Nigeria At Dawn: Before The Cock Crow

A Literary Exposition of a Nation at Crossroad.
Even the dead are quite aware Nigeria is on a path to a fate yet undefined.

But the living are contradictorily aware of contending fate that awaits Nigeria and their knowing is subjectively bias as their wishes and intention are the claims they profess and each are with justified reasons convincing them that they are right on their claims.

The claims of the people are subjectively three but ironically they are all objectively one.

I shall examine the three fates that awaits Nigeria as follows:

1. The Dissolutionist fate.
2. The Restructurist fate.
3. The Continuist fate.
For a very sound mind, if we are sick as a people we will soon come over it.

For others, how did we became sick in the first place? and to some; wasn't our sickness avoidable in the first instance?

The above typifies a graphic caricature of the events that eclipse the Nigerian fate at the moment. But be it as it may, we are entangled in a vicelike grip of a hope against itself from contending contraptions and reactions.

*THE DISSOLUTIONIST FATE*
Our nation Nigeria has been engulfed in crisis of insecurity, poor governance and seemingly political visionlessness.

The resultant effect has been agitation from the oppressed and marginalised for self determination and each day, our nation is dragged before the front burner of calls for dissolution of Nigeria.

This is evident in the rise of Biafra Nation, Oduduwa Nation agitators and a host of others.

How then shall we dance to this drum beat, to pacify the aggrieved, allow the agitators to go in peace, or charge them for treason?

Will Nigeria be dissolved?
How shall it be dissolved?
Will the United Nations compel the Nigerian government?

Shall we go to a civil war a second time?
These and several other questions confronts the actualisation of the dissolutionist fate.

*THE RESTRUCTURIST FATE*
A very large range of political actors and stakeholders in the nations project readily admits that something is wrong with Nigeria and the structure upon which it is built, they potend and intend that instead of dissolving Nigeria, we should *restructure* it to suit the common good of the constituent regions.

And this group of agitators advocates the composition and institutionalization of regional government with immediate effect.

The Restructurist fate has it that, unless Nigeria is restructured we cannot and can never get it right.

It is assumed as the Restructurist fate has it that, the present constitution must be set aside, a sovereign national conference or referendum be held and a new hope be brought to place, they do not accept the need for any national election come 2023, rather they want a state of emergency put in place for a new beginning.

How would the restructure be done? Who will restructure Nigeria? Would a legitimate National Assembly surrenders it's legislative powers to a sovereign national conference? How legit shall the process be?

One major agitator for restructure is The Rebirth Group with Deacon Oladejo Owolabi calling for a 6 regional government with a weak central hub patterned in the line to empower each ethnic group as nationalist with a confederating system. The vision of The Rebirth Group is hanged upon the hope that a Nigeria can be united by agreement and mutual accord with equal rights and respect for each ethnic group.

But would the profiteers of the present system give a node?

These and several other questions confronts the actualisation of The Restructurist Fate.

How and when shall this be?
*THE CONTINUIST FATE*
The present system and it's skirmishes aren't too bad to throw the baby with the bath water away.

This is the view of some Nigerians who incidentally are of the firm position that nothing is wrong with Nigeria, we only need a new leader who can fix Nigeria.

In the mindset of these Continuist come 2023, a better candidate will quench the noise and agitation in the land.

In the present calculus, the search for a better alternative to General Mohammadu BUHARI has been the present assignment and this has brought series of political permutations and calculations with a rising suspicion on Asiwaju Bola Hammed Tinubu as one of such result.

That the system is okay, the operator is faulty is the fate of the continuist.

Invariably, nothing can be done than to wait for the expiration of this present incumbent to fix a better replacement.

Shall we then as a people continue with this system?

How can we hold forth with a system many have condemned in which the nativity of each ethnic group are in question of marginalisation when not in power?

Will a Bola Tinubu make any difference at all?
Who can be better than BUHARI?
How would the present system deliver a better result with the ongoing crisis in the land?

Shall we wait till 2023 again before we have it better?

Why can't we endure till 2023?
These are several other questions confront the actualisation of The Continuist Fate.

Of all the three be it Dissolutionist, Restructurist or the Continuist one thing is certain and this is the echoe of an increasingly agonising voice saying SHALL WE CONTINUE LIKE THIS?

*Revd Bunmi Thomas*
is a prolific writer, pragmatic teacher, fiery clergy and radical Human Right activist.

He sent this piece from Ibadan
[email protected] 08033747073 Rev Bunmi Thomas (ROAT)