What do you do as one of the few lucky ones? Lucky in the sense that while others in the struggle to liberate Nigeria from injustice, military rule and tribalism died, yours sincerely is still alive.
Alive enough to turn 50 (can you imagine that) on June 24 this year. The celebration which should come with such a significant milestone has been muted because of many unrealized goals and those who lost their precious lives to the struggle to liberate an ungrateful nation called Nigeria. While I suffer in political exile, which has now turned to self-exile, Bagauda Kaltho died fighting to make Nigeria a truly one Country. Is this a dream too tall to achieve? Alas, its truly becoming tall dreams. My half a country on mother earth has taught me many things for one there is nothing like a united Nigeria. All the “federating” ethnic groups in Nigeria harbour secret hatred for their so-called fellow compatriots. In the USA or in Nigeria, Nigerians are united only where there is a soccer match (for entertainment) or when they are forming political parties to participate in the looting of the treasury. Please don’t tell me about Nigeria unity when it is an unwritten and written official Nigeria policy to keep Nigerians perpetually divided for political and selfish reasons. In the USA here where many Nigerian-Americans and Nigerians have seen the conscious effort of the American government to create a well-knitted and cohesive society, they still practice their petty tribalism. Blinded to this eye-opener that America is , Nigerians in America associate by tribe and not by country. Where there should be unity by their large numbers, there is disunity. When they organize parties either for their personal achievements, milestones or others, ninety-nine percent of those who attend are usually from their ethnic groups. This is a shame to all of you PHD holders, Internet commentators, high chiefs and the high Nigerian intelligentsia for being rooted in ethnicity; promoting tribal agenda over national ones. Again the question will be asked of you: Are you Nigerians or passport carrying mimic counterfeit ‘Nigerians’ waiting for the right opportunity to go your separate ways?
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About two years ago, the level of Nigeria disunity struck me when tragedy struck a Nigerian family in Newark/Union, NJ. A son of Nigeria has been involved in an accident the New Jersey turnpike, and the police could not locate the wreck or the body. When the father searched, he found the lifeless body of his beloved son lying in a ditch at the side of the turnpike. The State troopers placing low premium on a black life had searched perfunctorily until the father discovered the grisly site of the accident. Angry Nigerians called for a demonstration to protest the callous attitude of the police. Alas, when I arrived the venue, only the ethnic group of the boy’s father came for the demonstration. This is the effect of the sham Nigerian life that many live in America. I blame many of them because they should know better. Living in a country which has its own racial problems, but has been able to elect a black man as president should have taught many so-called Nigerians one or two lessons.
It gets worse when it comes to living in Nigeria itself. The word “nation” attached to Nigerian has little meaning. Since I am older than Nigeria by one year having been born in 1959 and Nigeria 1960, more should be expected from a man who is 49. But not Nigeria and Nigerians. Today in Nigeria, they have people who are supposed to be ethnic Nigerians in some part of Nigeria being called immigrants. I am not kidding you. There are children of Nigerians born in the North, whose fathers are called immigrants and are reduced to second class citizens because their father or mother come from elsewhere. If they have to work, say, as medical doctors, civil servant and so on, they are put on a contract to be renewed annually or sometimes in three years in their own country? Same too in the south where Northerners are derided as gambaris, foreigners, not worthy of equality as citizens of Nigeria. Let us not deceive ourselves, Nigeria does not have true citizen, just those who proclaim themselves as Nigerians at convenient times, and shouting that they are “patriotic Nigerians” while doing the opposite when time come to pr ove that they are truly Nigerian.
How many have called for the abolition of the divisive “state of origin” in the Nigerian constitution? Ha, Ha! It is in the constitution! Instead of “ state of residence”, as done in most countries of the world who know the danger of division and racial hatred to the corporate existence of a nation, Nigeria and Nigerians are promoting division.
Today, Nigeria is becoming more backward because meritocracy has taken flight abroad while mediocrity reigns supreme. They talk of Nigeria not been able to generate constant power supply, but they appoint quota candidates as head to manage the power sector. They talk of a united Nigeria, but their fellow Nigerians under the guise of religion kills innocent Nigerians because a cartoonist did a work in Denmark, which offends their sensibility. Some have allegiance to their tribes and foreign religion and their so-called country, Nigeria come last. Please don’t shed crocodile tears, if Nigeria contradiction comes to a close as most contradictions usually do.
So as I turned 50, or as my pastor, Rev. Adegoke Oyedeji, of he CAC, first in the Americas called those who reach that important milestone, “semi-senior citizens” I hope Nigeria turns back the clock from the CIA prediction, which states gloomily that Nigeria may break up in fifteen years. I hope that just like I was able to escape the twenty well-armed General Abacha goons who came to kill me in Abuja in 1995 over my writing as a journalist, through the grace of God, this hoping that Nigeria will escape that fate.
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This is also to thank my beautiful wife, FM, (Inara), for being there and my children, Eferoghene, Pius, Ovie and Obukowho
This is fifty cheers to all on this my important milestone on a half a century on mother earth, fourteen of them in a mixed exile in America.
*Kabba is the publisher of New York-based African abroad-USA newspapers
FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE AFRICAN ABROAD-USA EDITION OF JULY, 2009
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