NIGERIA’S SECURITY AND UNITY - NO MATTER THE ANGER, THE SONGS OF WAR AND DIVISION HAS TO END
July 23, 2021 | News
I have repeatedly emphasized in the past, that the consequences of a full-blown war are just too severe for anyone or any group of persons to continue singing songs of war, or making inciting and provocative statements that has the propensity to instigate another war in Nigeria.
-By Zik Gbemre
NIGERIA’S SECURITY AND UNITY - NO MATTER THE ANGER, THE SONGS OF WAR AND DIVISION HAS TO END
The consequences of war are just too severe for any one or group of persons, to be agitating for it…
The young Nigerians who are being misled by heartless politicians that are creating divisions amongst the polity, should realize that these selfish politicians do not mean well for the nation, and they are not helping them…
No matter our divergent views, differences and past hurts, we must find a way to forgive, forget and tolerate one another in sustaining a united Nigeria…
There are so many things 'connecting' every tribe/ethnic group in the country… We should not allow sentiments to blind our minds and hearts from not seeing the great things that can be achieved together as a nation…
I have repeatedly emphasized in the past, that the consequences of a full-blown war are just too severe for anyone or any group of persons to continue singing songs of war, or making inciting and provocative statements that has the propensity to instigate another war in Nigeria. No matter our divergent views, differences and past hurts that may have made a particular ethnic group to have stored hatred for another ethnic group, we must find a way to forgive, forget and tolerate one another in sustaining a united Nigeria. In other words, another war must not be allowed to happen in Nigeria no matter what.
Those young Nigerians who are being misled by heartless politicians that are creating divisions amongst the polity, should realize that these selfish politicians do not mean well for the nation, and they are not helping them.
Agreed that, hardly can anyone think of the seemingly intractable tragedies of the Nigerian nation nowadays without a deep-seated anger, frustration and prolonged lamentation. Nigerian alone, has witnessed serious insecurity situations and concerns in different parts of the country, particularly under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, which ordinarily could have shattered and divided us as a country, but somehow, we have remained an entity. Nigeria alone has witnessed a civil war; an insurgency uprising from Boko Haram; Militancy in the Niger Delta region; the Fulani Headsmen crises; Bandits and unknown gunmen criminal activities that have refused to go; agitations for secession by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and even more agitations for secession from different groups like Oduduwa Republic, etc. We can say, without mincing words, that Nigeria is indeed drifting into the abyss if care is not taken. The country has been drifting away from a more ‘united country’, hence, any sort of revolution will only add in making things worse. These are ominous signs that should tell us as a people, and our political leaders, that the situation before us is serious, and should be treated as such. But not through any sort of war or revolution.
War is a dangerous thing for any sane person to be singing for it. While there are indeed, enormous challenges across all levels of the country, but such challenges can be managed and addressed. And we must manage these challenges with honesty and truth.
As noted by an online commentator: “What we all need NOW is CAUTION FROM ALL SIDES. If we continue this way, no one will be the winner. If the country scatters, God forbids, no group or faction will get what they want, not even the youths or the celebrities calling the shot via the social media. Parents who have seen wars before must call their children and wards to order and reasons. History more often records the brilliant successes and spectacular defeats of contending forces than the effect of war on the common people.
“Again, I cite the example of - South Sudan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Sierra Leone - years of wanton destruction, loss of lives and livelihoods. Everything and everyone will be on the route to destruction. Millions of Naira in the banks will be worth less than toilet rolls. I saw this life in Somalia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This is no longer about who is right or wrong, it is about who will be safe?”
The consequences of war are just too severe for any one or group of persons, to be agitating for it. Some of us saw a little bit of the Nigerian civil war when city/town dwellers escaped home with their families to their home villages for safety. In this 21st century, no country can survive civil wars because of the proliferation of modern weapons and more sophisticated weapons of mass destruction that were there in the olden days. Some foreign developed countries are available and always ready to market their sophisticated guns/weapons. Those manufacturers of these weapons of war want to sell their wares. So, they too would not want any initiated war to end.
Even those Nigerians living in Europe, North America, Canada and Asia countries, will regret it because they will no longer have a home country to call their own, neither will their relatives be there anymore. It will be like they are on exile. No Nigerian will enjoy the war as they may think. We should learn how to accommodate one another and stop the greed. We should do all we can to avoid a war in this country. Good governance, justice and fair play, will guarantee a secured and prosperous environment for all.
More so, there are so many things connecting every tribe/ethnic group in the country. From inter-marriages, to business/economic and friendship/relationship ties amongst us. That is what makes Nigeria such a unique and peculiar country. Personally, I know some Fulani, Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba and Tiv friends from the South-East, South-West and Northern parts of Nigeria that I can comfortably enter their homes any time of the day and night, and sleep in peace without any iota of fear - far more than my own South-South brothers/sisters.
There are many Nigerians from the Southern parts of the country who have invested big businesses in the Northern parts. While some have gotten married, and are with grown up children living either in the North or in the South. So, all this talk of division through war and crises between the North and South has to stop because it will not do any of us any good, neither now nor in the future. We should not allow sentiments to blind our minds and hearts from not seeing the great things that can be achieved together as one united nation, when we tolerate and accommodate one another, and united in harmony and love for one another. This is my heartfelt prayer for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its citizenry – regardless of who you are.
Zik Gbemre.
July 23, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
NIGERIA’S SECURITY AND UNITY - NO MATTER THE ANGER, THE SONGS OF WAR AND DIVISION HAS TO END
The consequences of war are just too severe for any one or group of persons, to be agitating for it…
The young Nigerians who are being misled by heartless politicians that are creating divisions amongst the polity, should realize that these selfish politicians do not mean well for the nation, and they are not helping them…
No matter our divergent views, differences and past hurts, we must find a way to forgive, forget and tolerate one another in sustaining a united Nigeria…
There are so many things 'connecting' every tribe/ethnic group in the country… We should not allow sentiments to blind our minds and hearts from not seeing the great things that can be achieved together as a nation…
I have repeatedly emphasized in the past, that the consequences of a full-blown war are just too severe for anyone or any group of persons to continue singing songs of war, or making inciting and provocative statements that has the propensity to instigate another war in Nigeria. No matter our divergent views, differences and past hurts that may have made a particular ethnic group to have stored hatred for another ethnic group, we must find a way to forgive, forget and tolerate one another in sustaining a united Nigeria. In other words, another war must not be allowed to happen in Nigeria no matter what.
Those young Nigerians who are being misled by heartless politicians that are creating divisions amongst the polity, should realize that these selfish politicians do not mean well for the nation, and they are not helping them.
Agreed that, hardly can anyone think of the seemingly intractable tragedies of the Nigerian nation nowadays without a deep-seated anger, frustration and prolonged lamentation. Nigerian alone, has witnessed serious insecurity situations and concerns in different parts of the country, particularly under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, which ordinarily could have shattered and divided us as a country, but somehow, we have remained an entity. Nigeria alone has witnessed a civil war; an insurgency uprising from Boko Haram; Militancy in the Niger Delta region; the Fulani Headsmen crises; Bandits and unknown gunmen criminal activities that have refused to go; agitations for secession by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and even more agitations for secession from different groups like Oduduwa Republic, etc. We can say, without mincing words, that Nigeria is indeed drifting into the abyss if care is not taken. The country has been drifting away from a more ‘united country’, hence, any sort of revolution will only add in making things worse. These are ominous signs that should tell us as a people, and our political leaders, that the situation before us is serious, and should be treated as such. But not through any sort of war or revolution.
War is a dangerous thing for any sane person to be singing for it. While there are indeed, enormous challenges across all levels of the country, but such challenges can be managed and addressed. And we must manage these challenges with honesty and truth.
As noted by an online commentator: “What we all need NOW is CAUTION FROM ALL SIDES. If we continue this way, no one will be the winner. If the country scatters, God forbids, no group or faction will get what they want, not even the youths or the celebrities calling the shot via the social media. Parents who have seen wars before must call their children and wards to order and reasons. History more often records the brilliant successes and spectacular defeats of contending forces than the effect of war on the common people.
“Again, I cite the example of - South Sudan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Sierra Leone - years of wanton destruction, loss of lives and livelihoods. Everything and everyone will be on the route to destruction. Millions of Naira in the banks will be worth less than toilet rolls. I saw this life in Somalia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. This is no longer about who is right or wrong, it is about who will be safe?”
The consequences of war are just too severe for any one or group of persons, to be agitating for it. Some of us saw a little bit of the Nigerian civil war when city/town dwellers escaped home with their families to their home villages for safety. In this 21st century, no country can survive civil wars because of the proliferation of modern weapons and more sophisticated weapons of mass destruction that were there in the olden days. Some foreign developed countries are available and always ready to market their sophisticated guns/weapons. Those manufacturers of these weapons of war want to sell their wares. So, they too would not want any initiated war to end.
Even those Nigerians living in Europe, North America, Canada and Asia countries, will regret it because they will no longer have a home country to call their own, neither will their relatives be there anymore. It will be like they are on exile. No Nigerian will enjoy the war as they may think. We should learn how to accommodate one another and stop the greed. We should do all we can to avoid a war in this country. Good governance, justice and fair play, will guarantee a secured and prosperous environment for all.
More so, there are so many things connecting every tribe/ethnic group in the country. From inter-marriages, to business/economic and friendship/relationship ties amongst us. That is what makes Nigeria such a unique and peculiar country. Personally, I know some Fulani, Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba and Tiv friends from the South-East, South-West and Northern parts of Nigeria that I can comfortably enter their homes any time of the day and night, and sleep in peace without any iota of fear - far more than my own South-South brothers/sisters.
There are many Nigerians from the Southern parts of the country who have invested big businesses in the Northern parts. While some have gotten married, and are with grown up children living either in the North or in the South. So, all this talk of division through war and crises between the North and South has to stop because it will not do any of us any good, neither now nor in the future. We should not allow sentiments to blind our minds and hearts from not seeing the great things that can be achieved together as one united nation, when we tolerate and accommodate one another, and united in harmony and love for one another. This is my heartfelt prayer for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its citizenry – regardless of who you are.
Zik Gbemre.
July 23, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes