It grieves me to write this particular piece & I mourn the loss of 18 innocent lives in Abuja, victims of the Boko Haram?? bomb blast . I served my NYSC SENTENCE in Borno State and have very fond memories as I met my wife there. The destruction there is really painful.
More than anything else I feel a sense of helplessness, hopelessness & foreboding about the unfolding events in Nigeria. I feel that like Emperor Nero who allegedly fiddled while Rome burnt, our leaders are busy fiddling whilst Abuja (Nigeria?) burns. Like Asa sang
‘ there is fire on the mountain and no one is a running’
I’ll not and am probably not capable of providing any solution to the issue. Truth be told, I’m not quite sure what this particular piece will achieve, perhaps it is a form of therapy. I hope and pray that I do not have to refer to it and say, I told you so!!
What I do know is that I am tired, sick and tired of our leaders failing to realise the depth of this issue. This is not the Niger Delta version 2. At least MEND, had a cause, a realistic one. With Boko Haram am not quite sure. Govt agencies, however, seem to be putting forward the same stupid old solutions, ranging from Panels, Committees, fasting (White and Red!) etc, putting soilders on the street, setting up task forces with grandiose names e.g. Flush etc.
The warning signs had been there all along but we choose to ignore it. In typical fashion, we said it cannot happen in Nigeria. What am I talking about? Remember the Underpant Bomber ? Was any effort made to understand how it happened. NO!!!! Did we learn from the various Boko Haram uprisings ? No after all the Police served swift justice by summarily executing them without trial. Perhaps there was something to hide.
GOVT PLEASE WAKE UP!!!! BEFORE NIGERIA REALLY BURNS
