On September 30, 2020, I will turn 64. That makes me four years older than Nigeria, a milestone that I am grateful to the Almighty God for. Through out these 23,365 days, I have never for once celebrated my birthday until last year when my co-workers at the Mexico Mission organized a moderate get-together and asked me to blow the candles.
Celebrating birthdays is not part of the Muslim culture, especially in Northern Nigeria, though there has been a shift in recent years as the world becomes a global village and the younger generation have been adopting new cultures from other societies. In fact, my own family has this time put me on notice that they are organizing an elaborate birthday celebration for me, a first, and I have already endorsed it. Why not? Sixty-four, after all, is a good number. The prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW) returned to his creator at the age of 61 or 62. This means I am well into my second or third bonus year on earth.
It would have been a double celebration for me as my beloved country Nigeria would also just 24 hours after my birthday, clock 60 years on October 1. While at Government level a grand celebration may take place, it is going to be all somber for me. I am depressed by the attitude and actions of our political elite and leaders of thought who have become doomsayers. More depressing however is what is being dished out by the Nigerian media in promoting disunity and campaign against the North, using the current unfortunate security situation as a cover.
Agreed that the Buhari administration has lapses, but the good it has been doing for the nation by far outweighs the flows.After all, if the press had shown interest in tracing the root cause of the Boko Haram war and who are its sponsors, it would have by now exposed the culprits that we all know are certain foreign powers and some interest groups that are bent on destroying the North and the subsequent balkanisation of the country.
The signs are there in plane sight; the dropping of weapons and hard currency for the insurgents by helicopters and other means, foreign NGOs renting offices and residences for upward of ten years and paying upfront.Besides, every Muslim knows that Boko Haram is not fighting a Jihad war, because no Muslim will wage a war on fellow Muslims, targeting unarmed poor, hapless people and killing all – young, old, men, women and children. In any case there will be no religion without people and Boko Haram does not spare a soul in its operations.
Though the 2023 presidential election is still over two and half years away, a peep at the national dailies and the social media, will give the impression that the election is just weeks away. Some desperate candidates are already employing intimidatory tactics at the microphone as well as on the pulpit spitting fire and brimstone that Nigeria will collapse if they do not have their way on certain issues.The same tactics of smear campaign they embarked against President Muhammadu Buhari to discourage Nigerians from returning him to office in 2019.
Every nation at some point passes through challenging and trying times. Since independence in 1960, Nigeria went through tougher trying times than we are currently experiencing, including three years of civil war. As a primary school pupil during the period, I dug trenches both at home and in school to take refuge, at the slightest sound of an approaching aircraft.
We also had to endure endless lights out curfew that forced us to remain indoors from dusk to dawn.Who will also forget the occasional violence meted against Northerners by the OPC in Lagos, Shagamu , Ife and other places in the Southwest and most recently in some of the eastern states.
This giant of Africa is 60 years old, but it fails to grow up. We still wallow in religious and ethnic sentiments, using the two as political tool for winning votes as well as destruction when we fail. I will continue to hold my immediate constituency, the press, responsible for this retrogressive lapse, especially the spade of “hate speech” against the North.In researching my Journalism Masters Degree thesis years ago, I was able to establish as a matter of fact, that religion and ethnic bias have become the norm rather than exception in political reports published by Nigerian newspapers.
As those of us in the industry know, decades ago the Nigerian press went to war against colonialism and had successfully mobilised the country in the battle to ouster the British and claim the nation’s independence. It also waged and successfully won the greatest battle of all – the war against military rule that lasted from 1966 – 1999. Sadly, it is now at war with Nigerians, pitching citizens against each other, through biased political reporting that threaten the country’s nascent democracy.
Unfortunately, this is all too familiar to many enlightened citizens. The culture of bias reporting dated as far back as 1859 in the very first edition of the Anglican newspaper, Iwo Iroyin, that reported: “a few Mohammedans (an offensive name for Muslims) lived in Abeokuta,” when in reality, Islam was well established in that city and in Yoruba land in general, particularly in major cities such as Ibadan, Oyo, Oshogbo, Eko (Lagos) and that the Muslims were very much involved in politics. Such media bias had affected and will certainly continue to pose a great threat to the unity and stability of the nation.Nigeria may be 60, but certainly it has yet to mature.
Leaders, especially at the states level, consistently short-changed citizens, looting the treasury and blaming the central government for inadequate funding. In fact, that has been the basis for the call for restructuring, resource control and all the senseless allegations against the North.
Delta State, for example, collected a total sum of N429.4 billion as federal allocation for 2018 and 2019. That translates to $1.4 billion at official exchange rate of N305 – $1 at the time. That amount is equivalent to 3/4 of Rwanda’s 2018 budget and that tiny country is the best developed country in Africa today. Why not Delta or any of the south-south states that collect similar amount or just a little less. Prudence and responsible leadership is the solution to Nigeria’s problem and not balkanisation.
Unless and until citizens shine their eyes, stand up to their leaders and demand for accountability, they will continue to be hoodwinked and shortchanged.This country is great and rich, but our docile attitude, ignorance and the will to be manipulated by religious bigots and ethnic jingoists is hampering our progress. Time for us to grow up. We have outgrown the stroller.
Iyawa is Nigeria’s former ambassador to Mexico
