The sociology of violence and disorder in Nigeria

BY ADEWALE ADEOYE

There is a lot of anger against Nigerians across the world. In East, West, South and North.

The latest came from Ghana, our neighbour. Let me say that most of the things we do in Nigeria can not be tolerated in many countries. We have become almost a burden on ourselves and now becoming a burden in the world.

After years of martial rule in Nigeria, we are a militarised people and our values have declined–Ibrahim Babangida and Sanni Abacha are some of those that helped laid the cruel foundation.

Mankind is a product of his environment. Our attitude as Nigerians reflects in our disrespect for basic rules across the world and our behavior that many countries cannot tolerate.

I saw something in Ghana around 1998. There was a mango tree with over ripe mango fruits and the tree was lowly.

I watched for hours. The Ghanaian pupils coming from school walked under and none of them ploughed a single fruit.

In Nigeria, the pupils would have climbed the tree and turn it into home and then vandalise the fruits.

Its not poverty, its just greed and bad manners. It also reflects even in the way we shout at airports and other public places-the beast in us is too naked-courtesy of our socio-political system that over the years perverted our sense of values and judgment.

You wonder why we call Poor Water PURE WATER and when NEPA takes high we shout UP NEPA.

That is the output from the historic sociology of repression that many of us suffer from.

That is why we have more laws than US, Britain put together but we don’t obey them. Cultured people have little laws because there is REASONABLE EXPECTATION. Great nations are governed more by conventions and moral values which we have lost. That is why people steal and they are made Kings as a reward. In fact, traditional institutions are being taken over by yahoo yahoo and rougues, imposed by their counterparts that have taken over, largely, the political space. Laws are being enforced largely by crooks and lawbreakers.

The police and army are the first to break traffic laws.

You see Police, Army stickers on private vehicles: the message is that we are above the law, the very law they are expected to protect. Civilians buy this stickers and “boast” with them. In a “democratic” country, we still see private houses marked “Military Zone. Keep off.”

When you go and collect your own money in the banks, the cashier wants you to tip him or her even though he or her earns twice your salary.

Banks declare billions of unclaimed dividends every year. How can people do not claim their dividends? If they don’t come forward, why cant the banks locate them and pay? When they want to collect from investors, they go to rural villages. To collect dividend, they ask you to go on line. They know most people have no access to internet.

As at this year,only 28 million Nigerians have access to internet. Millions don’t even know how to use the internet.

Your property is stolen, the police man expects you to bribe first before investigation.

Even taking a dead body to the mortuary, they expect bribe for you to get a space.

We all read about the kidnap of dead bodies and payment of ransom.

In many instances, families of those kidnapped pay police for investigation to be done.

My own personal and recent experience with Ikeja Electricity. I wanted to recharge, after several months of using recharge cards and I was told I had unpaid money of 50 thousand plus. Imagine. I went to another of their hub, I was told the debt is now 17,000. I went there in another day, I was told the debt was 28,000. I wrote letter several times, not even the courtesy of acknowledgment.

Nigerian institutions fuel discontent and violently attacks you but expects peace in the land.

I met people with the same problem, an imposed debt done by private decree.

We are largely a people without conscience. When a nation has no conscience, she develops infinite capacity to do evil.

To even change the bad system, our people want money before they can vote out a bad leader.

A slave wants freedom but first requests to be bribed before (s)he can wage the struggle to free the fetters of iron that holds them down and in misery and anguish. To even come to meetings to organise, people want to be paid.
The ruling class love all this because it keeps them perpetually in power.

We are collective victims of a terrific system hatched to destroy our humanity, tailored to recreate our minds.

Lawmakers now collect money for CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS, which they don’t account for, they build health centres, drainages and pay WAEC fees, what a way to give the sovereignty of the state to individuals.

Security votes are in the hands of individuals and not in the the hands of state institutions and such funds are in billions in many states.Under the tongues of leaders are mischief, fraud and vanity.

Little wonder most are no longer loyal to the state but to individuals who have taken over state responsibilities, the surest way to kill a generation with their lying lips and deceitful tongues.

New sovereignties should emerge, since we have failed at the national level. Each
region should be allowed to develop based on her culture and values.

Awolowo first launched cultural revolution. Growing up you must read about tortoise folklores, about 200 stories, all teaching piety, honesty, hard work and avoidance of greed and avarice. Those books, Alawiye and others, were taken away by the military and they imposed education without culture. I remember Akosori, you needed to memorise them all about teaching you on ethics and dignity.

The children of today, our tomorrow leaders, have no education on what is good and what is bad, there is also no sense of history. I did a story on Awolowo. I went to St Saviours Primary school, Ikenne that Awo attended. I asked the pupil. Some told me Awo was a former Minister in Babangida’s regime. Some told me he was a footballer. The story was published in The Nation. I was in Ogoniland. The primary school attended by Ken Saro Wiwa. None of the pupil knew him. One told me he was a Minister in Abacha’s regime.

The glory of the nation has been turned to shame. The land needs to be purified. We must first embark on Cultural Revolution before anything else so that a seed shall be established and eternal monuments built for all generations.

Adeoye is a multiple award-winning journalist