Nigeria: A Crumbling Edifice By David Abu
On lndependence day in 1960, Nigeria was hailed by both friends and foes as a country with a lot of promise; some even predicted that Nigeria, within a short period of 20 years, would join the comity of developed nations. With a young and vibrant population, the sky was her limit.
However, after a short period of six years, cracks began to appear on the Nigeria’s wall; it became painfully clear that our leaders’ vision for the country was poles apart; on the one hand, the North was more interested in clinging on to power at the centre and the continuation of the feudal system. On the other hand, the South was more interested in the decentralization of power; more powers to the federating units, so that every region could develop at its own pace. It was this dichotomy in vision that led to a series of events which culminated in the 1966 coup, led by Major Kaduna Nzeogwu. That violent overthrow of government led to a counter-coup which disproportionally targetted the Igbos, which resulted in a bloody civil war.
Shortly after the end of hostilities in 1970, more oil was discovered in large commercial quantity and sold on the world market. That development was supposed to give a fresh impetus to our economy, but most of the proceeds were badly mismanaged and embezzled. Additionally, agriculture, which hitherto was the traditional mainstay of our economy, was gradually relegated to the background, and in some cases, neglected.
It must be stated that all successive governments, military and civilian, despite their mouthwatering and ear-defeaning slogans to revamp agriculture, continued to pay lip-service to it. One needs to take a cursory look at our annual budget to fully understand our overdependence on oil revenue.
With the foregoing, I have essayed to give a synopsis of why our development is painfully slow and our economy is in the doldrums, among others. Little wonder then that under this government, Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world. No thanks to Buhari’s economic policies and nepotistic appointments.
Furthermore, it’s of paramount importance to state that the bane of Nigeria is leadership. The 1999 Constitution is the most fraudulent document ever produced in the history of Nigeria. An in-depth study of that document would reveal that Nigerians go to the polls every four years to elect a constitutional monarch and not a president. And the present occupant of Aso Rock villa, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has taken advantage of the undemocratic articles in that document to showcase his undemocratic credentials to Nigerians; in the history of Nigeria, no leader has been so brazenly nepotistic, tribalistic and divisive like Buhari.
Since he assumed the mantle of leadership in 2015, Nigeria has been in crisis. He has shown with empirical evidence that his administration sanctions organized criminality. On his watch, the Fulani herdsmen have turned Nigeria into a killing field, without consequences.
By his actions and inaction, he has emboldened those barbarians with a primitive mindset to kill, maim, rape, pillage, and grab farmlands with reckless abandon. And if those being subjected to this degrading level of human existence fight back, Buhari would send his army after them. This is precisely what is now happening in Jos, Plateau State. The good people of Jos reserve the right to defend themselves against barbarous murderers and land grabbers. According to Professor Ephraim Lipson, “Persecution breeds persecution. For once a breach is made in the defences which tolerance erects around the human spirit the flood-tide of evil passion pours through with unrestrained violence.”
The South and the Middle belt are sick and tired of Buhari’s reptilian deception; it’s now crystal clear that he is using his exalted office to feather the nest of his kinsmen, the Fulani herdsmen, by granting them a monopoly of violence against other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. This calamitous state of affairs is unacceptable!
In view of the foregoing, the much publicised clamour for restructuring and true federalism has no chance of success—-The National Assembly will neither debate them, vote on them, nor pass them into law. And, even if it did, Buhari won’t sign them. As a leader, Buhari is the most convincing definition of a failure.
Whichever way we look at it, Nigeria could best be described as a sinking ship or a crumbling edifice. And anyone with a modicum of common sense must do everything within his/her power to run for safety.
In line with self-preservation, it is high time we went our separate ways.
