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I am Worried About Nigeria, Here is Why by Osasu Igbinedion

Published

5 years ago

July 20, 2019

Eric

Growing up in Nigerian has been my greatest pride since childhood. Everywhere I travelled I never
hesitated to reveal my country of origin. Before I became a Broadcast Journalist and Media Entrepreneur I was already a propagator of Nigeria’s immensely rich and beautiful culture and her collectiveness.

Our collectiveness as a people was a pride of mine. As an inhabitant of many different countries, I have experienced diverse cultures and ways of life; none of them were comparable to Nigeria so I was always eager to teach foreigners about our people, our (pidgin) language, our food, our values and our heritage. I was eager to dispel the monopolistic narrative of a poor, corrupted and economically distressed nation that the international media formed about us.

I remember being mocked by my foreign friends for frequently starting conversations with “In my country, Nigeria” and then explaining to them how the topic of discussion applies at home. I conceded the race on Infrastructure to them because we were lagging far behind but I vehemently challenged them on the race on Culture. I truly believed we had the best culture in the world; a culture where Muslims and Christians, Northerners and Southerners, put their collective interest as Nigerians above individual, tribal and religious interests.

An event from my childhood further elucidates the collectivist culture we once practised. While growing up both my parents travelled frequently for a living therefore my siblings and I were often watched by our aunties, close friends and neighbours. On a particular trip my parents had taken abroad, my younger brother (God rest his soul) was riding his bicycle in full speed at the lobby of the house while my elder sister was running downstairs with a pair of scissors in hand. In what we know understand as a freak accident, both my siblings collided and before we could understand what was happening there was blood all over the place, oozing from my brother’s forearm as the scissors my sister had been holding penetrated him.

In a quick panic, I yelled for my neighbour who was watching over us at the time and she immediately appeared on scene. As expected, she calmed everyone down and rushed my younger brother to the hospital where he was stitched up and sent home. My parents were filled in on the situation and with all sense of ease and calmness they thanked the neighbour and reiterated to my siblings and I not to worry, everything will be fine because the neighbour was there.

How does this story apply you may ask? Our neighbour was a northern muslim who my parents love and trust till today. Any good parent knows leaving your children in the care of another person takes an immense amount of trust and respect. In this present clime, sautéed with deep hatred for each other, distrust for our neighbours, bigotry, irredentism and so on, many I know will rarely rely on a friend or neighbour to fill the integral role my neighbour played in not only watching over us when we were younger but taking us as her own children.

Today trivialities such as tribe and religion have overshadowed the trust and camaraderie we once shared; this is further highlighted in the private and public sector. Before a Nigerian is employed in any organisation he or she is inundated with trivial questions such as their State of Origin, Religion and Ethnicity rather than thoroughly scrutinising their competence and ability to execute the job. Isn’t it a pity that a diverse country such as Nigeria refuses to see this as a strength? An average Nigerian has no love for his neighbour, no faith in the government and no hope in Nigeria. The gap between Christians and Muslims, Northerners and Southerners, the Elite and Masses continues to widen. This should be a valid concern for all Nigerians, including the elite who feel they are immune to violence because they have protection.

I hate to break it to every Nigerian, whether rich or poor. No one is safe! There is a loud agitation to divide this country which is engineered by politics. Many can see it but are scared to talk and this worries me most. I’ve become even more worried after my visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. It seems the path Nigeria is currently towing mirrors that which Rwanda traversed before the infamous genocide occurred. To rejig our memory, 1959 – 1961 was a period of ethnic violence between the Tutsi and Hutu ethic groups. Belgian scientists divided the Rwandan populace through various stages in history. The most threatening division came in 1959 when Belgians outrightly executed their plan to divide and conquer Rwandans. They did so through:

a. occupation (Farmers were predominately Southern based and owned 10 cattle or less while Herders were Northern based and owned more than 10 cattle).
b. size of skulls (the eugenics movement in Europe and the U.S. concluded that the bigger the skull the more intelligent the person).
c. shadeof skin and height.
d. nose and other facial features.

Based on these classifications, the Tutsis were elevated above the Hutus and they began to believe the myth that they were superior to the Hutus. While the Tutsis were educated by the Belgian Roman Catholic Church the Hutus were left behind to work as peasant farmers. The Hutus grew hatred for the Tutsis and by the time Tustsi born King Mutara Rudahigwa decided to share power with the Hutus, the seed of discord had grown out of control.

The Belgians knew the power of ‘divide and rule’ strategy. It is important to note that before Belgium invaded Ruanda-Urundi (which is now referred to as Rwanda) both tribes cohabited peacefully without communal clashes. Their plans to destroy Rwanda was sealed by the issuance of Racial (tribal) Identification Cards which classified Rwandans as either Tutsis or Hutus. From April 7th, 1994 to July 15th, 1994 over eight hundred thousand (800,000) Rwandans, mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group, were killed in a barbaric way due to the division caused by the Belgians.

The behaviour that led to the Rwandan genocide is what we exhibit today in Nigeria; so called opposition leaders preach hate and intolerance both publicly and privately. The government in power is nepotistic and distrustful of other ethnicities. There is vast social and economic inequality in the land. The insensitivity of government policies is alarming. Social media influencers bastardise their follower-ship by propagating hate speech in exchange for political patronage. The present government is slow to act and quick to dispel constructive criticism. Opposition is championing the need to divide Nigeria because they lost elections. Insecurity is thriving while the economy is tanking. Most of Nigeria’s leaders are ignorant and nonchalant; they are highly corrupt and have little or no regard for their constituents.

What then is the solution you may ask? We need to, as a matter of urgency, define a national ideology. As a businesswoman, before I formed my company I had the vision and mission statements defined so that I can work assiduously towards achieving them. What then is the vision of Nigeria? What are we working towards? A military general singlehandedly wrote the Nigerian constitution and we expect this to rightly reflect the thoughts and aspirations of 200 million Nigerians.

My solution to the silent civil war we are battling is quite simple: 1) We must first identify that playing politics with security matters in primitive therefore we must put an end to it. 2) We must acknowledge that in this silent civil war we are facing, there is no correct side. 3) We must shun tribal, religious and class division by looking at ourselves as a collective body of Nigerians and Nigerians only. 4) We must de-emphasize ‘State of Origin’ and ‘tribal affiliations’ from our rhetoric. In fact, we must banish these terminologies because they essentially hold no value. 5) We must discipline politicians and influencers within and outside Nigeria who divide us through hate speech and primordial sentiments. 6) We must also shun ‘money politics’ and elect detribalised and knowledgable leaders with integrity. 7) We must define our national ideology then fix our constitution to reflect this.

Only then can we put an end to this silent civil war we have been fighting in the past ten years. Let those who have ears…

Written by Osasu Igbinedion
First published on www.OsasuIgbinedion.com
20/07/2019

Featured

Lagos Assembly Rejects Egbetokun’s Stand on State Police

Published

2 days ago

May 7, 2024

Eric

The Lagos State House of Assembly has rejected the position maintained by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olukayode Egbetokun that Nigeria is not ripe for the establishment of State Police.

Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, directed the Clerk of the House Olalekan Onafeko, to write the Inspector-General and the National Assembly stating that the State lawmakers reject Egbetokun’s position.

The IGP, represented at a recently held one-day dialogue on state policing, themed, ‘Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria,’ opposed the establishment of state police, arguing that it would increase ethnic tension and cause divided loyalty in states of the federation.

The IGP also suggested that the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps be merged with the police force.

However, speaking at plenary on Monday, Obasa, who noted that the FRSC and the NSCDC have not been able to solve the problems of accidents on roads and pipeline vandalism respectively, wondered how effective they would be if they are merged with the police force.

“In Lagos State, we have the Security Trust Fund through which successive administrations starting from that of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu have provided enormous support to the police command in Lagos State. Yet, crime of different dimensions has continued.

“This shows that no matter what Egbetokun has proffered as solution, such won’t solve our problem. The position of the IGP is unacceptable.

“We strongly believe that if we have State Police, we would be able to solve the issues of crime in our nation or reduce it to the minimum.

“As we have seen in other climes, the United Kingdom has different levels of policing just like the United States of America. So why should ours be different?

“The lives of our people are very important and we must do everything possible to make sure we protect lives and property. We want to state categorically that we believe in state police and we want to urge the National Assembly to continue with its intendment to establish state police through the process of constitutional amendment,” Obasa said while praising President Tinubu for his resolve to end insecurity in the country.

Commending the Speaker for his stand on the issue of state police, the lawmaker representing Badagry Constituency 1, argued that with its current structure, it would be difficult for the Nigeria Police Force to effectively secure the country.

Also declaring his support for State Police, another lawmaker, Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh (Ajeromi/Ifelodun 1), said each Nigerian state currently has a local security outfit in the semblance of state police.

“Today, which State does not have State Police one way or the other? This is a cause that should be supported. For the IG to come out and say state police is not in the interest of Nigeria shows he is not considering the reality of insecurity on Nigerians,” he said.

Featured

Police Arrest Kidnap Suspects Who Slept Off After Abducting Pastor’s Wife, Others

Published

3 days ago

May 6, 2024

Eric

The Police in Ondo State have arrested five suspected kidnappers who abducted a pastor’s wife and two other persons.

They were arrested after their victims identified one of them.

The victims reportedly escaped when the kidnappers slept off while taking them to their den.

It was gathered that the effect of hard drugs taken by the kidnappers made them to fall asleep.

Names of the suspected kidnappers were given as Garuba Mumuni, 27; Yusuf Tale, 21; Kabiru Muhammed, 16; Shaibu Umar and Adamu Mohammed, aged 22.

Police said the suspects were arrested by men of the Ofosu Division after the victims identified one of them.

The police said: “A case of kidnapping was reported at Ofosu Division, that a pastor’s wife and a member were kidnapped in the church while the third victim was kidnapped while picking snails at the farm. The victims however, escaped from their assailants at different dates after they had taken hard drugs and slept off.

“Through intelligence on the 1st of May, 2024, five amongst the six kidnappers were arrested by men of Ofosu division and have been identified by the victims as part of the gang that abducted them.

“On the 28th of March, 2024 at about 1800hrs, a case of kidnapping was reported at Ifon police station, in which two people were abducted and a woman killed by suspected kidnappers.

“Police detectives from the division in collaboration with local vigilantes arrested one Muhammad Bello, Muhammad Suraju and Suleiman Saliu.

One of the victims identified two of the suspects as part of the people who kidnapped him and collected the sum of N1,800,000 as ransom before he was released.”

Ondo State Police Commissioner, Peter Abayomi, said the suspects would be charged to court after investigation

Featured

Dele Momodu Speaks on EFCC, Yahaya Bello’s Case, Others

Published

3 days ago

May 5, 2024

Eric

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dele Momodu, has faulted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s conduct in its attempt to prosecute the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

He said he had expected the anti-graft agency’s boss, Ola Olukoyede, to have learnt from the cases of his predecessors, who he said were “booted out ignominiously”.

Momodu, who spoke on his Instagram Live show, while responding to questions on the burning topic by viewers, also frowned at the issue of selective prosecution, saying “a situation where EFCC would have to be told who can be touched and who cannot be touched is unacceptable.”

He said, “When they brought in the new chairman, I thought oh, you will have the benefit of learning from your predecessors. All of them were booted out ignominiously and if I were in the shoes of the current chairman, what I will simply do is make sure I do my job as meticulously, as professionally, as efficiently as possible. And, you will never go wrong if you obey the rule of law.

“I watched the EFCC chairman, I think either last week or the week before the last, I was almost crying because the way he went on and on..if I don’t do this… spitting fire and all.. you don’t have to do media trial.”

When asked if EFCC was lying about the former Governor, he said, “I have no idea, I don’t work for EFCC but from all the things that I have read, a lot of them, they misfired. That is the honest truth. They misfired. They didn’t do their due diligence. When you said a man took out money and paid for his children’s school fees, just as he was about to leave power, and you go and check the documents and you see that these things started happening from 2021, 2022 (laughs); I am not an illiterate.

“How do you expect me to believe everything they said when they were too much in a hurry to prosecute him that they did not take their time to check the file. Once you allow a lacuna in law, everything will fall flat. “That is it. I am not one of those people who will say because I don’t like APC and because I supported Dino Melaye in the last election in Kogi State. Dino is my guy. But, I will not because of that be blinded by hatred for Yahaya Bello and say yes, he should go and surrender himself to EFCC when there is an existing injunction.

“And he is not the only governor who went to court and if the court has granted him that, so be it. We all know that our judiciary is not so perfect but you know, even at that, law is law, it must be obeyed. If we disobey the rule of law, then, we will have to obey the rule of the jungle. So, I never said that they are lying, it is their own statement that shows that they didn’t do their due diligence.”

Momodu, a PDP presidential aspirant, advised President Bola Tinubu not to allow people mislead him into disregarding the rule of law, saying those people would not be there for him tomorrow.

“My advice to President Tinubu is, don’t listen to all these people who will run away when tomorrow comes. Just follow the rule of law. I am appealing, obey the rule of law…. A situation where the EFCC will have to be told who can be touched, who cannot be touched; It is unacceptable. It is unacceptable! And that is why a lot of people have given up. You can see that a lot of serious people are not even interested in whatever they are doing to Yahaya Bello. A lot of people are not interested because they have felt all the gra gra before, it is nothing new,” he stated.

The veteran journalist added that there were a lot of criminals in the system to prosecute but a situation where the agency was getting personal on just one person was uncalled for.

“Nigerians should stop wasting time. There are a lot of criminals in our system to prosecute but when the chairman who should take the people to court comes and say to one person, ‘if I don’t prosecute you to conclusion, I will resign’, that is getting personal. You don’t need all that,” he pointed out.

He disclosed that one of his favourite books while growing up was The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine and that it had influenced him so much that he would always defend the rights of everybody to fair hearing even if he had something against the person.

“I don’t hate anybody as a Christian. I don’t have anything against Yahaya Bello. If they like, they can choose to jail him for one million years, as long as you try him properly. This is my position, you can quote me on it,” he said.

Still on the issue of school fees, Momodu said, “I mean, I looked at the issue of school fees. Before I read, I was like how can somebody pay that kind of money? Then, when I read, it was something else I was seeing. They said he paid upfront just before he left government, and when I checked, that was not what happened. How can you try people before you will go and examine the fact?”

On if he had resigned from the PDP, he said, “If I resign, that means I am quiting. No, I am still a member of the PDP. I said it clearly after the election in 2022 during the PDP primary, they asked us, if you don’t get our ticket, are you going go jump ship? And, I said, I can’t, I won’t jump ship and I stand by that.”

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