The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • A charred cry at night

    A charred cry at night

    SIR: On December 25, 2011, as  deafening bomb blasts turned Christmas  celebrations into lamentation for the worshippers of  St Theresa’s Catholic Church Madalla in Niger State, Rev. Fr Isaac Achi stood as the shepherd who died a thousand times on the inside  while dozens of his sheep died fiery deaths.

    On the morning of January 15, 2023, Fr. Isaac Achi was united with the kind of danger he had escaped by whiskers in Madalla 11 years ago. However, this time around there was to be no escape. At about 3.00 a.m in the morning, armed men stormed the parish rectory of SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church Kafin-Koro where he was parish priest. He was reportedly shot before the parish rectory was set ablaze with him inside.

    They invaders also left his assistant fighting for his life with severe bullets wounds.

    It was yet another iniquitous attack on human life and the Catholic Church in Nigeria, one which necessarily begs the question: until when before Nigerians are free of their killers?

    Niger State where Fr. Achi was savagely burnt to death is only a couple of hours away from Abuja, the seat of power. The state has been one of the states most ravaged by terrorism in Nigeria.

    In 2022, dozens of school children were taken from Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of the state. The captive children were to spend 89 agonizing days in the hands of their captors.

    The mostly agrarian communities of Niger State have in the last four years been turned upside down by rampaging terrorists.

    When in June 2022, about 40 Nigerian soldiers were cut down by the fire of terrorists who attacked a mining site in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, the entire country shrunk back in alarm.

    In Kaduna State which  shares boundary with Niger State and is also just a couple of hours from Abuja, terrorists have enjoyed a field day in the last four years. Or wasn’t it just the other day that seven personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were sent to their early graves by terrorists bemused by the audacity the gallant men and women had to cut off their routes?

    In states that hug Abuja the Federal Capital Territory, terrorists prowl the forests like hyenas, laughing at what Nigeria has become and waiting for the perfect moment to strike defenceless communities.

    For Fr. Achi, the terrorists must have decided to strike the shepherd having had their fill of the fat and fleece of the sheep.

    When the Catholic Church in the Catholic Diocese of Minna will gather to bury Fr. Achi, it will be one more grim gravestone raised to the grim reaper that stalks Nigeria at the instance of herdsmen, terrorists, their sponsors and those who tolerate them.

    Nigeria is at the cusp of crucial elections. But with the wanton killings which continue to convulse rural communities around the country, who is to tell that traumatized rural dwellers will be allowed to exercise their right to ensure that  those who will lead them in the next four years will not lead them to agonizing deaths.

    It is a mark of just how unsafe Nigeria has become that rural communities which used to be oases of serenity have become killing fields.

    For Fr. Achi and all those who have been failed by a country that has never really worked, if there be another life, they will no doubt choose anywhere else but Nigeria.

    As for those who await their turns in communities around Nigeria, and those who because they call the corridors of power home are culled from the brutal, bloody reality that life in Nigeria has become, may that day come when equality will permeate everything in Nigeria, good or bad.

    •Kene Obiezu,

    Twitter@ kenobiezu

  • Nigeria, what is cooking?

    Nigeria, what is cooking?

    SIR: Nigeria, our beloved country, the beautiful dark continent and giant of Africa; a country filled with beautiful landscapes and blessed with human, agricultural and natural resources. A land overflowing with beautiful multicultural heritage and diverse traditions.

    Yet, corruption is the order of the day. Despite earning considerable amounts of money from natural resources such as oil and gas, millions of its citizens are left impoverished because the largest chunk of the proceeds is shared by the few high and mighty. They keep getting richer as the day progresses, while the poor masses are getting themselves entrenched in the dark muds of poverty.

    Depression, anxiety and joblessness has deeply affected the minds and souls of the masses and the way out for survival is to “japa”? Yes, japa! Japa is a common Yoruba slang among the Nigerian youths today, which means to flee or escape to a foreign country in search of a greener pastures. Hence, our youths are not smiling as the economic situation of our beloved country is also not smiling as well. Everyone desires a good life but such does not just happen in Nigeria, today. Being employed in an organisation is by connection. Meaning, you must know somebody that knows someone that matters in the particular organisation you are seeking employment from, as the significance of a certificate is of a lesser value. And this brings about this saying “get connection to be connected in the right places.”

    Scarcity of health care workers has reduced the quality of services rendered inthe health  sector. This sector is also not left out of the “japa” syndrome, as most Nigerian doctors have relocated for a better working and living conditions, since their services rendered are not well appreciated and valued by government. This however, has affected the masses who can only afford the services rendered by this public institution.

    Kidnapping is at its peak and has become an everyday occurrence where everyone moves cautiously and the senses of alertness is high. In fact, nowhere is safe because even while at home or walking on the street, this can happen, and it is mostly rampant in the northern part of the country. And due to the high cost of travelling by air, the masses are therefore left at the mercy of the kidnappers when travelling by road or by train. Thus, families of kidnap victims often sell their property, take loans from banks and crowdfund to raise the ransom for their beloved ones. Oh, what an insane society.

    What is cooking in Nigeria is not palatable.  Nigeria, this is the time to change what is cooking because bad ingredients spoil the soup. The situation of our beloved Nigeria can still be salvaged. So, get your PVC and vote, because your vote counts.

    •Adebola, S. Mosunmola,

    Lagos State University, Ojo.

  • What to look for in Buhari’s successor

    What to look for in Buhari’s successor

    SIR: The outcome of the 2023 presidential elections will have a significant impact on Nigeria’s future, particularly in areas such as economic development, security, and governance. The next president will have the opportunity to shape policies and programmes that will affect the lives of millions of Nigerians and will have the potential to address some of the country’s most pressing challenges such as poverty, unemployment and insecurity.

    It is important that we focus on the antecedents of the front runners and jettison innuendos, conjectures and rabble rousing. It is important that we focus on the track records of the front-runners in order to make an informed decision. The track record of a candidate can provide insight into their qualifications, experience, and what to expect.

    We should examine the candidates’ previous experiences in government, such as their tenure as governor, senator, minister or any other political office they held, as well as their private sector experience, if any. This will provide insight into their leadership abilities, decision-making skills, and their ability to implement policies and programs.

    Nigeria’s next president needs to be someone who can continue to build on the achievements of President Muhammad Buhari in order to ensure sustainable development and progress for the country.

    Posterity will be kind to President Buhari in that the government he heads has been able to do more with less in different sectors despite two recessions, a once in a lifetime pandemic and drop in oil prices ( as a mono economy).

    His administration made significant strides in improving security in Nigeria, particularly in the fight against Boko Haram, the terrorist group. Although new problems have sprung up in the form of banditry and kidnappings, fact is, no government has supported the military with hardware and otherwise more than this government.

    Read Also: Wike hails Buhari’s war against Boko Haram, bandits

    Significant investments have been made in infrastructure, such as constructing new roads, bridges and power plants, ports, as well as improving transportation-these efforts have helped to improve connectivity and reflate the economy.

    There was also implementation of social welfare programmes aimed at reducing poverty, such as the National Social Investment Program (NSIP)- a programme that has helped to improve the lives of millions of Nigerians by providing support for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, disabled, and children.

    It is not yet Uhuru as it could have been better, but we are on the road to re-discovery. It’s important to consider that change does not happen overnight, and it takes time to see the results of implemented policies and thus, it is important that whoever takes over from President Buhari consolidates on his efforts.

    I believe that man is Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    During his tenure as governor, he was credited for implementing several policies and programs that helped to improve infrastructure, increase economic growth, and reduce poverty in Lagos State. He is also credited for laying the foundation for the state’s economic success which made Lagos one of the most economically developed states in the country. Today, Lagos is the economic and social nucleus of Nigeria

    Tinubu is also known for his strong leadership skills and his ability to build political alliances. He played a key role in the formation of the APC, which brought together several opposition parties to defeat the ruling party in 2015.

    He implemented policies to attract private investment, create jobs, and promote small and medium-sized enterprises. He also initiated the establishment of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to provide small business loans and the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) to increase tax collection among others.

    I believe that Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political experience, leadership skills, and track record of success make him a strong candidate for the presidency.  His focus on economic development and his ability to build political alliances will be key assets in addressing Nigeria’s challenges

    I believe he can replicate his genius in Lagos, nationwide.

    I believe his antecedents, verifiable track records and visionary leadership will benefit Nigeria today.

    •Chiechefulam Ikebuiro,

    chiechefulamikebuiro@gmail.com

  • For Nigerian youth, its confusion all the way

    For Nigerian youth, its confusion all the way

    SIR: Youths are significant in every sphere of life. They are seen as strong, agile and fitted, being that they have the strength to achieve whatever they set their mind at achieving. Unfortunately, the youths of today would rather channel their strength to activities that will eventually plunge their life into a lifelong abyss and leave them frustrated, dried and wounded.

    They have the age advantage and the promising future to be the leaders of tomorrow, but they have started engaging in activities that render one irrelevant and irresponsible in the society. It was never recorded in time and space that nationalists like Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe, Ahmadu Bello, etc. started their youth days with any fraudulent activity. Instead, we were told of how they strived to achieve education at all cost in order to liberate their people from ignorance and bring independence to the Nation.

    In our society today, education is variably considered as an option amongst various means. The popular saying that “Education is the best legacy” has been rephrased by the present-day youths into “Education is a scam”. Whereas, fraudulent activities have been pushed into crescendo. They downplay the many adverse consequences that will eventually accompany the fraud committed by anyone in the society and embrace the act without consciousness. They shunned the clear signal that fraud brings on the reputation and honour of their family.

    An average teen in a university is not interested in a reading group but will not hesitate to have a sleepless night with group of guys in other to get ‘update’ that enable them to dupe a client. They have no interest in group reading but call themselves names like ‘my gee’, ‘senior gee’ which signify their expertness or hierarchy in fraudulent activities. Names like scholar, professor, efiwe, igiwe are not constant among tertiary students anymore. The value for education is gradually turning into insipidity amongst the so called “glory of tomorrow”.  Crime rate is alarming these days and fraud has eaten deep into our core value.

    They view education as a “play to be acted on a stage by nonchalant characters whom will mock the seriousness in the term” through their attitude and action. The future of our youths is at stake with the direction in which things are heading. A disdainful argument amongst some youths of our generation is that education does not liberate one from poverty while fraud will liberate one from misery.

    Is this not an inevitable confusion? Is this thought and action not a looming doom? Our society celebrate young boys probably at the age of 25, 20, 18 years when they ride exotic cars, drink expensive wines, sleep around with young ladies and spend lavishly on mundane things. 

    Engaging in fraud is like hiding behind a finger which is absolutely impossible to achieve, a popular proverb says “All day for the thieves one day for the owner” the tentacle of law and justice will definitely catch up with any one engaging in fraudulent activities.

    The best way to eradicate or revise this inevitable confusion is to place more value on education and increase the pace of discipline among the youth. Parent should buckle up in their parenting responsibilities and shun any appearance of fraud from their children.

    •Sikiru Kayode Emmanuel

    Lagos State University, Ojo.

  • Cut Peter Obi some slacks

    Cut Peter Obi some slacks

    SIR: Whether in victory, or loss—none would diminish him or strip him off his previous achievements. He is made, set indelible records, and etched his name in the historical folklore of Nigerian politics. In Peter Obi, many hopes are currently stashed. Supports that cut across tribes and religions. Groups among the Igbos, Afenifere among the Yorubas, Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development (CNEEPD) among the Northerners are attestation to the belief in a budding Nigerian 001 – if fate would beam a smile on him in the coming election, or ones to come.

    In spite of disparaging political views, Obi has electrified Nigerian youths, gave them a new, reverberating voice. For his acclaimed honesty, he paid with impeachment as the then Anambra State governor. His sin: he wouldn’t inflate the state budget and contracts. But he reclaimed his mandate, and posterity reinstated him on the governorship seat. Like other Nigerian politicians, he’s not perfect; but across sectors, he has executed laudable projects at Anambra State.

    Education wise, Anambra was 24th on the national log; he spurred the state’s education to number one. And just when other governors were leaving debts, Obi claimed he left $500m in Anambra coffers as investments. True or false, the courage to declare credit, when your ilk declare debits is worthy of applause. The Debt Management Organization (DMO) would later put a stamp of affirmation on him as “least corrupt”. That EFCC has not taken axes after him till date is another reason to commend him. If there really is a financial mess at his feet, this time wouldn’t have been fair with him. Researches affirm his good works across many sectors, too.

    Hundreds of thousands of Nigerian youths, who in the past, must pitch their political tents with either the ruling party or the second most influential party, suddenly rallied round the Anambra man and a party with far less influence, resources, and even structures. Reason: the increasing plights of Nigeria have become unbearable for them.

    Being at the receiving end of daily and unending aspersions and yet growing wider audience, Obi has only grown abuse absorbers and remained focused on his goal: getting to the helm of Nigeria affairs. A perfect human or politician exists nowhere in the world, and a fractional part of Nigerians may continue to take cutting tongues after Obi, Pandora’s papers might have bared his feet of clay, he may be tagged “a joker without structure or huge resources”, but for being a hope to many Nigerians and youths across tribes and religions, for igniting the political interest of many Nigerians who in the past would rather sleep at home on election days than vote, Peter Obi deserves some accolades.

    Regardless of differences in political views and affiliations, cut Peter Obi some slacks.

    •Hashim Yussuf Amao,

    Ibadan, Oyo State.

  • Much ado about private varsities’ First Class 

    Much ado about private varsities’ First Class 

    SIR: Recently, reactions trailed the number of first class graduates produced at the convocation ceremony of one of the prominent private universities in Nigeria. This is not the first time. A number of stakeholders who are not conversant with the workings of private universities have tagged the increasing number of first class recorded by private universities as “cheap grades”.

    That position is borne of misunderstandings about private higher learning institutions.

    Private universities are not cheap. They come with their price tags and value for what parents pay for. Parents and guardians pay for quality education in private universities which in fact is fading out in public universities as some of our reputable professors and other academics are in fact now enrolling their wards in private universities, having done their comparative analysis.

    The lecturer-student ratio in most private universities is very low. Imagine a situation where a lecturer in public university has to contend with about 850 students or more compared to their contemporaries in a private university that lectures a class of 50 or lesser students. The latter will be more effective in teaching, mentoring, assessing, marking and grading.

    In private universities, students have access to 24-hour internet services for their research, assignments and other academic activities. During Covid-19, private universities were online teaching their students because they had adequate facilities to take care of their students. Some of them also went further to conduct their matriculation and convocation ceremonies online as was the vogue internationally. Conversely, public universities were incapacitated and stagnant, giving their students excuses for lack of performance.

    Private universities do not go on strike. Never! That is why their academic calendar is stable and uninterrupted. Hence, a dedicated student who applied for a five-year course would spend exactly five sessions and graduate in record time. This is not the case in our public universities where a student who enrolled for a four-year programme would end up spending seven to eight years due to protracted ASUU strikes. How do we expect first class performance in the situation where students’ educational psyche has been damaged by years of unresolved strikes?

    Lecturers in private universities are encouraged to be cordial with their students. In private universities, students can submit their assignments to their lecturers via emails and other internet channels when the need arises. They can chat up their lecturers on their projects and take their corrections at agreed times – unlike what obtains in public universities.

    Those who care to know may be surprised that most of the students in private universities are being trained with modern and current books/facilities in their e-library resources where various subscriptions for Proquest, LexisNexis, Law Pavilion, Research4Life which comprises Hinari, Agora, ARDI, OARE, Goalie and several others are made annually in millions of Naira unlike most public university lecturers relying on their old notes and textbooks. It has been confirmed that some professors in public universities use the same material to teach the same course for years.

    In private universities, there is quality control. All lecturers are monitored by Academic Planning Department on the method, duration and quality of lectures. So, there is no room for absenteeism in class. Lecturers who skip their classes are sanctioned by the registry or the vice chancellor himself. In public universities, lecturers that skip classes are not sanctioned because some of the professors are “bigger” than the vice chancellors. Some will even go to classes a few times throughout the semester.

    Several members of the National Universities Commission’s accreditation teams have confessed that facilities met on ground in some private universities are either not available in public universities or are moribund.

    Indeed, the number of first class graduates in private universities is a product of huge investments, quality control and adequate supervision of human and material resources by managers of private universities..

    •Idris Katib,

    Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State. 

  • Remembering Adebayo Alao-Akala

    Remembering Adebayo Alao-Akala

    SIR: The death of Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala still remains fresh one year after. Ogbomoso people are yet to recover from the demise of the former governor of Oyo State as it was the last thing they were expecting to happen to their leader and icon of the town. Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala was a great politician and till in death a formidable force in the politics of Oyo State. His life and time were exemplary and worthy of note. His sphere of influence went beyond politics as he touched all aspects of humanity. No wonder, politicians in Oyo State put aside their party differences at his burial ceremony last year to pay him last respect.

    ILate Bayo Akala’s ascension to power as a deputy governor and later as governor was divine. The late Premier of Western Region, Chief S.L.A. Akintola, was quoted to have said that another hero would spring from Ogbomoso 40 years after his (Akintola) death. Akintola was killed in coup led by Major-General Kaduna Ezeogu on January 15, 1966. So, Alao-Akala becoming an acting governor in 2006 had been prophesied.

    Otunba (Dr) Adebayo Alao-Akala started his political career as a member of New Dimension. He participated in the zero-party local government election of 1996 and later co-founded the United Nigeria Party (UNP) to form the United Nigeria Congress (UNC) before its fusion with UNC to form the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

    Read Also: Alao-Akala’s son, wife welcome twins after 14 IVF attempts, miscarriages

     He participated in the Ogbomoso Federal Constituency (One) primary election of the UNCP in 1997. He contested and won the chairmanship seat of the Ogbomoso North Local Government along with seven councilors under the platform of the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999.

    Alao-Akala founded the Ogbomoso Unity Forum (OUF), a political association which later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was the chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government from 1999 to 2002.

    He became the Oyo State deputy governor in 2003 under Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja/PDP. Between January 2006 and December 2006, he was the acting governor. Alao-Akala contested and won the gubernatorial election in 2007 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and became the Executive Governor of Oyo state, serving a full term till May 28, 2011.

    Adebayo Alao-Akala really made significant impacts in politics; he built a lot of notable politicians around Oyo State. Beyond politics, he also belonged to the creme de la creme. One would have wanted him to remain here to nurture more leaders. To say that Akala lived a fulfilled and meaningful and impactful life is to say the obvious. Bayo Akala did not live for himself alone. As a teacher, retired police officer,  politician, deputy governor and a governor, he served humanity. The crowd that assembled within hours paid last respects before his burial; with tributes and encomiums showered on him was evidence of his impactful life. One wishes that our contemporary political leaders would borrow a leaf from Akala. They should see power as a means to an end and not end itself; use it for the betterment of the society and not for personal aggrandizement and primitive accumulation noticeable among our leaders today.

    Akala will forever be remembered as a very bold and fearless politician.

    •Sunday Ogunkuade,

    Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

  • Nigeria’s rough diamonds

    Nigeria’s rough diamonds

    SIR: Because youth is naturally associated with light years and the strength that comes from them, a country blessed with youth is a country bountifully blessed indeed. When such a country realizes its gifts and is able to profitably stir itself and use those gifts, it will be well and truly set on the path of development.

    When a country that has been so blessed becomes careless with this gift it inadvertently seeds a disastrous future.

    Nigeria is a country blessed with youth. At the tail-end of last year, Nigeria’s population surged to 217 million. Youths account for about 70% of this figure.

    Forty-two percent of this 70% are under the age of 15 making Nigeria a country with one of the youngest populations in the world. This should be a blessing.

    However, poor planning and poverty have ensured that it is not. Many years of failed leadership and broken promises have cemented Nigeria’s difficult spot. A country that should be enjoying the fruits of having so many young people is instead left with a burden that is becoming weightier by the day.

    Almost the whole of 2022 was spent at home by Nigerian undergraduate students, many of them young people, as universities buckled under yet another strike action.

    The effects of that unfortunate interruption are yet to be fully felt. It is frightening what will happen when they will begin to be realized.

    These days, in the face of niggling unemployment, many young people, devastated by poverty, resort to internet fraud. For these young people, defrauding unwary locals and foreigners alike is both their way of keeping their heads above water and getting back at a country that has failed them.

    Nigeria has stringent laws prohibiting cybercrimes and every now and then, the relevant prosecutorial agencies arraign suspects and make a mighty show out of it.

    Read Also: Record breaker Amusan wins Diamond League

    But the problems run much deeper than occasionally picking up one or two scapegoats and making examples out of them.

    Nigeria is a country that has failed its young people, its rough diamonds which could have been polished to serve such great purposes for the country.

    The starkest effect of these failures is that those young people who are not desperately trying to leave the country are deep into cybercrimes and other crimes.

    Apart from the beating these sordid acts give Nigeria’s image abroad, they do not augur well for the future of a country that has such grand dreams.

    The most comforting sign yet is that after eight insipid years of inertia, a president that famously branded youths lazy is finally packing his bag to take a bow. The next administration may yet choose to ride roughshod over Nigeria’s young people, but then, Nigeria may not survive the disastrous consequences.

    •Kene Obiezu,

    Twitter: @kenobiezu

  • On the increasing police brutality

    On the increasing police brutality

    By Tochukwu Ezukanma

    SIR: There is an Igbo saying, which loosely translates to, “if the king laughs, his servants will become delirious with laughter.” In other words, servants are out to impress their master, and prove their loyalty to him, and consequently, will carry to the extreme the master’s desires and actions. The Nigeria Police Force, in this context, is the servants, and President Muhammadu Buhari is the king. If the government respects, develops, protects, and secures Nigerians, the Nigerian police, invariably, will revere and protect Nigerians.

    The police force is merely an instrument of the ruling elite; and its handling of Nigerians is a direct reflection of the attitude of the Buhari presidency towards Nigerians. What can be expected from a police force, whose behaviours reflect acclaim for banditry and terrorism; approval of the mass-murder of the innocent by herdsmen; and dramatized contempt for human lives? It must be palpably contemptuous of Nigerian lives, and thus, kill and degrade the people. Not surprisingly, since 2015, painful, tear-jerking stories of police brutality and extra-judicial killings have been on the increase in Nigeria.

     At Ijora, Lagos State, a 16 year old boy, Emmanuel Chukwu, was killed when the police opened fire on a group of youths that gathered at the police station, in protest, against possible police connivance with a child kidnapper. According to the boy’s mother, “On getting to the police station, I pleaded that they allow me to see his body but they refused, and threatened to shoot me, if I didn’t leave immediately”. And the Baale went to the station to plead that the mother be allowed access to the son’s corpse. He was arrested and detained till the next day. Why threaten to shoot a mother for wanting to see her son’s corpse? Why arrest and detain a Baale for pleading that a mother be allowed to see the remains of her dead son? It is Apartheid-styled systematic degradation of Nigerians by the police.

    On Christmas day, 2022, a police man, Drambi Vani, shot and killed a 41 year old pregnant woman. She was riding with her husband and daughter and other family members, on their way home from church, when the policeman shot at them, and killed the lady. A husband, wife and daughter and family members – what an innocuous, benign group? Still, they were shot at, not by a psychopath on the prowl to steal and kill, but by a policeman, a sentinel of law and order, and supposedly, professionally trained, disciplined and self-restrained, and deployed to protect the people. Secondly, the errant policeman is not a police rookie, still susceptible to twitchiness, rashness, and other strains of unprofessionalism, but a veteran police officer of 33 years of service.

    A police force in the service of a government that places more value on bovine (cow) life than human life will inescapably be derisive of human life. Until there is an attitudinal change within the police force, nothing, not retraining and/or reorientation will considerably reduce these unjustifiable killings by the police. It is only a new found reverence for the sanctity of human life within the ranks of the governing elite, which will inevitably filter down to the ranks of the police force that will drastically reduce the meaningless killings of Nigerians by the Nigerian police.

    • Tochukwu Ezukanma, Lagos.

  • A country stopped in its tracks

    A country stopped in its tracks

    By Kene Obiezu

    SIR: The Nigerian experience in the last decade has been one of riotous uncertainty and fragility. This experience as disturbing as it has been has been lived under a vicious kind of insecurity that has been almost impossible to manage.

    With the explosion of terrorism has come the twin evils of insurgency and banditry that have threatened to rip out the heart of the country. While the shocks have rippled across the entire country, the attacks have especially resonated in rural areas.

    When heavily armed and ruthless criminals have marched across rural communities, it has been with an almost unimaginable blood lust. Countless people have been eviscerated, their means of livelihood obliterated by the chilling ruthlessness of criminals.

    Only recently, criminals armed with AK-47 rifles stormed a train station at Igueben in Edo State and kidnapped about 31 passengers.

    According to reports, the gunmen who shot sporadically into the air injured some passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri in Delta State.

    If a country yet to recover from the wounds inflicted by a similar attack last year needed any reminder, this was it.

    On March 28, 2022, daredevil criminals had attacked a passenger train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna State.

    The attacks which endlessly horrified an entire country led to the death of about nine passengers with dozens abducted.

    Some of the victims went on to spend six months in horrifying captivity as Nigerians were forced to learn just how much threat insecurity poses.

    In a country where many no longer know what it is like to feel safe, the latest attacks are a brutal reminder of how much work remains to be done.

    In Nigeria today, people stay in their homes and are abducted. They go to their farms and are abducted. When they hit the road on necessary journeys, their fate hangs.

    Yet, Nigeria remains a country that has aspirations of making it into the pantheon of developed countries.

    With something as vital and as basic as security proving so hard to fix, one wonders how this is possible.

    It is also beyond alarming that those who do these things to Nigerians continue to have a field day.

    Their quick thinking is often demonstrated by the fact that they are often a step ahead of Nigeria’s security agencies.

    They often strike swiftly and ruthlessly, wreaking havoc each time. Sometimes, they even repeat their attacks.

    Critical elections are upon Nigeria. There are fears that insecurity may compromise the elections.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its morbid fears.

    Fear will remain for a long time and would continue to define the Nigerian experience if nothing is urgently done to check the menace.

    Development will remain a mirage if no action is taken to ensure that Nigerians are safe everywhere and every time.

    • Kene Obiezu, Twitter:@kenobiezu