It has been almost a week since I last posted. This is not because I was sick, but because I was busy and also got tired of so many things. With what is happening around Nigeria, for instance, it is just so brutal that it makes someone wonder if life is worth living. Why are people so wicked and selfish, loving only themselves? And the truth is, almost all of us are guilty of this; it is just that the level and intensity differ among us.
We have turned everything into politics, and it is a shame. We no longer value human life, let alone that of animals. Recently, and most profoundly, is the kidnapping and banditry that have plagued us like a curse and made life difficult for all of us.
Before, kidnapping and banditry were mainly in the far north, and we said it was their problem, not ours. But now it has crept in among us. Just last month, about 47 people were kidnapped, including teachers and schoolchildren. What is even more shocking is that toddlers—two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and many other small children, were abducted and subjected to beating and humiliation. A teacher was even beheaded. Many of us act as though nothing happened and continue living our lives. If they were only dead, it would be a different matter, but the fact that they are still alive means we must do everything to bring them home safely. It is a shame that our leaders do not seem to care and have turned everything into politics, pointing fingers over who is to blame for a situation that calls for a national response. This can happen to anybody, and if we refuse to act, it is coming for us all, and we may not be able to escape it alive.
When we can do something, work against it and call bad leaders to order, we remain silent. Even the Oyo State Council of Teachers has not been able to do anything about it. No protest, and everyone continues living as though everything is normal. We are all afraid to speak up, but what exactly are we afraid of? We have turned everything into “I don’t care as long as it is not my family or children,” but it will soon be our turn if we do not wake up, call a spade a spade, and fight for what belongs to all of us. Imagine our politicians going about their primaries and campaigns as if it is not the citizens they will govern.
We are all to blame, the religious leaders who refuse to speak while these inhumane acts continue. The level of hypocrisy we witness nowadays is alarming. We have turned everything into tribalism and nepotism, speaking only when it is not our brother who is in power.
At times, I wonder how some people sleep at night while evil is being perpetuated. Yet they still have the mind to sleep and act as if nothing is happening.
What is life anyway if we cannot speak the truth? We will die anyway, whether we speak the truth or not.
