THE RISING TIDE OF INTOLERANCE IN THE NORTH Igbo Proverb: Asogide Eze anya, ekpuru nkata nisi gwaya okwu! Translation: Nearly impossible to translate.lol. But it figuratively means that theres an extent to which your respect for the King can go when you may be forced to stand and tell him some home truths not caring the consequences. Look, lets say it as it is irregardless of whose ox is gored. If e pain you, sorry, but chloroquine is bitter but cures you malaria. As we approach these elections, theres an unfortunately increasing predilection for violence in the Northern parts of Nigeria. Political tempers are understandably high in a region where a large section of its citizens believe rightly or wrongly that the FG is either directly complicit in the terror attacks ravaging the North East or is unconcerned about stopping it. On social media, the din is loud with some Northerners warning Southerners to leave the North should election results not go their way. All sorts of ugly threats are being bandied about as if the human lives being threatened are not worth even a bowl of fura. There is widespread unease about the safety of President Jonathans supporters in the North so much that it is becoming risky to openly identify with him as a candidate. With the elections still a couple of months away, there are deeply disturbing reports of senseless prejudice and irrational bullying resulting in physical violence. Recently, the convoy of Gombe state gov, Alh. Dankwambo was stoned at Kashere and the vehicles badly damaged. There are also unconfirmed reports of Gov Isa Yuguda of Bauchi being stoned. Even more disturbing are reports of attacks not only on President Jonathans supporters but also on anyone who doesnt directly support Gen. Buhari. This sort of reprehensible and condemnable political bullying manifested in Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, Islamic cleric who has called on BOTH President Jonathan and Gen. Buhari not to contest the elections. The cleric says he and his family have been receiving threats for his stand on Buhari. The well known cleric lamented the difficulty of speaking out on issues if not in support of Buhari. And you ask: Na by force to vote Buhari? All these incidents when its still 2 months to the election forebode nothing but evil. If conservative Nigerians like Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi have raised alarm, to the extent of calling on the two major aspirants to sign a bond to control their supporters, then we should take these presages of violence very seriously. The truth is that the whole country is so tense now that a single outbreak of violence anywhere will trigger a chain of events which no-one, not even the ignorant and easily excitable masses, can predict the end. With a raging insurgency in the North East which the military is battling to contain, any large scale eruption of violence may just break the spine of law enforcement in the whole North leading to disastrous consequences. As the reality of the US prediction of Nigerias break-up in 2015 looms, some of us are hell-bent determined to play out the script to the bitter end. Simple truth: if this country implodes, EVERYONE will suffer but the masses will especially bear the brunt. The rich and well-to-do will simply jet out their families leaving the expendable masses who are making all this noise to their fate. The whole of West Africa will not be able to find space to cater for 160m refugees and the suffering will dwarf that ever seen or heard of since creation. Biblical famine stories will be as childs play compared to what the world will witness here. If a word isnt enough for the wise then in Dame Peshes voice Ill only say, kontinu....
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 09:35:56 +0000
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