Playing the Game of Survival

Ever since the inglorious elections in April 2007, the plight of Nigeria and indeed Nigerians are being (even to date) highlighted world wide. Nigerians have been bitten & beaten many times in the past but most especially during the reign of terror unleashed by Brigadier Sanni Abacha (although a lot of Nigerians will attribute the initial demise to Babangidda aka Maradonna).

On 8th June 1998 when God packed Sanni Abacha away as he did to the likes of Ahab, Saul, Hamman etc in the Holy Book, Nigerians rejoice and I joined in the jubilations wholeheartedly. I was in Victoria Island when I heard the newsflash and I quickly went to Obun Eko (in Lagos mainland) to confirm with a family friend Tunji of the MIC fame. Even before I got there, the evening papers confirmed it.

Anyway I digress, Baba OBJ took over and Nigerians were hopeful. We all know the story to date and how come Nigerians are ever so disillusioned and will not trust any politician no more. Well do I blame them? No for I struggle with understanding the mindset of Nigerian law and policymakers. They are ever so unprincipled and viewing the turn of events in the ongoing Ettehgate scandal, I feel like giving up.

But you see, I cannot give up. We all cannot give up for if we all fold our hands or surrender to the evil tide in Nigeria it will not augur well at all. See what Iraq has disintegrated to? Do you remember the glory of Baghdad in the 60s? I do. See what happened in Liberia? I was a frequent visitor to Monrovia and have so many happy memories of lovely, buoyant, safe and peaceful co-existence of the people. Now Nigeria is my concern and by God we must all fight to uphold sanity in our dear motherland. Individually we can try, as groups we can try better and collectively we can conquer.

This is an excerpt from on of the international news on MSN website, please read and see what desperation can turn a sane, caring but unfortunately poor humane person into:

COLOMBIAN MAN SEWS MOUTH SHUT, BRANDISHES IRON MASK TO PROTEST ECONIMIC PLIGHT;
An unemployed Colombian man has sewn shut his mouth and locked himself behind an iron mask to demand the government attend to his family’s desperate economic plight. Luis Miguel Aldana, 52, told The Associated Press on Saturday that he adopted the peculiar form of protest five days ago, after being locked out of his apartment in Bogota for buying his three children shoes instead of paying the two months he owes in rent. “The man with the iron mask,” as Aldana is being called by shocked residents, is demanding the government provide a loan to jump-start a cottage textile business and pay the health care bills for his wife and children. “I’m doing this to get attention because people have a heart of iron and also a face of iron _ they don’t listen to anybody and think this is a joke,” said Aldana, speaking out of the corner of his mouth that hasn’t been sewed shut. “But I have my children who ask me to feed them and I can’t.”

I personally will not relent in any effort to stem the flow of evil in Nigeria. For in Nigeria now the politicians not only “have a heart of Iron and a face of iron”, they have a mouth of deceit and lies, and hands of pilfering. I did PLEDGE TO NIGERIA MY COUNTRY as a Youth Corper so many years ago & I WILL REMAIN FAITHFUL LOYAL AND HONEST, I WILL now really SERVE NIGERIA WITH ALL MY MIGHT AND instil in order to restore HER HONOUR AND GLORY.