When Will The Sorrows, Tears And Blood Stop?

Source: huhuonline.com

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Looking at the last one to two years, the headlines that greet the average Nigerian has been that of senseless killings unprecedented in the history of this country. It seems the so called geographical expression (to borrow a leaf from the late Chief Awolowo)

has finally reached a situation where it can no longer hold itself together and for that reason, must as a matter of urgency, break into fragments it was known, before Lord Lugard's ill conceived policy of amalgamation.

Never in our history have the killings witnessed today been this intense, continous and massive. The country is on the brink of collapse, yet those meant to nip things in the bud worry about subsidies and nothing more. It is saddening that anything that has to do with linning the pockets of a few is what policy makers in the country vest their interests in or how else can one explain, without any available law to backup such action, the pumping of about 400 billion naira into the banking sector years back, all in the name of bringing back to life some few banks which were on the verge of going bankrupt. Despite this myopic national aid, the deepening crisis in the financial sector is yet to abate, if the exchange rate of the naira is anything to go by and with serious consequence for the stock market, which continues to read bullish before our eyes.

As if that was not enough, the government of the day recently pursued the policy of subsidy removal like an enterpreneur taking serious risk in his business, despite calls for the oil sector and its top echelon to stop its business as usual attitude. At the end of it all, government, to this writer triumphed, as their set target which was to make an increase to 100 naira was eventually achieved, even as the NLC heirarchy remained myopic to the realities on ground. Today, Nigerians have been left even more miserable than the previous year, despite voting for a man who many thought shared the same pain with the vast majority of the people and surprisingly wore no shoes to school.

Having said this, it is a shame that over the last 40 years, we have allowed fissiparous and cantankerous elements take over the polity, without recourse to finding a final solution to their threats. Today, innocent souls most especially, who in a bid to survive from the socio-economic neglect of the Nigerian state, lose their lives on a daily basis from the shenanigans of death. Despite calling ourselves Nigerians, other ethnic groups cannot live amongst other ethnic groups or region because the former is threatened by faceless groups who refuse to fight like men.

Be that as it may, it is imperative to state that against the secularity the constitution preaches, a Head of State went ahead to incorporate Christians, Muslims and Traditionalists into an Islamic organisation which today has further led to religious tensions in the polity. It was also in this country that a cartoon drawing from a European press sparked outrage and consequently led to the unnecessary death of many in the North. It was in this country that an undisputed election caused the loss of lives of many, including youths who were on compulsory national assignment. One could go on and on, but it is unfortunate that nothing had been done to correct these ills, making the situation even worse.

For all the salt we are worth, we are yet to understand that life is so precious and must be preserved, yet people's lives are taken unnecessarily in a nation whose armed forces triumph beyond our borders in peace-keeping operations. We now live in a nation where the next man must as a matter of personal security suspect the other. Nobody is safe anylonger as the security situation in the country is nothing to write home about.

We were all relieved when the South-South under claws of MEND surrendered their arms and embrassed amnesty, but suddenly came under the onslaught of a new and most dangerous terrorist group who care less about the feelings and natural survival of the average Nigerian. It has become one too many, the deaths recorded in the last couple of months and for the fact that the armed forces are weak in the face of this horror, we certainly are in for more killings in the North.

Boko-Haram has unleashed upon the country terror, leaving behind sorrow, tears and blood, with policy makers in the country incapacitated and lacking cordination to fight this monster. The vast majority of people who are the ones targetted by this dreaded sect have all resorted to personal safety, yet when a senator is on a visit to just his backyard, a large retinue of men in uniform who are paid from the people's commowealth safeguard him.

Nigerians are fed up with the senseless killings and maimings, we are tired of the threat to our lives and properties, we are fed up with the death of our loved ones in other part of the country and finally, we are sick of the insensitivity from the top echelon of the country. In the face of adveristy like is witnessed everywhere in the country, the best thing those at the top ought to do is to bow out when the ovation is loudest, for they have shown that they cannot hold this country together. They have shown that they are not capable of bringing the senseless killings to a halt. They have proved that subsidy removal is the only fight they can engage in and for that reason should step aside for the people who can bring the sorrows, tears and blood to an end.

 
RAHEEM OLUWAFUNMINIYI is a social commentator and a political analyst who resides in Ibadan. He can be reached via