Edited by Livingrich Ezeikpe
The Ozubulu killing is a pictorial lecture on how sad the state of Nigeria is. Nigeria has from its creation been at a high-level warfare and does not appear to have any intention to reverse. The character of the Nigerian state never had a behavioural pattern that displayed true humanity from its inception but has been exhibiting behavioural patterns characteristic of the North of Nigeria: killing, violence, demagogue politics, superimposition and the likes.
Painfully, things can only worsen further because of the helplessness of the situation; unemployment, mass poverty, destitution, etc. The environment in Nigeria today is heavily militarized in two main senses; firstly due to the fact that the Nigerian state has resorted to show and use of force on the citizens as a way of extracting obedience to its Will; military and police presence throughout the country, especially in Biafra land. Whereas it may be argued that situating uniform men all over the place has prevented a complete collapse of the Nigerian state, sadly, it has simply multiplied on a consistent basis; unending corruption, violence, murder, disruption of peace and encumbrances all over the place.
Secondly, the environment has created unending restlessness to the inhabitants. The military at various points, especially in Biafra land, force little boys to be money collectors for them. Some of these boys have met untimely death in the course of doing this dirty duty and nothing happened. This is particularly because the Nigerian environment believes that the military is alpha and untouchable notwithstanding the level of evil it perpetrates.
Again, painfully, events like what happened at Ozubulu reinforce the general opinion that Nigeria has degenerated further in the scale of INSECURABLE societies. Now that this mass killing has taken place in Biafra land, right inside the Church, invariably, it is a step to the grave. This is clearly horrific to contemplate.
Caution should be taken towards a false approach to resolving this problem; the idea that the people are the problem. There is a preponderance of reticent individuals who have given hope on the ground that morality has collapsed. Morality is not a neutral concept; it is built on the nature and structure of the societies in which individuals exercise moral judgment.
The blame of killings in Nigeria and at the time being Ozubulu must be put at the doorstep of bad politics in Nigeria. Politics defines who gets what, when, and how. Consequently, politics defines:
1. The environment of peace and conflict.
2. The attitude of the citizens towards the state.
3. The capacity of the state to act as a regulator of good and bad conduct.
4. How much hope or hopelessness exist in each society.
The politics that can do the above in favour of the people must be democratic politics. Democracy, as used here, is in the sense of representing the common good.
Unfortunately, the type of politics in the geographical space latter called Nigeria is such that does not care about the people-the people who supposedly vote them into power per se. Isn't it quite disappointing? The Ozubulu blood spread is heart hurting. To overcome further experiences of such, Nigeria must embark on the politics of 'self-determination' for the groups that were forced into the association. This has become important now, especially given the fact that it can no longer be denied nor pretended that Nigeria's case is intractable.
0 comments so far,add yours