NEW YEAR MESSAGE
Fundamentally, I'm a pessimist. I view issues from the darkest point to pave the way for brighter options. However, whatever grievances this piece is set to brew, there is space enough just below the article to vent it.
I'm sorry bringing these memories back; opening dried wounds- if they are really dried anyway-comes as an hobby, particularly when those 'wounds' need another exposure to be healed properly. My apology is actually meant for those who had the courage to see the video. If you have not, please don't. It is gruesomely wicked, callously inhumane, sadly heart-breaking, emotionally dampening and a classic example of the popular phrase "man inhumanity to man". The ALUU 4 were beaten to pulp ; and then set ablaze!
What actually brought back this memory was another video I saw on my 13 year old brother's phone. I'm not oblivious of the news; the plight of a young lady alleged to have stolen a BB. I read she was stripped but I never saw the video. All Thanks to puberty, my brother would keep anything that affords him the opportunity of seeing freely the 'natural assets' of a beautiful young lady.(Ur brothers "agro" is not relevant I think?)
In terms of blood, this video is not gory; at least the part recorded, unlike the ALUU 4, but the motive was same and I dare say, blood would have been involved, if the alleged thief was male. The young lady was stripped, sexually molested, man-handled and some guys went as far as forcefully spreading her thighs to get a better view of her genitals and a good picture to keep. Pathetic! Mind you, I'm not a supporter of theft but in Nigeria, virtually no one is arrainged for theft (I don't think this is true); just like no one has been put behind bars for molestation and abuse of human rights, no one is paying heavy fines for sexual harassment! And these people roam about gallantly even when their evil faces were seen in the video!(Are u sure? Arrests have been made) Another jungle justice! The ALUU 4 even took a more sinister cycle. What eventually happened was the police arraingning (((probably?))) innocent people and even if they were the real culprits; hasn't the horse bolted away ((4rm d)) stable yet? the arm of the law that should have been engaged earlier. Any man in a Black uniform appearing on-scene would have saved lives even when a station was just 10min walk from the infamous gory scene. What an act of ineptitude!
Unfortunately however, as tangent as jungle justice is, It is not as painful as the fact that such barbarical archaic culture, in this epoch, still exist in the country and Nigerians still harbour such dark thoughts in their hearts for a fellow human being, a fellow Nigerian and only waiting for the slightest chance to display it. And this is not an Andres Breivik or Adam Lanza esque massacre, this is mob action!
Most of us are quick to point fingers to boko-haram as the vilest set of Nigerians but after assessing these two events, I'm forced to agree that more barbaric, callous and backward people are among us; the mere fact that they are ungrouped doesn't make them pious.
What we all fail to realise about a mob is the most painful part; the mob is an aggregation of heterogeneous people in different levels of the society; old and young, muslims and christians, able and disable, professionals and artisans, fathers and painfully, mothers- who are believed to be more compassionate. And all these people enjoyed the slow and painful agony of another human being and even had the heart of stone to record it including mothers!
The big question then remains; how can a country progress with this coal of cruelty, abhor and utter disgust for human life burning deep in our hearts?
Beyond our leaders; who we are all accustomed to heaping all our problems on, the current situation of the country only mirrors who we are!
I always say; it is from within us that our leaders will emerge which follows logically that our collective persona as a nation will determine the state of our country.
With 2013 in view, only a serious appraisal of ourselves can forge a better year ahead of us an we should endeavour to incorporate one or all of the following values into our new year resolutions: love your neighbour as yourself; do unto others what you would have them do to you; do not castigate, live and let others live!
Happy new year in advance!