When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.
-Mahatma Gandhi
Unashamedly and unrepentantly, I put it to you once again that Nigeria is a failed state. It is my opinion and yes, you may beg to differ. I am a man largely defined by what I see and perceive, so I make no apology if I come across as an unredeemable misanthropist just because I express my conviction on issues dear to my heart. Truly, I am not a disparager and I wasn’t born to despair. On this issue of a failed state, the truth is that many Nigerians are on both side of the argument while many are simply bewildered. Someone once said that I say it because I am deeply upset about the Nigerian situation. Another person challenged me to define ‘a failed state’. I simply consulted and directed him to Wikipedia.
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As a matter of fact, I am one to accept that this argument is indeed anecdotal. Nigerians who are hardly affected by credit crunch and austerity are less likely to think that Nigeria is a failed state. That is why one is not surprised that about a month ago, members of the Nigerian House of Representatives debated the issue of Nigeria as being a failed state and concluded that it is unpatriotic of Nigerian citizens to call Nigeria a failed state. How much lower would this bunch of dishonorable people sunk? Our coliseum of barbarians that we mistook as a democratic institution is determined to rub salt into our wound. The fact that the issue is debated on the floor of what ought to be a sacred chamber of the Nigerian people is absolutely contemptible and should make ones stomach turn and puke.
I believe that we as a people ought to by now without further delay go back to the drawing board because things as they are presently are too murky. We simply need a new canvas to work with. Each time this idea is muted by patriotic Nigerians, they would be shouted down and subdued by the so called stakeholders by labeling them secessionists and tribalists. I will unashamedly shout once more, the Yourubas of which I am a progeny must emancipate from this rudderless fractum that is Nigeria. We are being held back as captives in a corrupt conundrum that was doom to fail right from inception. By emancipation, I do not mean secession. Those of us who are children of independence should have a clearer and distinctive perception of our situation.
If Western Nigeria had been separated as a republic in the 60s, Chief Obafemi Awolowo would probably have been an emperor and a dictator up to his death. I must quickly add that his type of dictatorship would have recorded many positive achievements as in Singapore and Malaysia. If Biafra had succeeded in her secession attempt, Chief Emeka Ojukwu would probably have been a protégé of Fidel Castro. The question now is which do we prefer, Awolowo’s Singapore and Ojukwu’s Cuba or the status quo as we have Nigeria today? I say change we must.
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My duty is to convince my compatriots that Nigeria has failed as an experiment. Distinguish and honorable Nigerians who are convinced of this fact for over a decade have been canvassing for a sovereignty debate. My generation has never witness a referendum of any kind. After many decades of military dictatorship, our perceived democratic change turned out to be a mutation of continued military misadventure as our democratic chambers are filled with ex-military officers. I pray that our children are not ignoble and politically impotent like our generation.
The cabal is not convinced that Nigeria is a failed state. Let’s remind them that where there is a smoke, there is fire. The mere fact that the issue was discussed on the floor of the house is an ominous signal to concern citizens. Since they are not sure what the indices are of a failed state, I herein point them at the direction of Wikipedia. For the benefit of our legislators, the following I have culled from Wikipedia:
The term failed state is often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government. In order to make this definition more precise, the following attributes, proposed by the Fund for Peace, are often used to characterize a failed state:
• loss of physical control of its territory, or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force therein,
• erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions,
• an inability to provide reasonable public services, and
• an inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community.
Common characteristics of a failing state include a central government so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory; non-provision of public services; widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and involuntary movement of populations; and sharp economic decline.
After considering the above vis-à-vis the current situation in Nigeria, let our legislators and other politicians swear by their tribal gods and deities of what they think of the situation of the nation. This government came to power on a stolen mandate. The escapade of the militants of the Niger Delta and the army of kidnapers all over Nigeria is an indication of the fact that the current illegitimate government has no physical control of the country. Ordinary citizens are no longer free to go about their business without fear of intimidation and being kidnapped. We can no longer count on government to provide its citizens with security. There is no legitimate authority as each arm of government has lost its oversight control over other arms of government due to corruption. So far, this government has failed to provide reasonable public services. Ours is a nation in regress. The despot in Aso Rock is popularly known as ‘President Go-Slow.’
Why is the cabal blind to the plight of the people? As 2011 approaches, indications at hand imply that it is going to be business as usual. Those who see 2011 as the year of ultimate change are playing godot. I unequivocally concur with Sowore when he noted that ‘2011 is simply a date of their next selection, we should be counting our date not in months or weeks but in nano seconds.’ There will be a general election here in Britain next year. Popular opinion is that there is going to be a power shift from the Labour Party to the Conservative Party. It is inconceivable, but let us just imagine it, that the British people are in doubt of a seating government’s ability or sincerity of conducting a free and fair election. Who can describe what that portends?
As I close, I recall some weeks ago, Prof. Pat Utomi writing on Facebook called on Nigerian youths to ensure that they come out en mass to defend their vote in 2011. I was dismayed at the response of one young man who wrote, ‘by that you mean we should put our lives on the line.’ Eleventh of November, every year is Remembrance Day when the people of Britain honor fallen soldiers of the first and second World Wars and every conflict thereafter. They were a generation of people who gave their lives for the freedom of their country from tyranny. This is our own hour to be benevolent to our posterity. We must do everything within our means to seek a bloodless revolution. Nevertheless, we shall not shy away from a good fight.
We recall that the West was once wild, and I remain a proud son of the soil. No one will take away from me the gift bequeathed by my forbearers, the liberation of my mind and of my spirit. Those who drum beats of profanity do so to the ignominy of their own posterity. There are beats from other climes where the chords are strung together in glorious harmony. Arise, my compatriots, this must be our fine hour. The cabal must fall. We shall pin them to the wall from the West to the East, and from the South to the North. When we are done, we will offer thanksgiving to the true living God, who is our Redeemer.
Darlington Olusola
www.chiefbigdee.blogspot.com
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