Where Are The Sons And Daughters Of Nigeria?

ABSTRACT: Nigeria has been plagued with immense violence, which has spread like a deadly virus all over the country. Militancy in the south, kidnapping in the east, terrorism in the north, and armed robbery in the west. It shows the complete breakdown of law and order in our society, as well as the inefficiency of our security operatives to deal with this menace. This paper seeks to find the voice of Nigeria’s Youth in all this societal menace. It proposes the need for them to stand tall and come together, united to stand up to the evils facing our country, which has killed so many people and attacked our rights and freedoms.      

        

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Introduction

It is with a heavy heart I put pen to paper to talk about the issues facing Nigeria. Just a few days ago 71 people were killed and 124 people wounded as they were about to board commercial buses to their various destinations (i.e. work, job interviews, school, and so on). These were innocent people just trying to get by in a very difficult country. I pray for peace for the families of not just the Abuja victims, but also the families of those in Borno State who on the 13th of April 2014 lost 60 people, as well as all the family members who have suffered tremendously as a result of these inhumane acts carried out by these evil men.

As I write this article, I weep, because the BBC is currently reporting that the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group has abducted 200 Nigerian schoolgirls. It leads me to ask the question: where are the sons and daughters of Nigeria? Since when did it become a normal thing for young schoolgirls to be kidnapped from school? Or people killed in churches and mosques while praying to and worshipping their God? What has become of Nigeria; the Nigeria Ken Saro Wiwa died for? The Nigeria Fela fought for, to the point of constant police brutality as well as harassment by the state on his businesses as well as his family? What happened to the Nigeria, which MKO Abiola died for? Has Nigeria’s youth turned a blind eye to the problems of our country?  

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What has to happen before we hold our leaders accountable? How many people need to die before we wake up to the reality that Nigeria is under attack? What needs to happen before we really say, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”? The problems facing Nigeria are not new. Sadly they have been a constant part of our union. Bad leadership, the lack of sincerity on the part of government constitute to some of these problems. Elections are heavily rigged, corruption is an epidemic, and basic infrastructure has become a luxury rather than a fundamental right of EVERY Nigerian citizen. So I ask the question again, where are the Sons and Daughters of Nigeria?

DEFEND OUR UNITY DEFEND OUR RIGHTS DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION

Abraham Lincoln once said that
 
“Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained for it is the only safeguard of our liberties and not to Democrats alone do I make this appeal but to all who love these great and true principles”.

Recently a young Nigerian man Yusuf Siyaka Onimisi was arrested by the SSS for tweeting about the unsuccessful prison break operation carried out by detainees of the SSS facility. Such intimidation and harassment by the state shows the need for Nigerian youths to rise up. Our freedom cannot be guaranteed if we allow impunity to exist. Freedom always comes at a price. Indeed, it is a price all NIGERIANS must be willing to pay, because a man who is not free is a SLAVE. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states in Chapter IV Section 39.1

“Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and receive and impart ideas and information without interference”.

When you look at such fundamental right being broken by government agencies, it begs the question what is happening to our freedoms? What happened to Mr. Onimisi’s right to impart ideas and information without interference?

Nigeria’s youth must constantly be vigilant and ready to sound the alarm on such violations against our freedoms. WE MUST DEFEND OUR UNITY, OUR RIGHTS, AND OUR CONSTITUTION against impunity. George Washington said it best when he spoke on government saying,

“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence. It is force like fire, a troublesome servant, and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action” .

We must never let the state attack and undermine our fundamental rights, as it goes against every principle of Democracy. Nigerian youths must begin to rise up and let their voices become heard. Otherwise, how many more ‘Onimisi’s’ shall we see? We cannot continue to sit in silence and hope in a government that seems lost on dealing with insecurity but firm on violating fundamental rights. The Constitution clearly states in Section 14-2b that “...the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. In this regard, the government is constantly failing us as we have started living in a society of FEAR with Parents in the North scared to send their children to school for fear of abduction, or children terrified wondering “WILL MUMMY AND DADDY COME HOME TONIGHT” due to high rates of kidnapping, which even Mr. President Uncle was victim to. It is important to ask who is SAFE?

So I say to you my fellow countrymen and women, the youth who are the future of our country, we CANNOT sit silent. It took a lot of courage on my part to write this article, but I am determined and convinced in my heart that it is the right thing to do. We owe it to our fellow brothers and sisters who have died and who continue to suffer because of the failings of our government. We must NEVER let the ethnic divisions that have plagued our parents’ and grandparents’ generations on tribal and ethnic differences blind us, but we must begin to see each other as NIGERIANS. It is very troubling that in this day and age, we still hear a Northerner must be President or a Southerner must be President or a Christian must be President or a Muslim must be President.

I say to you let us all tell our government that A NIGERIAN will be PRESIDENT regardless of geopolitical ethnic and religious affiliation as the constitution states, Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this constitution derives ALL ITS POWERS AND AUTHORITY. We must always be vigilant and do what is right so our country can excel as the great NELSON MANDELA said, “Nigeria is too important not only to Nigerians but to Africa and the World to sit by and watch it degenerate into a failed state”. So I say lets be the change we wish to see, as we must change for Nigeria to change. Let us create a society of equal opportunity so everyone has a shot of pursuing his or her dreams.

In conclusion, I shall end with Abraham Lincoln who in reference to the United States said,  “Nowhere in the world is presented a government of so much liberty and equality. To the humblest and poorest amongst us are held out the highest privileges and positions. The present moment finds me at the White House, yet there is as good a chance for your children as there was for my father's” .

This is the kind of society we should strive to have not a society where the inequality gap is extremely dangerous, but one where political or financial status are not the criteria used to measure a man or a woman, but dreams and visions for a better future, which every Nigerian enjoys a leveled playing field for. This should be the vision for our country and the only way to achieve such is to summon the courage to make tough decisions, but such decisions can only come when we strongly voice our concerns.

While the process of change might be hard and painful we must confront vested interests head on, as this is the only way to build a society based on equality freedom and justice for all  

GOD BLESS AND SAVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

Author: Beinye Otrofanowei
B.A Law Minor In Anthropology (Hons) Grad (Carleton University)
Original Paper
 

@Beinye1- Twitter

 

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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