I was having lunch at a fast food restaurant with a friend of mine who just arrived from Nigeria a week ago - he went back home (Nigeria) to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays with his family and friends. I wanted to know how things were back home and he was all too happy to fill me in. He went on and on about the state of the nation and why things seem to be going from bad to worse. He looked at me and said, “Guy, do you ever think Naija will ever get better? I no wan die for another man land o! (I do not want to die in another man’s land)”.
I was having lunch at a fast food restaurant with a friend of mine who just arrived from Nigeria a week ago - he went back home (Nigeria) to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays with his family and friends. I wanted to know how things were back home and he was all too happy to fill me in. He went on and on about the state of the nation and why things seem to be going from bad to worse. He looked at me and said, “Guy, do you ever think Naija will ever get better? I no wan die for another man land o! (I do not want to die in another man’s land)”.
My friend had a lot to say, and part of the disturbing issues he talked about included:
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The Boko Haram Insurgence Issue
My friend was particularly bitter when he talked about this particular issue. At a point, he was so mad, I had to remind him that he was not mad at me but the people who are busy killing other people and blowing up buildings. I agreed with him when he said he had Muslim friends who would never hurt a fly – I have Muslim friends who are kind, generous, tolerant, and peace lovers. My friend said he could not go to the North to visit his aunt and uncle who have refused to leave that part of the country. He said he called up his aunt and uncle and begged then to move to the southern part of nation, but they simply told him that everything they owned in life is right there in the North and they would rather die than live on other people’s charity.
There are so many things that do not make sense about the Boko Haram insurgency:
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No one really knows what they want.
They say “No to Western Education” but utilize Western technology, weapons and other tools to carry out their dastardly acts.
Senseless killing of children….children!!! Who kills children?!
Commandeering of vehicles and other things from the locals to commit crimes against humanity.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions about other people’s culture, lifestyle, religion, sexual orientation and other stuff. But, is it right to go about killing people and trying to force them to adopt your religion or way of life?
The Kidnapping Issue
Kidnapping is really becoming a major issue in Nigeria. The kidnapping thing started with the kidnapping of white expatriates. Gradually, the children and relatives of prominent Nigerians became the targets of kidnappers, who typically asked for huge ransoms. Currently, a lot of unscrupulous people are now making a living from kidnapping unsuspecting citizens and demanding ransoms from their relatives, spouses or parents. Does this mean that children cannot play in the neighborhood with their friends without the fear of being kidnapped?
One Chance! - The Words That Sends Shivers Down A Lagosian’s Spine
Some time ago in the city of Lagos, Nigeria; it is not unusual to hear a bus conductor call-out at the top of his lungs “one chance!” and everyone will come rushing and struggling to be the person to grab the last available seat on the bus. The phrase “one chance” was used by Lagos bus conductors to inform prospective passengers traveling towards a particular direction that there is only one seating left on the bus. For instance, a bus conductor could say “Oshodi-oke one chance!” it simply means, there is only one seating left on the bus for any prospective passenger heading towards Oshodi-oke.
Some horrible people took advantage of this phrase to rob, sexually assault and kill many Lagos residents, thus making the term “one chance” the most feared phrase in Lagos. These days, no Lagos bus conductor in his right senses uses the term anymore because if he does, no one will board his bus.
A “one chance bus” is a bus filled with people who pretend to be passengers but are a group of thieves or ritualists. They reserve two or three seats for people they intend to rob and or kill; they pounce on their victim as soon as he or she boards the bus.
Here are some of the things that could happen to anyone who is unfortunate enough to board a “one chance bus” - End-Up Getting Robbed.
Many people have been dispossessed of their hand-sets, money, jewelries and clothing items. As soon as these thieves are satisfied with their ill-gotten gains, they push their victims out of the (moving) bus! Anyone who was just robbed by these criminals should count him or herself lucky because believe it or not, it could have been worse.
Getting Robbed And/Or Molested
Many not so fortunate people have been robbed and molested by these scoundrels. There was a story of a young man who was robbed and had a
four inch nail driven into his skull because he refused to hand over his wedding ring! There have been reports of women being robbed and raped by these wicked creatures.
Getting Killed
Some people rode on a “one chance bus” and never lived to tell the tale; they were either killed by ritualists or human organ thieves. The unfortunate passengers are driven to a secluded place and are taken to a spiritualist who kills them and use their body parts for spiritual sacrifices. Human organ thieves kill their victims and harvest their vital organs i.e. heart, kidneys, tongue, liver etc. so that they can sell it to foreign hospitals for a lot of money.
This trend was quite common a couple of years back but thankfully many of these criminals have been caught and convicted.
The Big Question
My friend and I talked for hours and we both had one question to ask “will Nigeria ever get better?” In my opinion, I strongly believe that things will someday get better. Think about it, there was a time in Europe and America where things were pretty bad, but good things started to happen eventually.
Let me ask you this question, do you think Nigeria will get better to?
Please share your thoughts.
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON http://sbabzy.com/nigeria-happening-giant-africa/
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters
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