Nigeria: Dream or drama?

L lKE a thunderbolt, the announcement by the Arewa Youths  Consultative Forum (AYCF) that the Igbo must vacate the North came  as a shock. Some citizens assumed this “treasonable threat” must be  a dream. However, shortly after, a notable elder – a presumed elder-  statesman, a Professor Ango Abdulahi, gave his bold backing to the  weird AYCF decree. So the threat assumed the coloration of a  drama.  Some believers queried: “Could this be the end or death of  Nigeria’s existentialism?.. That is to say Nigeria’s obituary will  read: Born 1914; died and buried 2017!” Others felt “NO”. The  greatest teacher had warned humanity over 2000 years ago “you will  hear of wars or rumours of wars … they are only signs that the end is near….”

The posers that immediately popped up in my head and heart  were “Oh Almighty Allah, why should this happen during this time, the holy month of Ramadan!”.  Imagine that. Ramadan connotes love, peace, sacrificial giving to  one’s neighbours. In this 2017 edition, kindly consider’ some curious  surrounding situations. First, our President, PMB, is away on medical  grounds. Patriotic Nigerians are daily praying for his fast recovery.  The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has been on the driver’s seat and has been  adjudged doing so gallantly and loyally. He has just signed “Budget  2017”.  Our social thermometer indicates a mind-boggling plethora of  variegated incidents. Boko Haram is still quite active; robbery  appears upswing with the latest headache being assault on worship  centers- churches in particular in Ondo State.

Kidnapping  has  graduated from once-a-while to a Messier/closer frequency now targeting schools. Please note the  latest “Evans” fairy tale. Workers/pensioners’ salaries are still hanging, in some cases up to four or five months. Strike has now  extended from the regular practitioners of academic/non-academic  staff to medical associations- a big taboo several years back.  Then there were eizures of guns by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). About two major cases were published.  There could be several unreported cases. Talking about problems, the  Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, opined that Nigeria’s having nearly 10.5  million out-of-school children is surely a potential time bomb that  can be ready-made materials for suicide bombers. The Senate  President lamented that Nigeria has the highest out-of-school  children in the world. Added to all these are mass unemployment,  poverty” hunger, anger. Herdsmen have added unimaginable  bestiality to their attacks. They raid, rape women/girls and kill  almost on daily basis. It is either Benue State today, Ekiti or Akwa  Ibom next day. So Nigeria is currently saturated with all forms of  aberrations. What used to be “eewo” (taboo) of yesteryears are now  common daily occurrences,  Can we now add ‘a full-blown war” to our luggage? My answer  is emphatic “No”.  Thank God for the timely intervention of Major AI-Mustapha,  who a majority of Nigerians believed should have been hanged long  ago. His intervention and peace-initiative between the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and  AYCF has been miraculously timely. The relay baton of “peace  restoration” went to the Acting President who applied the Fire Brigade  solution strategy” to hit hard on the war-mongers. Now, thank Allah,  the Senate has realised that “the stone which was abandoned  (a.k.a. 2014 National Confab report) must form the  cornerstone of ‘’Nigeria anew.”

The buried 2014 Confab  report has now been exhumed. All these excellent fireworks within a  space of ten days! Na wah O. God loves Nigeria.  The way forward: Let us move away from the brink of war or  death or total break-up to strengthen Nigeria through peaceful  restructuring. Restructuring is not synonymous with break-up.  Czechoslovakia-Britain/Ireland, USSR and others did it. They  became better for it. Restructuring can be total or comprehensive,  moderate or medium: ordinary or simple. The “six-zone formula”  Appears simple or moderate and most adequate and appropriate to  keep Nigeria going and growing.  My poser. Can we use the same speed applied to douse the  current tension to provide solution to our hanging challenges-  security, electricity-unemployment etc!!  Nigeria can be great if we face reality and apply “socio-  political jet speed’ to pragmatically tackle our evident challenges.

Nigeria can move away from death-to-dance”. The fault is not with  our stars but with ourselves. Ditto the solution.  Those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent  change inevitable. GOD BLESS NIGERIA.

• Bisuga, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel, is based in Sagamu, Ogun State