Of Disrespecting Borno Abdulhamid Al-Gazali, algazali04@yahoo Someone was just right on point when recently he said that Borno is among the states—perhaps if he didn’t mean the only—every dick and harry ‘knows how to disrespect’—and if I had one wish then: it would be for me to understand what he meant by this. In the past, not because it is not true, some of us, united by a common desire for striking balances, wherever one is required, went ahead on a furiously fierce, and fiercely furious depolarization mission to attack, and please add: dispel, the notion of our people here that we are treated as second class citizens as against the rest of the peoples of this country. I remember when one ordinary dim figure among us went a little farther on it, he was taken to task to provide evidence by the same people who, by and large, had them all—because, so to say, everyone has them. Having undertaken a full turn around in that direction now, I feel compelled to, even though they are so obvious, provide few of them, which are in fact and if anything, those of recent emergence. And to start with, this piece is helplessly the victim of my longstanding wish and recurring careless unreadiness. If the evidence sought is to buttress a point about the kind of second class treatment our people suffer, you have one in the kind of reserved relationship people establish with us, the Bornoans. It takes patience, exceptional stoical mien, and humility, sometimes even helplessness and struggle for survival in the face of an unhealthy, choked up labour market, to stand the kind of treatment Borno people suffer in Abuja, Lagos and other places, particularly in work places. It is always either an irreverent idiot nicknaming them Boko Haram or some dimwits branding them terrorists, which, well, he just is; to such an extent that, I was told, they are not contended with in the race for anything in their offices out of fear—and ironically that is so good, because they secure victory unopposed. To date it is the reason why some not-so-bold people among us conceal their identity to other people for fear of... well, I dont know. In this crisis which we have found ourselves, but which surely we will emerge out stronger and more resilient, we have understood where we belong to in this country. We have Defence Chiefs who do not bother if Borno is razed down; and some were even known to have connived in a grand plot for so, but met their peril on its course! For long, in this Nigerian state, it is the kind of prayer our people do day and night that see us still strong to date. As at the moment, we heard with one ear that unidentified, or not willing to be identified, aircrafts and helicopters are criss-crossing above us in the sky, flying to and fro unknown, or chosen to be unknown destinations—and which, if really unknown and unknowable and unidentified and unidentifiable, it should matter that the sovereignty of our nation is under great threat; which alone, as dereliction of duties, or crude display of incompetence, is enough to qualify a case that warrants the National Assembly to peremptorily hoe out the managers of our affairs. And this was the same jet we are told that attempted to fire Sen. Ali Ndume. Some of us, hearing these things, have already given in to despair, but most still find consolation in the fact that God the most High is ever there. In the same light, it is only utter disrespect to a people that explains why communication will be shut down for about eight months without any cogent explanation given to a people in the 21st century! How on earth! This cannot happen in any state other than Borno. Now, our airport was closed because of the shameful attack on the NAF Mess—which under emergency rule, is the responsibility, and at the same the failure of the military alone; and later re-opened, but no commercial airline is willing to operate. The state governor, Kashim Shettima, has had to go to NCAA and Arik headquarters, as if he was responsible for the happenings in Maiduguri, to beg them to start operating. In a brand show of abusing such honour as shown to them by the governor, they still refused to start although the airport has been opened. Perhaps nobody will pick any fault in this people for not starting operations, so much because it is their aircraft and they have the mandate to do what they want to do with it—such that we can’t stop them if today they decide to set them all ablaze. However, when they say the safety of their plane cannot be guaranteed despite getting assurance from the governor, it is as if, they meant the safety of their aircraft is far better than the lives of our people which are lost almost every day on the road. Perhaps this is so true of the thinking pattern of profit-centred capitalists. The governor, however, was unintentionally wrong in this: one for assuring them that nothing will happen, which shows as if it is our own making that things are happening the way they do; two, because only God can guarantee such; three, that he did so to lure them back, and forgetting that if there isnt aircraft, there are still be other means of transportation, even foot. This same Arik, we heard, was the very one that had bullied the governor into settling the bills of all unbooked seats in their plane to keep them in our route and to whom the governor has been so kind, which we glaringly see whenever he flies in their plane. This, if at all is true, is pathetically the height of stoicism inherent in the governor, and on their part, utter disrespect. Is it the governors wish or choice that their seats are not booked all? In the same way, MTN will just flick off its services, and this may not be entirely wrong because it is possible they did so for repairs; but arent they taught to respect their customers? How is it not so silly and disrespectful to switch off for about 10hrs week in week out, the services we have paid for, dear MTN, without notifying us; or apologising afterward? For instance, the Shehu of Borno for whatever reason is deserving of respect from whosoever in this country; is it not disrespectful if he attempts to call someone using his MTN line and the network isnt there—and he checks there isnt any prior notice, and add: without apologies? Sincerely I do not know why the people of Borno are disrespected and sometimes even hated in this country. And sometimes even to say or complain of such, we are fast to be labelled as unpatriotic entities by some pieces of humanity whose pastime is it to abuse. And patriotism is not madness, never was it, and certainly never will it be—unless to be mad, is what it is. Or, indeed to love your country, even when, by and large, the country does not really want such, or even acknowledges it, and/but, in return sends troops, which obviously, but bafflingly, allows Boko Haram to kill you all. If already one does not come to terms with the reality that in this country, people of Borno are not among the kind this country wants as her citizens, one should check for any slaughter house around to get his head cut off; because neither the brain it carries nor the ears and eyes it possesses are of any value. And it is true that Borno is a victim of its own innocence, and misplaced complacence; for what has been happening can only happen in Borno and be tolerated. And if you are a Borno citizen and you want to remain silent in face of this, if anything, a symptom of yet looming, danger, in the spirit of patriotism, go ahead and revoke your indigene-ship of Borno. Is that clear? Idiot! PS Last week, my piece was published as having a second part; however note that it was the printers devil’s at work. Bye bye. Abdulhamid, is a fu’ra (almajiri), he writes in from Tsangaya Mal. Moduyen
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:52:42 +0000
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