I shed tears whenever I think about the future of my lovely nation, Nigeria, the “giant of Africa”, where politics has become a disorganizing factor of our teeming populace, though we claim to be religious and cultural. In fact, I wonder when the ordinary Nigerian will come to understand the arithmetic behind Nigerian politics; our people kill one another for no just cause.
Religion and culture have already been politicized, despite claiming to religious, we refuse to practice the teachings of religions. Nigerians hate, attack, and disrupt the nation’s progress because of politics of interest. It’s high time Nigerians understood the reason of the nation’s diversity and avoid falling into the traps of the politicians.
I seriously don’t know when Nigerians will be politically motivated and oriented to shun politics of religion, ethnicity and tribalism. What a nation, full of nepotistic, greedy and corrupt leaders; leaders of zero determination on the nation’s progress, leaders that take politics as a weapon to destabilize the unity of their own nation for personal gain.
It’s a matter of concern that while we keep living together, sharing same schools, business, among others, we also keep hating one another, halting the nation’s progress and disrupting our peace; keep giving the politicians a chance to ruin our lives and upgrade theirs.
It is painful as we are already brainwashed to the extent that we can’t distinguish right from wrong, good from bad. Every day is a different issue. We have no taste than to go with their choices all as result of religion plus the little money and other petty things given to us during electioneering.
Nigerian politicians have realised how cheap and blinded we are by sentiments and religion, and they capitalise on it to play basketball with our brains while enjoy their luxury, irrespective of religion or political affiliation.
Taking a look at the unprecedented security challenges, one will see that the politicians are just tabling, extending and rotating problems to our regions. From North-east to North-west, from South-south to South-west, North-central to South-east, the sordid story is the same.
They understand that the more religious we became, the more virus will be injected into us not to tolerate one another. In fact, this is the point I want to raise, they are just diverting our senses through religion, culture and ethnicity in order keep squandering the nation’s wealth on themselves.
The series of events that took place from 2007 to 2009 in Niger Delta, 2009 to 2015 in North-east, 2015 to 2019 in North-west, plus the recent kidnapping issues in North-central, one will realize that they are all set up events related to politics.
In the same move, Nigerian politicians deceive us yet refuse to understand what exactly they need, which to me it is clearly written on their foreheads that, they are after poor people’s lives. On this, I challenge Nigerians to go for competency in the forthcoming elections and see if things wouldn’t be smooth.
Therefore, Nigerians, especially the youth, need to wake up and look at these issues, because we can’t just hand over our destiny to such people who have zero interest in moving the nation to greater heights apart from ruining it.
Finally, let’s unite, irrespective of religion or ethnic background, to stop this nonsense, in quest for better future to the younger generation if not we may end up worse it.
Favour Chidimma Okere,
Department of Mass Communication
University of Maiduguri
