Pray for Ukraine and our hypocrisy

The most trending hashtag on social media in the last week is #PrayforUkraine. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been rightly condemned all over the world. The next thing, #PrayforUkraine became a trending topic in Nigeria. My opinion about this? I think it is pure hypocrisy on the part of most Nigerians calling for prayers for Ukraine.

The same people calling for prayers for Ukraine, I have not seen them call for prayers for Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno, and Kaduna. Most Nigerians are more concerned about foreigners who don’t give a hoot about them. Years after, it seems we have not gotten over our slave mentality.

The Kaduna state government recently said no fewer than 1,192 persons were killed while 3,348 people were kidnapped by bandits in the state in 2021.

The state commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Samuel Aruwan, also said while 891 were injured during bandits and communal attacks, 45 persons, including 29 minors, were raped in the state.

From January 4-6 this year, over 200 people were killed by bandits in Zamfara state. Niger state, one of the safest states in the country, has now turned into a killing field. Bandits are running riots in the state killing and kidnapping for fun.

In February, gunmen attacked the Karfi ward in Malumfashi local government area of Katsina state and reportedly killed 17 people. I didn’t hear any prayer for any of those states on social media or anywhere else.

Just when I thought I have seen it all, I read a report that 115 young men, offered to join Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The men, who besieged the Ukraine Embassy in Abuja, also put down their names in a register provided by the embassy.

The second secretary at the Ukrainian embassy, Bohdan Soltys, confirmed that over a hundred men besieged the embassy in Abuja to help its country combat Russia. The volunteers may have been responding to a recent call by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, urging people around the world to join the fight.

These clowns have not offered to fight bandits in the northwest, Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast, or killer herdsmen in the north-central. There is something inherently wrong with a black man.

You want to go and help fight for people who don’t even care you exist while your country is bleeding from killings. This is tomfoolery taken too far.

I have a good idea, I think the Nigerian government should get their names and ship them straight to Sambisa forest, they will be more useful there.

We tend to love anything white more than our skin. No wonder an expatriate with just a secondary school certificate will be more respected and paid higher than Nigerians with Masters and PhDs. We have been wired to think we are lesser human beings.

People who speak with a foreign accent are more respected while people with any of our Nigerian languages are ridiculed. You hear people with British, Italian, French accents speak with pride while people that speak with Igbo, Hausa, or Yoruba accents are considered local. We need to wear our identity with pride.

That’s why I love TV and radio presenters who mix their presentations with Pidgin to give it that Nigerian feel.

Outside the country, we are all Nigerians, there is no Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, or Fulani. We need to start to love ourselves. Only we can build Nigeria of our dreams.