Nigeria is 61 years old as an
Independent country. And so what? What’s the big deal about it? That is what
some people will say, arguing that all we have seen is flag independence and no
true emancipation for the citizens.
There’s a big deal about every
landmark or milestone we reach in life, because we may as well not have made it
to that point. We could have fallen by the wayside or vanished like smoke. The
world owes nobody a living. Not individuals, not countries. That is why the
Good Book enjoins us to number our days, “that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).
The cynic, skeptic or scoffer may
say what is there to celebrate about Nigeria, with all its troubles. A country
yet to realize its potentials at 61, an adult condemned to a perpetual life of
crawling.
They will mention the negatives:
massive insecurity, insurrection agitations, millions of jobless youths, a
struggling economy, humongous corrupt acts, and others, which have all
characterized national life.
Yes, you can dwell so much on the
storm, that you never get to enjoy the rainfall and its soothing effects.
Nigeria is also the land of a resurgent economy, with the indices looking up
and promising to get better. It is a country where stealing has become
corruption and graft is being robustly fought, and it is a polity that is
wiping out enemies of its soul, cleaning up the forests, cities, towns taken over
by terrorists and bandits, with the prospect of restoring peace at the shortest
possible time. It is the land of renaissance in infrastructure: rail, roads,
bridges, airports, and others.
Sadly, some people do not want
peace for Nigeria. They do not only promote but celebrate the rupture of
tranquility, repose or serenity. They are glad when our troops suffer reversals
on the battlefield. When they make advances, giving enemies of our country
bloody noses, they pretend not to see. But when bombs go off, killing and
maiming innocent people, when bandits sack villages, or invade schools and
abduct students, they quickly shout ‘security architecture,’ and alleged
incompetence. They trumpet negatives, and close their eyes to positives. And in
the blind search for power and relevance, they even subterraneanly bankroll
terrorists.
Some others, with giant-sized
grudges against the polity, plot to dismember it. But I ask: who does not have
one grievance or the other against Nigeria? Is there any ethnic group that does
not have one angst or the other? But if we have worries or perturbation, is
then the next option a pulling down of the roof? Do we crash the
superstructure? Do we turn the country into a tailspin, simply because we are
disaffected? Do we break the eggs of the chicken, because the bird upended our
medicine pot?
As we celebrate Nigeria at 61, I
join William Cowper, who said, “England, with all thy faults, I love thee
still; my country.” Nigeria, with all thy faults, I love thee still; my
country.
I don’t know how it is with you,
if you are a frequent traveler. The best I enjoy a foreign land is one week,
after which I begin to miss good, old Nigeria. The smell. The flora. The fauna.
The cuisine. The sense and sensibility. I pray I never get sentenced or
consigned to life abroad, wittingly or unwittingly. Nigeria, with all thy
faults, I love thee still; my country.
Lack of peace seems to be the
greatest bane of Nigeria today, despite wonderful showing in many other areas.
Peace has turned tail, and fled. But I venture to say that with the resolve of
good people, and the commitment of government, Nigeria will yet know peace. If
the country unravels, as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said recently, we shall
all be losers. Nobody gains. Nigeria will, therefore, have peace. It must have
peace. As the Hausa phrase goes, it is Lafiya Dole. Peace by Force. We must
have it, and we will get it. And we don’t have to necessarily spill blood for
it. It is the enemies of peace that will lose and must lose out.
A country of about 200 million
people, troubled by a sprinkling. Will they succeed? Never. We fought a war of
unity, in which about two million people perished. Did we do all that, only to
eventually allow ourselves to be splintered by people with blinkered
ideologies? Never! Nigeria will have peace and must have peace, even as she
turns 61. It’s Lafiya Dole. Peace by Force. And I say again, we can achieve it
without bloodletting if some forces let reason prevail.
I am happy that the Good Book
supports me. “Now, may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times
and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians, 3:16). Peace
by Force. Lafiya Dole. Even the Holy Bible supports it. Peace at all times, and
in every way. We will have it. The higher powers back it. Therefore, there’s no
room for caterwauling, endless wailings on what has not been done, ignoring the
lot that has been accomplished. Nigeria will have peace. By Force. That is my
prayer for the country at 61. Amen.
*Adesina is Special Adviser to
President Buhari on Media and Publicity
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