NIGERIA; THE GOOF CONTINUES

  A MISTAKE NOT CORRECTED ON TIME GIVES BIRTH TO A SERIES OF MISTAKES, WHICH IF NOT CONTROLLED COULD MAKE FLAWS AND MEDIOCRITY TO BECOME A NORM. I REMEMBER RAISING THE VOICE OF ALARM LIKE SOME OTHER WELL MEANING NIGERIANS ON DISCOVERING THAT NO ONE WAS INDICTED NOR REPRIMANDED WHEN SOME NORTHERN ELEMENTS CAME OUT PUBLICLY TO SAY THAT THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE THE NATION UNGOVERNABLE FOR THE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY, NIGERIA, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN. I REMEMBER THAT SOME PEOPLE LASHED OUT AT THOSE OF US WHO CALLED FOR OUR SECURITY SERVICES TO SWING INTO ACTION AND DETAIN THOSE WE BELIEVED HAD VULNERATED THE LAW OF OUR COUNTRY BY EXPOSING OUR TOGETHERNESS AS A PEOPLE TO UNDUE CONTRAVENTION, THEY ARGUED  THEN THAT UNDER A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT PEOPLE ENJOYED THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH. FREEDOM OF SPEECH? EVEN WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE SECURITY, PEACE, STABILITY AND EVEN THE DEMOCRACY OF OUR NATION WERE BEING THREATENED, IN A VERY SERIOUS WAY BY SOME PERSONS WITH THEIR UNMEASURED UTTERANCES?

  ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN NO DIRECT LINK, AT LEAST OFFICIALLY, TO THE VIOLENCE AND THE INSTABILITY THAT ENSUED SOON AFTER THESE DECLARATIONS, THE TRUTH IS THAT OUR NATION HAS NOT KNOWN PEACE SINCE THAT UNFORTUNATE DECLARATION AND THE SUBSEQUENT IMPUNITY. TODAY, HISTORY IS REPEATING ITSELF AND VINDICATING THOSE OF US WHO WARNED THAT THE FAILURE OF OUR GOVERNMENT TO ACT DRASTICALLY AT THE TIME COULD SET AN UNHEALTHY PRECEDENCE FOR SIMILAR ACTIONS OR DECLARATIONS IN THE FUTURE. NOW THE THREAT HAS SHIFTED TO THE SOUTH-SOUTH CAMP, WHERE SOME ELEMENTS ARE BEGINNING TO THREATEN THE STABILITY OF THE COUNTRY SHOULD THE INCUMBENT PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN WHO HAPPEN TO BE FROM THE SOUTH-SOUTH NOT WIN IN THE ONCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS SLATED FOR THE 14^th OF FEBRUARY 2015. AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, A KEY NOTHERN FIGURE AND FORMER NIGERIAN CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF DURING THE GENERAL OBASANJO MILITARY REGIME, ONE OF THE BENEFICIARIES OF NIGERIA´S MANY OIL WELLS, BESTOWED ON HIM AS A GIFT BY LATE NIGERIAN DICTATOR, GENERAL SANI ABACHA, GENERAL T.Y DANJUMA (RTD) HAS COME OUT TO CALL FOR THE ARREST OF THESE ELEMENTS FROM THE SOUTH-SOUTH, THE SAME MAN WHO WAS QUIET WHEN THE NATION AND ITS ELECTED PRESIDENT WAS THREATENED NOT TOO LONG AGO BY SOME NOTHERN ELEMENTS.

  IT IS A PITY THAT WHILE OTHER COUNTRIES ARE COMING TOGETHER TO FORM A LEAGUE OF NATIONS, NIGERIA IS ALWAYS ON THE EDGE OF DISINTEGRATION DUE TO TRIBAL AND RELIGIOUS BIGOTS WHO ARE HELL BENT ON USING OUR DIVERSITY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE AS OUR STRENGTH AS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN OUR COUNTRY.

 ALTHOUGH MANY NIGERIANS HATE TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH BECAUSE OF OUR CHEAP PARTISANSHIP AND TRIBALISTIC DISPOSITIONS, I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY PERSON TO BLAME FOR THE EXCESSIVE AND UNCONTROLLABLE DECLARATIONS FROM ALMOST EVERY SIDE OF THE DIVIDE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNTRY, NOT ONLY BECAUSE HE IS FAILING TO RULE OVER A UNITED COUNTRY AS IT APPEARS BUT BECAUSE HE IS FAILING TO ACT AT VERY DECISIVE MOMENTS SINCE ASSUMING POWER AS THE EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AND THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES.

  IN VERY MANY ISSUES ESPECIALLY AS AFFECTS OUR NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE UNITY OF OUR NATION, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN HAS BEEN OVER TACTFUL AND OVER SENTIMENTAL, SOME SAY THAT IT IS A WAY TO AVOID DRAGGING THE NATION INTO ANOTHER CIVIL  WAR BUT I AM OF THE OPINION THAT AS LONG AS THE IDEA IS TO MAINTAIN AN INDIVISIBLE NATION, WE MUST NOT COMPROMISE OUR SECURITY AND THAT THE CUSTODIAN OF OUR LAWS, FIRST ON THE ECHELON OF POWER AND RELEVANCE, THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF SHOULD HAVE ORDERED FOR THE ARREST OF THESE PERSONS THROUGH THE PERTINENT SECURITY SERVICES AND A LAWSUIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST THEM BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION FOR A SUSPECTED CASE OF TREASONABLE FELONY.

  IT IS SO UNFORTUNATE THAT THE NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES HAS IN RECENT TIME BECOME PARTISAN AND GRADUALLY ALIENATING ITSELF FROM ITS PRINCIPAL ROLE WHICH IS NO OTHER THAN DEFENDING AND PROTECTING THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF OUR NATION. THE DUTY OF THE NIGERIAN ARMED FORCES IS NOT TO MEDDLE WITH POLITICS BUT TO DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION FERVENTLY, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO OR WHAT PARTY IS AT THE HELM OF AFFAIRS IN OUR COUNTRY. NO SINGLE NIGERIAN, NO MATTER FROM WHAT PART OF THE COUNTRY, MUST BE PERMITTED TO THREATEN OUR ELECTED PRESIDENT, OUR CONSTITUTION OR OUR NATION THE WAY SOME NORTHERN ELEMENTS DID WITH IMPUNITY NOT TOO LONG AGO AND THE WAY THAT SOME ELEMENTS FROM THE SOUTH-SOUTH ARE DOING TODAY.

  NIGERIA SHOULD INDEED BE GREATER THAN ANY ONE PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS, WHETHER THEY ARE CALLED BUHARI, LAWAL KEITA, ADAMU CIROMA, TOMPOLO, ASARI DOKUBO, OBASANJO, BABANGIDA, GOODLUCK JONATHAN, DANJUMA OR WHATEVER….., WE MUST BE VERY COHERENT AND UNCOMPROMISING IN DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT COULD THREATEN AND JEAOPARDIZE THE UNITY AND THE STABILITY OF OUR NATION, A STITCH IN TIME IS ALWAYS VERY APPROPRIATE IN TACKLING NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES.