75 people were killed and 141 injured during the recent bomb blast in Abuja. Depending on who you ask, more than 200 high school students were abducted from their school, and two weeks later, they remain missing. A recent video that was posted on Facebook lends credence to other reports that millions of retired workers in Nigeria are wallowing in poverty and struggling to make ends meet. About 16 Nigerians died during a job test conducted by the NIS - has anyone been held accountable?...
Those who are supposed to protect us, the police and the army, have actually been the ARMED ROBBERS terrorizing us everywhere we encounter them. Ask any Nigerian you meet whether he or she has any iota of respect for the men and women in uniform. In fact, anyone in uniform (FRSC, LASTMA, traffic warden, security guard) in Nigeria is a variation of a terrorist in one shape or form. I remember days I would bribe a security guard at a WEMA bank in OAU before I could enter the bank.
An American was reported today to have been detained in North Korea and the United States has already swung into action. I promise you, this will not be swept under the carpet. No phantom committee will be set up to look into it. Actionable intelligence is being gathered and the right diplomatic channels are being explored to bring one American back home. Guess what, he's just an"ordinary" citizen who chose to go to North Korea on his own.
The unfortunate tragedy that is still evolving in South Korea, where a ferry carrying some school students sank with the students still aboard, is causing ripples everywhere. Companies are being probed and a billionaire's reputation and career are in serious jeopardy. The innocent souls that have departed from this world are being immortalized.
Someone said, perhaps rightly, that we (Nigerian citizens) ourselves do not act as our brothers' keepers. Our collective attitude towards our country is every (wo)man for him/herself. We blame our leaders for every problem we have as if those leaders are aliens dropped from Mars. Wake up! Smell the coffee. The ogi is done, akara fried. These guys came from our midst. Each one was just like us. Our attitude and system breed thieves and lunatics daily. If the president of the largest economy in Africa (on paper) could go partying the day after 75 Nigerians were murdered, with no consequences, then the blame is on us.
Shame on us! These guys keep doing the unforgivable and getting away with it. Why????? Are we afraid to #OccupyNigeria? Are we afraid for our dear, clearly valueless lives? What about our parents who have no social security system to depend on once they are retired, or our children coming after us? How will they survive if we allow this theater of absurdity to continue. I tell you, the Nigerian gods must be crazy.
We MUST act now, not tomorrow or the day after. If all hope is not to be lost, we MUST. The day those in governance recognize the power of we, the people, and understand that we can hire and fire those who rule over us, is the day we turn the corner. While the system would be far from fixed, at the least, we would be able to lay the foundation for the future. When there are consequences for people stealing our collective wealth and opportunities, there will be some change. We deploy jungle justice when we catch an ordinary Nigerian stealing an item worth 100 naira, but politicians who steal millions and billions of naira are free to move around freely? Someone said this is a double standard. I say it is pure MADNESS.
In just a few days after terrorists abducted our children at Chibok, the majority of Nigerians had moved on. Our conversations have gone back to business as usual. Oh yeah, I forget, what is more important than Moyes being sacked at Man U or Tiger Woods' double dating with his ex-wife? What is a Nigerian life worth?
