Last Friday we focused on the patriotic concerns of a great Nigerian, Emeka Anyaoku. Such was his concern that he was of the view that our country was fast descending into the abyss of irrelevance in the light of leadership positions and postures which tend to undermine the Nigerian State. At the end of that earlier piece, we concluded that the country was faced with a kind of Hobson’s choice since Nigeria has had to contend with this kind of untoward situation under both the military and civilian dispensations. A caveat is necessary here. In a rather guarded way, we have referenced civilian dispensation by refraining from the phrase democratic dispensation. But this is just a digression, albeit a critical one.
Meanwhile, the critical situation which was the focus of an earlier piece has not been helped by the fact that while the state has gone after some of the sub-national merchants with gusto and ferocity, it has continued to coddle and pet their counterparts in the northern part of the country. Evidently, this uneven treatment can only worsen this situation. One can even liken the scenario to that foolish man who finds himself in a pit. Rather than stop digging with a view to wanting out, he continues to dig in. The outcome, as anybody can guess, is obvious.
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What has been said so far, also dovetails into another situation which undoubtedly must have inspired Anyaoku’s concern. This is the general insecurity in the country. There is palpable fear everywhere, particularly in the northern part of the country. In this context, words which continue to gain currency are Boko Haram crisis, Farmers–Herdsmen conflicts and banditry.
Such indeed is the destination of the forced migration that, some of our compatriots, particularly young desperate Nigerians, are willing to take their chances to Europe via the dreaded Sahara desert.
As regards the first of these, evidence continues to mount that indeed the enemy is within. It is so bad that rightly or wrongly, individuals in official circles are being fingered as the invisible and invincible forces behind the Boko Haram crisis. What we seem to have on our hands, happens to be an apt recall of that famous phrase: we have seen the enemy and he is us. For how else can one explain the fact that those who are currently sitting on the dining table of the Nigerian state, are being fingered as the self-same forces that are seeking to destabilise it. This is indeed a recipe for disaster. It also raises the puzzles about why all these are happening now.
After all, for ages, herdsmen and farmers have always lived side by side peacefully, so why now? Again the answers must have to be sought in the direction of the prima donna of the system. At the risk of being contradicted, his actions or inactions have gone a long easy to catalyse this situation. What is often not fully appreciated is that, as these sad dramas are going on, the outside world is watching. Rightly or wrongly, these evolving and dismal realities will be used to judge and rate Nigeria’s worth.
This brings to the fore again, the persona of Emeka Anyaoku. As a seasoned diplomat, and possibly more than anybody else, he is keenly aware of the fact that all the embassies in Abuja and Lagos are notornamental contraptions. They are here and legitimately too, to gather information on the country. Predictably, such intelligence will be forwarded to their respective countries. Evenbeyond government to government interactions is also a distinct phenomenon in which ordinary citizens in these countries are aware, courtesy of the social media that all is not well with our country. That anomly is the order of the day in our besieged polity. Much of the immediate foregoing may well explain why in recent times, Nigerian diplomats have been subjected to all sorts of indignity out there. We recall here the episode in Indonesia in which one of our diplomats was involved. Despite his immunity, he was brutalised by security agents, who thought he was an illegal immigrant.
Even then if he was that, the situation still bounces back badly on Nigeria, and raises another issue which speaks to our current predicament as a nation. Given the anomaly, misrule and our consequent irrelevance, which has been ably identified by Anyaoku, Nigerians continue to troop out of the country. For the upper and well-heeled middle class, the destination is Canada. For those who are not that lucky, the destination is anywhere out of Nigeria. And such indeed is the destination of the forced migration that some of our compatriots, particularly young desperate Nigerians, are willing to take their chances to Europe via the dreaded Sahara desert. The situation as I see it is a familiar one.
Now and then, rickety and small boats on their way to Europe via the Mediterranean sea are intercepted. More often than not, Nigerian nationals will be found on these boats. And when such happens as it often does, the mind cannot but go back to Anyaoku’s well-grounded concerns. For a man in the twilight of his life, the seasoned diplomat who has seen it all, has nothing to lose if he decides to tell us the truth as he has eloquently done on this particular occasion. Therefore, the challenge for us and particularly the Nigerian leadership is that: Are we ready to pay heed to his words and implicit advice?
In other words, how can Nigeria regain its relevance in the comity of Nations. This is a tough call. But in reality, it is not, if certain well intentioned measures are pursued. Perhaps the most obvious course in order to get ourselves back into reckoning is for our leaders to do some thorough soul searching of the situation. Where have we gone wrong? What are our omissions? What are the commissions? Honest and candid responses to these questions will go a long way to stem our slide into irrelevance. On this conclusive note, is important to tell our leaders that:..the words of our elders are words of wisdom. Otherwise, the descent into irrelevance will continue with disastrous consequences for us all.
