist views with the others, appear stupid anytime they attempt to defend the unity of Nigeria.
Deliberate efforts are made to ensure that none of the police Comissioners and commanders of all the military bases in the East, are Igbo. Igbo appear hemmed in on all sides, subdued, defeated and conquered.
After every attack by Fulani herdsmen, in every Igbo community, northern police officers, are always the ones to investigate the matter. The entire region reels under an unfriendly forceful army of occupation by fellow countrymen from a particular region, who are in charge of EVERYTHING in government.
The division and distrust, is so deep, that young mothers ran to their children’s schools sometimes ago and forcefully snatched their children and took them home, why: Story filtered into town that the Army medical corps were coming to offer free medicals to pupils. Something very normal and commendable in saner nations.
That shows how divided the country has become.
Nothing, absolutely nothing is being done to assuage the discontent and frustration that has enveloped the land.
Rather, the agitators are being told, through actions of the Government: ” go to hell” “do your worst” “we will not engage you guys” “we don’t wanna know why you guys are agitating” “we don’t care to know” “we have only bullets for you guys” ” we will never invite you for dialogue” “what can you do” “you can’t do nothing”.
I know authoritatively, that February 2016 killings in a school premises in Aba and May 30th 2016 killings at a church premises at Nkpor, deepened the agitation and won the agitators sympathy of the masses of the region, who before those two bloody events, called me day and night to find out who the agitators really were.
The brutal application of violence on the agitators earned them the popularity they enjoy today amongst the people.
This is the exact message the central government sends the agitators from the South East, any time Aso rock sends Ibe Kachukwu or Godswill Akpabio to go plead with Tompolo, or sends intermediaries to go negotiate with Boko haram, bandits and other terrorists of Northern Nigeria.
The obstinate refusal to engage the agitators for 22 years, has no precedence in history. Nowhere in the world, would any Government consistently ignore an army of determined critical mass, running into millions, chanting secession. Only in Nigeria.
Every nation would set up a committee, to engage, sound out, and hear the reasons a hundred thousand citizens have been insisting, for 22 years on breaking away. Nigeria is the only country in the world that chose to ignore and only shoot agitators, who number into millions, without ever offering them the opportunity to state their reasons or list their grievances.
Nigeria, also remains the only country in the world, where elders, leaders and civil society, will remain mute, until the crisis gets out of hand.
Why even the region’s traditional rulers, clerics, eminent persons, and opinion leaders choose to remain mute, remains a mystery. Why they are reluctant to tell the central Government the truth, that only dialogue and sincerely addressing the injustices in the land, will heal the land, beats rational reasoning.
Do they believe that applying lethal force alone, will make the agitators to suddenly turn around and fall in love with one Nigeria? Hard to believe.
Since 1999, the agitation has grown in leaps and bounds, early redress, if rightly applied long before now, would have resolved the issues, but the political class seems to believe it is better to wait until things get really bad. Sad.
Hypocrisy, tribalism and hatred of the truth, drove a certain former President to call agitators from the South East miscreants, who should be ignored, but the same man is presently in Benin Republic, battling to halt the extradition of agitator from his region.
I will continue to say this:
The continued delay in visiting and engaging Nnamdi in discussion, is unhelpful. Our Governors and credible elders should visit Nnamdi at the DSS office and engage him immediately. That is the way to go.
I hereby plead with our brothers, who organised a successful sit-at-home, to kindly review the every Monday sit-at-home order. I am not saying you should cease ordering sit-at-home to press your case, I am only pleading that every Monday, will hurt our region, our people and our economy.
If you have any regard for me, if my voice means anything to you, if you have any respect for me and my suffering and sacrifices, please kindly review the every Monday sit-at-home order. It should be done every once in a while or on certain occasions. Not every Monday.
Shutting down every Monday will hurt us. You have made your point.
Engagement, dialogue and political solution is the way to go.
TO BE CONTINUED.
