for sometime, i have indeed felt like a harbinger of not-so-good news. this feeling started a while ago after i spoke with an old friend of mine who now lives in the USA and apparently, reads my blog whenever she can. it occured to me that i had a responsibility to share balanced information about goings-on in Nigeria, if people outside were following my rantings. but as you know, the most difficult thing is to keep your opinions balanced. thats why they are 'opinions' in the first place. my views, my bias, my judgment on all things.
but is there any balanced view on issues like the car bomb that went off in delta state yesterday? call me an alarmist, but from the antecedents in Nigeria, we outdo the inventors of all vices. Nigeria did not invent ritual killings (i hear these things were rampant in the carribeans long before we even heard about it here) but it became a lifestyle here. scam emails didn't start from Nigeria, but we perfected the art. kidnapping for ransome didn't start in Nigeria, but guess where it has been most widely implemented? Nigeria. as a matter of fact, no government policy has been implemented as widely as kidnapping! so now here we are once again, at the threshold of history, a paradigm shift in our acquired skills and a new pastime for the tons of idle, semi-literate able-bodied men patroling the streets. its called car bombing.
excuse me for sounding alarmist, but for a country with a very famously inept police force that find it hard to keep a tab on regular mundane crimes and vices like burglary and armed robbery, and have all converted themselves to traffic wardens so they can extract bribes from car owners minding their own business, there is every reason to be afraid. as you probably know from watching american movies, car bombs are advanced crimes that require specialised units of the police force for detonation and public safety. if the criminal minds are moving very quickly into the 22nd century and our police force is still controlling traffic, then we're all doomed.
the irk of it all, is that those who suffer the most from these atrocious acts of violence are never the targeted. thats because the targeted are rich and well protected and have tons of security personnel for them, their family and their dogs. yesterday's car bomb that went off in delta state affected three people, reported to be a hapless woman, an innocent bike rider clearly in the middle of trying to make his daily income, and a passerby. classic. these are the sorts of people who lose their lives to these mindless acts of unjustifiable destruction.
as you can tell, i am pissed beyond words...but i am more afraid than pissed. what will happen when they exhaust the niger delta struggle and find themselves still loaded with bomb making materials. how many unlicenced and unregistered guns are out there? how many people have guns right now? where are these guns coming from? are they given free with christmas hampers (and if so, why didnt i get one)? someday, i fear that all of us feeling smug and comfy in our civilized lagos abodes will awaken to the shocking reality that we're a part of the same country where these explosions are happening on a daily basis. alas, what can we do.
i just want to say sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, that nigerians do not understand written laws and have shown that they do not intend to be bound by any silly rules of civility and democratic norms. force, thats the only language common to nigerians. fashola had to break down houses to clean up lagos, el-rufai did same in abuja, traders have to arrested before they leave off selling on the roadsides and move into markets. we're just like a bunch of goats with no sense of order. so, although i hate to say this, please release the monster called the military and let them run government and show these rascally militants how to really dance.
P.S: i have decided to ignore the jos crises. its too painful to even attempt to write about and its obviously not over yet.
but is there any balanced view on issues like the car bomb that went off in delta state yesterday? call me an alarmist, but from the antecedents in Nigeria, we outdo the inventors of all vices. Nigeria did not invent ritual killings (i hear these things were rampant in the carribeans long before we even heard about it here) but it became a lifestyle here. scam emails didn't start from Nigeria, but we perfected the art. kidnapping for ransome didn't start in Nigeria, but guess where it has been most widely implemented? Nigeria. as a matter of fact, no government policy has been implemented as widely as kidnapping! so now here we are once again, at the threshold of history, a paradigm shift in our acquired skills and a new pastime for the tons of idle, semi-literate able-bodied men patroling the streets. its called car bombing.
excuse me for sounding alarmist, but for a country with a very famously inept police force that find it hard to keep a tab on regular mundane crimes and vices like burglary and armed robbery, and have all converted themselves to traffic wardens so they can extract bribes from car owners minding their own business, there is every reason to be afraid. as you probably know from watching american movies, car bombs are advanced crimes that require specialised units of the police force for detonation and public safety. if the criminal minds are moving very quickly into the 22nd century and our police force is still controlling traffic, then we're all doomed.
the irk of it all, is that those who suffer the most from these atrocious acts of violence are never the targeted. thats because the targeted are rich and well protected and have tons of security personnel for them, their family and their dogs. yesterday's car bomb that went off in delta state affected three people, reported to be a hapless woman, an innocent bike rider clearly in the middle of trying to make his daily income, and a passerby. classic. these are the sorts of people who lose their lives to these mindless acts of unjustifiable destruction.
as you can tell, i am pissed beyond words...but i am more afraid than pissed. what will happen when they exhaust the niger delta struggle and find themselves still loaded with bomb making materials. how many unlicenced and unregistered guns are out there? how many people have guns right now? where are these guns coming from? are they given free with christmas hampers (and if so, why didnt i get one)? someday, i fear that all of us feeling smug and comfy in our civilized lagos abodes will awaken to the shocking reality that we're a part of the same country where these explosions are happening on a daily basis. alas, what can we do.
i just want to say sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, that nigerians do not understand written laws and have shown that they do not intend to be bound by any silly rules of civility and democratic norms. force, thats the only language common to nigerians. fashola had to break down houses to clean up lagos, el-rufai did same in abuja, traders have to arrested before they leave off selling on the roadsides and move into markets. we're just like a bunch of goats with no sense of order. so, although i hate to say this, please release the monster called the military and let them run government and show these rascally militants how to really dance.
P.S: i have decided to ignore the jos crises. its too painful to even attempt to write about and its obviously not over yet.
Comments