GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

GOD HAS NIGERIA IN MIND: HER MAP SPOTTED ON A PRAYER MOUNTAIN
By: Olanrewaju Ojuoluwa

I had a change of perception about Nigeria the day I sighted on a prayer mountain, her 'geographical' map naturally engraved on the rock. The map, though recently painted the green-white-green Nigerian national colour has been there since time immemorial according to findings. A change of perception from me in the sense that I have started considering the artificiality of Nigeria until then.

I remember vividly sometimes back when a fellow challenged me of not using my network to 'support' the Secessionists' Campaign, a just cause and instead, I am pushing for a reformed and liveable Nigeria which according to him is one of British colonies in Africa, where people of much differences and 'incompatible' cultures are lured and/or coerced to come together and live 'peacefully' even when the Niger-Area 'project' was merely an experiment by her founders. (History has it that the British Colonialists predicted Nigeria to expire and perhaps not last more than a century).

Apologies to the aggrieved and/or marginalized communities and ethnicities within Nigeria that are of the opinion that secession is the best option for them, with the belief that Nigeria is an 'unnecessary' error that must be fixed. However, God being the Supreme Being does not make mistakes. We have had country breakups in the past. The Soviet Union in Europe, Korea in Asia, and recently, Sudan in Africa, just to mention but a few. My point is, should Nigeria not be in God's plans and will, we would have parted ways during the civil war, events and incidences that played out notwithstanding.

Dear countrymen, let us unanimously and consciously come together as one force, sacrificing for the Nigeria of our dream. This we must do because as it stands, the reasons for the call for breakups is, hate, marginalization, nepotism, poverty, hunger, anger, unemployment etc inflicted on us as a people by politicians whom we often choose to represent us at various levels of government.

In a nutshell, Nigeria would be the best country ever where everyone would want to visit (and no one would be calling for separation) if we can get it right in the aspect of leadership across all sectors. Same goes to any other country, even USA. Should they get it wrong in terms of leadership and have their situation as bad as what is experienced right now in Nigeria (where the people are starving as though we are at war), there would also be uprisings and calls for secession.

Biafra, Oduduwa and Arewa Republics would still be errors if the problem of leadership is not fixed. Come to think of it, the Igbos who have been on this cause for quite a time now still have politicians who represent them in the Nigerian National Assembly and House of Representatives. Should they be serious about separation, one would have expected them to withdraw and return home, and, make the southeastern part of the country a model region, ripe for independence. Rather, they keep up with the status quo, nonchallant about the people they represent but keep filling their pockets. Now, if Biafra should be 'realized', believe me, there would be more problems. Same applies to others.

We all are suffering from the same predicament - bad leadership. Fixing leadership is fixing Nigeria. Unfortunately, we have allowed the enemies to sow seeds of hatred, distrust, fear and greed among us as a people. And as I always emphasize, politicians made a project of our vulnerability as a people. They invented hunger and poverty to tame us and reduce our self-worth such that we have no values for ourselves, and others around us. However, we must find a meeting point because that's the only way out.

Not participating in politics and boycotting elections is not the solution. If nothing else, it is only going to make things worse. They have built structures that enthrone them at will. The greedy politicians would only THRIVE the more if we do not consciously counter their game plan of recycling themselves and their households in the corridor of power. And to what end? Of course, more poverty and hunger and sufferings. Should that be the case, then war is inevitable. By then, I'm afraid there won't be innocents, we will all be guilty!

Ridding the enemies of Nigeria of power is very easy, all we need do is retire them in a bloodless Revolution by the ballot. Should we miss this peaceful chance, then I am afraid, we all may be pushed to the wall beyond stretch that may eventually lead to an uprising. However, note that, BLOODLESS does not connotes a sort of weak approach void of actions to quench the wicked, no. Bloodless actually means forcefully taking our place and freeing our land of every bad leader there in, and, should any resist in any form, making such pay direly - and perhaps grant amnesty to those who genuinely repent. Getting rid of the wicked is not bloody, it is righteousness!

God Himself has given us a country with the most potentials and resources to be the best ever, He keeps us in mind, answering our prayers of a better Nigeria. For our request for the miracle, He has provided us ourselves with the opportunity to be the long awaited miracle to free Nigeria of sufferings and afflictions caused us by bad leadership.

"...the greatest miracle of this generation would be the Enthronement of good leaders across all sectors of the society, especially, politically"

I am Olanrewaju Ojuoluwa, Youth Advocate and Social Reformer and, an arrowhead in the ongoing YOUTH sociopolitical Revolution in Nigeria.