What will save Nigerians now?

There is hardly any Nigerian who does not know that these are not the best of times for the fatherland. In the midst of overwhelming bad news, particularly the devaluation of human life and pervading insecurity, even persons who usually are optimists are moving rapidly to the opposite side. Many who had expectations for national rejuvenation have since succumbed to disillusionment and fear. The quest for salvation is, expectedly, going on actively in the minds of citizens. This title could easily have read, “Who Will Save Nigeria Now?” For most people, the answer would most probably be twofold: God and government officials.

Only very few Nigerians do not profess one or two of the three major religions in the country namely, Christianity, Islam and traditional African religion, with the first two being monotheistic. Evidences abound to demonstrate our devotion – at least nominally – to the Almighty. Ubiquitous and imposing structures that serve as places of worship, including government-sponsored National Ecumenical Centre and National Mosque in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory. Regular and expensive pilgrimages to Mecca and Jerusalem. Teeming crowds that attend services, Juma’at and special programmes. Boisterous prayer meetings held at daytime and night. Palpable zeal to defend the faiths, sometimes violently. Clerics who have thrown away caution and added plenty of politics to their sermons. So, seeing God as the one who can deliver the country from its troubles is always in the estimation of the populace. But I am convinced that God does overtime here, often intervening even in matters that ordinarily should be resolved through the application of the intellect and other faculties he bestowed on mankind from the beginning.

The other leg is government as the entity empowered by the constitution to primarily enable the country for optimal welfare and protection of lives and property. In saner societies, it is the right of the people to look up to holders of political authority for their general wellbeing, having elected them in the first place. Here, however, accountability, sensitivity and selfless service in public offices have become vanishing virtues. Sadly, in many cases, those attributes have been replaced with cheap excuses, indiscretion, ineptitude, callousness and greed. The Nigerian now finds himself in a dilemma, a hole in which there appears to be no light. The present state of things has clearly worsened with time. And playing the ostrich cannot be a reasonable escape route.

The signs of the systematic deterioration of our social fabric are all there in the open for both the discerning and unschooled to see. These developments have coalesced into an acidic atmosphere that smells of blood and threats of more bloodshed. Going through a one-year chronicle of what could be considered as high profile, most audacious operations of bandits, kidnappers and terrorists would confirm that a once relatively peaceful nation has become besieged and, God forbid, overwhelmed. Unless one lives in incurable denial, the reasons to worry at this point are undeniable. In July last year, bandits who had already taken root in the north west gunned down a military aircraft in Zamfara State. The murderous gangsters were never found. In the following month, unknown gunmen invaded the elite Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, killing two senior officers and abducting another one.

In March this year, bandits (it is difficult making distinctions between them and terrorists) forced their way into the Kaduna International Airport, leaving at least one fatality behind and obstructing activities there for long. It was in the same month that the Ansaru group bombed an Abuja-Kaduna train, causing the death of eight persons, wounding some and kidnapping others. Dozens of the abductees are still in captivity. Two months ago, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Samuel Kanu-Uche, was kidnapped in Abia State. According to him, it was God’s grace that preserved his life. He was released after N100 million exchanged hands. Last month, it was the turn of Owo in Ondo State to witness the brazen brutality of the fearsome non-state actors when not less than 40 worshippers were murdered inside Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral on a fateful Sunday morning. Just before June ended, a battalion of soldiers and other security personnel were ambushed, sending majority of them to their graves early. Tuesday last week, the presidential advance team was viciously attacked in Dutsinma in Katsina State by these roving gunmen. That blatant rogue mission was only a preamble to the invasion of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Kuje, an Abuja suburb, clinically achieving death, destruction and jailbreak. The sheer magnitude and tactfulness of the operation that involved 300 men on motorcycles have compounded the apprehension of Nigerians about the readiness of the numerous military and para-military institutions to guarantee their safety.

The poser is, who has failed the people, God or government? Surely God has not. The administration? Many compatriots would respond in the affirmative. Never to be ignored, however, is the fact that successive governments, not only the current one, have failed to deliver in critical areas; except that the degrees differ. One aspect that is often overlooked is the mindset of the people. Marcus Garvey, legendary Jamaican political activist and leading light of the Movement for African Redemption in the last century, captured this condition in his historic speech in 1937 titled, “The Work That Has Been Done.” It reads in part: “We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind….”

Those words on marble, popularised by Bob Marley’s music, “Redemption Song”, should engage the hearts and minds of Nigerians, many of whom have continued to be enslaved by primordial sentiments and mediocrity. In the race towards next year’s general election, nothing seems to have changed in the reasoning and actions of the people. Same old arguments and alignments and we expect true change. What stops the electorate from going for quality men and women who can lead the way out of the progressive mess the country is in? Virtually every component of life is affected by political leadership at various levels, including security decisions and tactics. Choosing those who occupy critical positions and making them accountable are, therefore, non-negotiable. Nigerians are not helpless, I insist. They may not have the liver to invade the seat of government the way Sri Lankans have just done but they have enough energy, largely latent at the moment, to act decisively in voting the right persons and ensuring that they stay on course.

My appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, finally. He has a sense of humour, I hear. Last Monday, he heartily declared in Daura: “I am eager to go. I can tell you it has been tough. I am grateful to God that people appreciate the personal sacrifices we have been making. By this time next year, I would have made the most out of the two terms, and (in) the remaining months, I will do my best. In 10 to 11 months, I will come here. I have a better house in Kaduna but it is too close to Abuja.” Not so fast, Sir. While I do not agree with those who feel you have accomplished nothing, the nation indeed is in a desperate situation. Properly managing this transition period and giving Nigerians something to hope for should be your preoccupation now, not thoughts of retirement.

Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY editorial board.