09/09/2023
ONCE A PEACE LOVING NATION, WITH NO BOUNDARIES
Over the years, Nigerians are known as peace-loving people; which from all angles, people of the wider world learned to adopt our peaceful culture for them to be our replica copy.
The nation Nigeria didn't became peace loving in this type of atmosphere we are today. And, it didn't earn the title of "Africa Giant" battles or war it conquer, nor through her population strength nor her large arable land, but through her perfect peaceful atmosphere, and her achievement which was earned through unity and progressive effort that placed her far ahead of other nations in the mother continent, Africa. It was in the atmosphere of peace that the nation called Nigeria was built and, Nigeria was uniquely one nation and united from inception.
During the good old days of nation building, the North, South and West all team-up to lay the solid foundation for this country. There wasn't any form distraction or division or segregation among them. They were solidly one and united.
The nation Nigeria was uniquely bonded by peaceful and a strong-loving, caring and sympathetic force of attraction. The divisive force of distraction was totally absent from initial. Those strong positive forces ignite anger from enemies outside the nation and made them infusing the ideas of boundaries with the aim of ensuring fairness and justice in the distribution of wealth and juice of leadership, and in other for them to have a voice say in the internal affairs of Nigeria. While the enemies were angry and thinking negatively, Nigeria continuneous to grow happily from strength to strength. And, this unique property of Nigeria and it's speedy development attracted other African countries to key in, as they both grow along aggressively.
Unfortunately today, the reverse is the case. Nigeria is not longer what it was in the past. Attributing it to a peace loving nation is now an irony. The title 'Giant of Africa' is today is also a misplaced. Everything about Nigeria changed (negatively). Today, Nigeria is now an angry nation. We created so many division among ourselves in the name of democracy. We set many unequal boundaries in the nation that once had none. We now have Northern regional division (NE, NW, NC) and the Southern regional division (SW, SS, SE). Inside all these divisions, we have the Hausa-Fulani's Arewa sub-division, Yoruba's Afanifere sub-division and Igbo's Biafra sub-division; others include the Middlebelt sub-division, Niger Delta sub-division, among other many useless division and boundaries we draw that kept us apart. Today, instead of thinking about building our nation, we're all busy protecting these (various) boundaries that kept us stagnant today despite our early happy, humble and progressive beginning. We now live, sleep and wake up feeling like taking arms against each other. Nigeria is now an unhappy nation with angry people. We now find no reason loving and accommodating one another unlike in the past, which is very unfortunate.
However, one may choose to ask; where do we get it wrong? What has happened to our good sense of humanity? Who is that negative force behind our reversity and retrogation? Who may that person be —the negative white-force or the black-force within? What's really happening? Why do we allow ourselves to be ruin and led wayward? Have we all forgotten our humble beginning? Can't we see the danger we're heading towards it, or we've become animals now? Are we not humane and peace-loving people again? Why do we keep drawing boundaries and why do we value these boundaries more than ourselves? Remember, we're all Nigerians!. And as Nigerians, we must strive to build and protected this nation collectively, devoid of any form of distraction. We're not in a jungle, but in a nation with good culture and rule of law. We must think asap!
My fellow brothers and sisters, its now high time we assume responsibility of ourselves. Lets come back to our normal senses and behave like brothers and sisters. Lets control our emotions and do away with our differences for the good of all. Remember, we're all Nigerians! We must embrace peace and unity, and revive our unique value as Nigerians. Lets continue to champion the course of peace, love and care until it's restore. We are peace loving Nigerians with no boundaries!
God Bless Nigeria And Nigerians🙏
Hamidu Isah Allu
A concern Nigerian, public affairs analyst and commentator, writes in from Lagos, Nigeria
Sat. 9th Sep., 2023
+2348184786609
