THOSE SINGING SONGS OF WAR IN THEIR QUEST FOR SECESSION/SEPARATION FROM NIGERIA, CLEARLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT A WAR CAN DO TO A PEOPLE AND SOCIETY
June 9, 2021 | News
Agreed that, hardly can anyone think of the seemingly intractable tragedies of the Nigerian nation nowadays without a deep-sitted 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,
-By Zik Gbemre
THOSE SINGING SONGS OF WAR IN THEIR QUEST FOR SECESSION/SEPARATION FROM NIGERIA, CLEARLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT A WAR CAN DO TO A PEOPLE AND SOCIETY
It is easier to start a war, than it is to end it…
The same trends that led to wars in countries like Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast to Rwanda and Sudan, are beginning to manifest and bear fruits in Nigeria…
There is need for the Government and the Nigerian people to apply caution in the way we treat one another…
The consequences of war are just too severe for any one, or group of persons, to be agitating for it…
It is very easy to start off a war or a serious crisis, but it is usually very difficult and almost impossible to end it without leaving serious wounds that would always remind us of the damaged caused by such a war.
Agreed that, hardly can anyone think of the seemingly intractable tragedies of the Nigerian nation nowadays without a deep-sitted 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 and Bandits 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 revolution.
Sadly, the Buhari-led Federal Government has been making things worst with their insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians. But while we are praying and demanding that this Government should rise to the occasion and get serious in addressing this problem headlong.
I recently saw a post online analyzing the trend of war, and how this has, unfortunately become the Nigerian experience today. The said post, with the title: TIME TO REASON TOGETHER - UNDERSTANDING THE TREND OF WAR – “I want our people, both the pro and anti-agitations factions on the field and the social media, to understand the trend of war. NOTE - It is always a trend. From Libya to Syria to Yemen to CAR to Somalia to Liberia to Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast to Rwanda and Sudan. Here are the stages:
PLOT 1 - People's protests or agitations; PLOT 2 - Many try to encourage them based on their conceived interests. Police and Army are called in to disperse protesters/agitators. PLOT 3; Mob retaliates and burns down government and influential leaders' assets. PLOT 4 - Army and police withdraw due to international pressure. They begin to guard their barracks only. PLOT 5 - Anarchy sets in. Mob goes after assets of prominent figures and in some cases notable government officials. Powerful and influential people flee abroad with their families. PLOT 6 - Mob goes after assets and lives of middle class or anyone that has semblance of wealth or connection with the government. Estates housing the middle classes or government officials are attacked. (Remember, no more police or army to protect them).
“PLOT 7 - Full scale war breaks out as opportunists with group interests and egos take over. NOTE: It is an open secret that a few groups have been campaigning for the break-up of the country. This might be their legitimate demand but it should be through dialogues. COMPETING INTERESTS FOR WARS END UP TEARING THE COUNTRY APART. PLOT 8 - Refugees flee the country in millions to become beggars in other countries. Which country in West Africa has the capacity to take refugees from our country, Nigeria? Remember, the population of Lagos State alone is higher than that of most West African countries). PLOT 9 - I heard some people are saying US will come in. I laughed. To do what? Has the US finished solving its own many problems? Common, this is not the 1960s! No external forces will quell the in-fighting in Nigeria. It will be our cup of tea. Remember, a few of them have predicted that our country might not exist in the next few years. The internal wars will be a continuous recurring decimation. With no uniting force, no military or police or government, we might have the Libya scenario.
“All those mansions, designers this and that, and even loved ones could disappear in the twinkle of an eye. Those abroad that are fanning the flames will be eating Kentucky chicken in their respective cozy homes. US, UK and the UN will turn blind eye, except the UN peace keepers who will be kept in one expensive hotel - Remember hotel Rwanda? UK, US will sell us arms and buy free passage and licences to mine our natural resources.
"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 forbid, 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 bank 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 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 not there in the olden days. Those manufacturers of these weapons of war want to sell their wares. So, they too would not want any war to end. Even those Nigerians living in Europe, North America, and Asian 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 civil war in this country. Good governance, justice and fair play, will guarantee a secured and prosperous environment for all.
Zik Gbemre.
June 9, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
THOSE SINGING SONGS OF WAR IN THEIR QUEST FOR SECESSION/SEPARATION FROM NIGERIA, CLEARLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT A WAR CAN DO TO A PEOPLE AND SOCIETY
It is easier to start a war, than it is to end it…
The same trends that led to wars in countries like Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast to Rwanda and Sudan, are beginning to manifest and bear fruits in Nigeria…
There is need for the Government and the Nigerian people to apply caution in the way we treat one another…
The consequences of war are just too severe for any one, or group of persons, to be agitating for it…
It is very easy to start off a war or a serious crisis, but it is usually very difficult and almost impossible to end it without leaving serious wounds that would always remind us of the damaged caused by such a war.
Agreed that, hardly can anyone think of the seemingly intractable tragedies of the Nigerian nation nowadays without a deep-sitted 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 and Bandits 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 revolution.
Sadly, the Buhari-led Federal Government has been making things worst with their insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians. But while we are praying and demanding that this Government should rise to the occasion and get serious in addressing this problem headlong.
I recently saw a post online analyzing the trend of war, and how this has, unfortunately become the Nigerian experience today. The said post, with the title: TIME TO REASON TOGETHER - UNDERSTANDING THE TREND OF WAR – “I want our people, both the pro and anti-agitations factions on the field and the social media, to understand the trend of war. NOTE - It is always a trend. From Libya to Syria to Yemen to CAR to Somalia to Liberia to Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast to Rwanda and Sudan. Here are the stages:
PLOT 1 - People's protests or agitations; PLOT 2 - Many try to encourage them based on their conceived interests. Police and Army are called in to disperse protesters/agitators. PLOT 3; Mob retaliates and burns down government and influential leaders' assets. PLOT 4 - Army and police withdraw due to international pressure. They begin to guard their barracks only. PLOT 5 - Anarchy sets in. Mob goes after assets of prominent figures and in some cases notable government officials. Powerful and influential people flee abroad with their families. PLOT 6 - Mob goes after assets and lives of middle class or anyone that has semblance of wealth or connection with the government. Estates housing the middle classes or government officials are attacked. (Remember, no more police or army to protect them).
“PLOT 7 - Full scale war breaks out as opportunists with group interests and egos take over. NOTE: It is an open secret that a few groups have been campaigning for the break-up of the country. This might be their legitimate demand but it should be through dialogues. COMPETING INTERESTS FOR WARS END UP TEARING THE COUNTRY APART. PLOT 8 - Refugees flee the country in millions to become beggars in other countries. Which country in West Africa has the capacity to take refugees from our country, Nigeria? Remember, the population of Lagos State alone is higher than that of most West African countries). PLOT 9 - I heard some people are saying US will come in. I laughed. To do what? Has the US finished solving its own many problems? Common, this is not the 1960s! No external forces will quell the in-fighting in Nigeria. It will be our cup of tea. Remember, a few of them have predicted that our country might not exist in the next few years. The internal wars will be a continuous recurring decimation. With no uniting force, no military or police or government, we might have the Libya scenario.
“All those mansions, designers this and that, and even loved ones could disappear in the twinkle of an eye. Those abroad that are fanning the flames will be eating Kentucky chicken in their respective cozy homes. US, UK and the UN will turn blind eye, except the UN peace keepers who will be kept in one expensive hotel - Remember hotel Rwanda? UK, US will sell us arms and buy free passage and licences to mine our natural resources.
"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 forbid, 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 bank 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 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 not there in the olden days. Those manufacturers of these weapons of war want to sell their wares. So, they too would not want any war to end. Even those Nigerians living in Europe, North America, and Asian 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 civil war in this country. Good governance, justice and fair play, will guarantee a secured and prosperous environment for all.
Zik Gbemre.
June 9, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes