The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • No lesson from Scottish referendum

    • We prefer self-government with danger to servitude in tranquility – Kwame Nkrumah

    SIR: It is interesting how the result of the  Scottish referendum in which   55% of Scottish voters said no to independence has become another source of so-called lesson for Africa.

    When will Africa be tired of some unhelpful received wisdom and received “lessons” from Europe? Or better still, when will Africa pro-actively  show that it has a lot to offer the world from its historic struggles and accomplishments, despite the current challenges?

    Certainly Africa is more quotable on Independence than any country in Europe including Scotland. Still better put, it is Scotland that must learn from the struggle of Africans for independence from colonialism and slavery and not the other way round. The historic facts are in support of Africa. Late Julius Nyerere of Tanzania once rightly observed that “Ghana was the beginning, our first liberated zone. Thirty –seven years later-in 1994-we celebrated our final triumph when apartheid was crushed and Nelson Mandela was installed as the president of South Africa”.

    Ghana won independence in 1957, after 100 years of British colonialism and almost a decade before Martin Luther King made the prophetic speech “I have a Dream” in America. Freedom and liberty to Ghana and indeed Africa was a fall out of series of struggles and pressures led by late Dr Nkrumah, who was imprisoned several times by the British. Mandela noted that the events of 1957 in Accra which led to the historic pulling down of the Union Jack and its replacement with Ghana flag were sources of inspiration against apartheid which was courageously defeated in 1994. The point cannot be overstated therefore that Africa has a lot to teach the Scots on how to struggle and attain independence and not the other way round.

    Many have rightly venerated King’s dream speech, but the first dream speech was that of Nkrumah who prophetically declared that “Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up to the total liberation of the African continent”.  Since that historic speech, Nigeria fought and got independence in 1960, Angola in 1976, Zimbabwe in 1980, Namibia in 1990 and in general liberty reigns in  from Cairo to Cape Town. There is no doubt that last week’s Scottish votes counts signified deep democratic/self determination aspiration for freedom.  Some 1,617,989 YES (45%) votes for independence compared to the NO 55% 2,001,926 votes.  However Scottish aspiration is nothing compared with the democratic enthusiasm of South Africans for freedom in 1994 when  African National Congress had a popular Yes vote    of 12,237,655    for democracy and abolition of apartheid.

    The Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, reportedly said “Nigeria’s disintegration can only be averted if the wisdom now on display in the United Kingdom on devolution of power and self-determination is urgently brought to play in the Nigeria’s governance model” .

    In a press release signed by Olawale Osun, its national chairman, the ARG asked for “full devolution of power to the constituent units in Nigeria, including corresponding fiscal powers and resource control.”

    Certainly Nigeria does not need Scottish referendum to appreciate that it must return to genuine federalism. Please note; return  to genuine federalism, because until the military intervention of 1966 Nigeria once devolved powers to the functioning vibrant federating regions. Afenifere compares ‘like’ with “unlike” when it points to Nigerian reality to draw attention to a non-existent “lesson”” from Scotland. The truth is that Nigeria is already a sovereign state  compared to a dependent Scotland. What the latter desired is not some devolution of powers contained in the political promissory notes of  Prime Minister David Cameroon, already a subject of acrimony with the Labour Party opposition leader,  Ed Miliband. Indeed United Kingdom, (inclusive of the disappointed Scotland)  may have to learn from the imperfect federal structure of Nigeria.  Nigeria’s National Conference (with the signatures of Afenifere delegates!) preceded the Scottish refrendum. To this extent the search for a functioning federal  republic of Nigeria does not depend on the outcome of the Scottish refrendum.  There are enough policy recommendations in the National Conference’s reports to make our federation work better.

    • Issa Aremu, mni

    Kaduna

  • Why Amosun deserves another term

    SIR: It is an acceptable norm, that a democratically elected government must meet the need of the people that voted them into power. Since governance derives its backing and support from the constitution and the people, it is mandatory for government, to listen, carry along and feed the people back, about its activities.

    The contrary view of democracy equally says when a government voted into power refuses to perform or meet the yearning or aspiration of the people that democratically voted for them, same electorates or the people being govern have the right to reject such government by voting them out of power in subsequent elections. This means that when a government becomes destructive and retrogressive, the same people that empowered them with their votes can terminate such government.

    Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has within a short period of time in office, been able to correct the negative view of the people of the state towards governance. Our amiable governor has within two years of his assumption of office proved critics wrong by being responsive and progressive in the discharge of his duties to the people of the state. Today, the common man is not only happy in the gateway state, peace which was once eluded the people some years ago has returned. The entire senatorial zones in the state are witnessing massive reconstruction and rebuilding process or the other. Roads, schools, health institutions are being structured for lasting use.

    Yes, Amosun has done very well to reposition the economy of the state. He has further demonstrated the servant role of a government to the people. The governor has taken the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to an enviable and sustainable position, thus deriving some funds to collectively embark on infrastructural development. Today, the peoples’ welfare and security is better off. A government is worth protecting and supporting for continuity if it has met the yearning of the people.

    No nation or state survives without a major attention to its educational sector. Here in gateway state, he has given the primary, post primary and the state tertiary institutions a very good attention, by increasing their funding and stabilizing the academic calendar. Students now learn in a better and more conducive environment.

    The people of the state now see what the government is spending the money on. Amosun has further proved the essence and importance of taxation to rural and urban development, through the provision of essential services like good road, water, health facilities and the rest to the people.

    In life, you don’t lose a winning team; rather you encourage them to do more. Senator Amosun has so far done well. We can only encourage him to do better, through mobilization and support for continuity beyond 2015.

    • Ademola Orunbon

    Olomore, Abeokuta.

  • Re-Reforming the prisons

    SIR: Mr. Ojo Adetayo of University of Ibadan was sparse on words in his strident call for prison reform in The Nation of Monday, September 22.

    If truth must be told, our prison system is everything but reformatory. It is as if prisons are meant for penal and punitive measures alone. Whereas, prisons are a means to an end, they are oftentimes in our clime, treated as ends in themselves.

    Until prison reforms are carried out along the line of reformatory and transformation  trajectory, our criminal justice system shall continue to shirk in its role as instrument of social control.

    The time to act is now.

    • ‘Femi Oyedemi’

    The Polytechnic,

  • Still on INEC’s unending controversies

    SIR: As the nation moves closer to the election year, there are two contending issues that are worth discussing in view of their volatile nature and the misgivings that have already trailed them. We would recall that at the formal launching of the National Electronic Identity Card recently, President Goodluck Jonathan directed that the printing of ballot papers for next year’s general elections be handled by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was to tap into the expertise of the Mint in the production of the sensitive electoral materials. This presidential order later propelled the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, to visit the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega. At the end, the two gentlemen struck a deal.

    The NSPMC, which is responsible for the printing of most of the nation’s currency denominations, bank drafts, cheques, stamps, treasury bills and other security documents, is a subsidiary of the CBN. In other words, the federal government owns majority shares in the company while the CBN governor is also the chairman of its  governing board.

    While it may be argued that giving the Mint the N9 billion printing job for elections materials would help to enhance its production capacity, create employment opportunities, prevent capital flight and increase foreign exchange earnings, it is however dangerous to use a sensitive national assignment such as the general election, for experimentation and trial.

    Nigerians may not forget so easily that in 2012, about N2 billion was reported to have been stolen from the Mint – a company also reputed to have suffered operational losses – as a result of operational deficiencies.

    Can somebody tell us why the same commission should still be the preferred producer of the sensitive materials despite its low rating? INEC should be made to realise that this attempt could erode its powers as well as the credibility of the entire electoral process.

    INEC should reserve the discretion to carry out its statutory functions bearing in mind that the essence of any election under democracy is to create a secure, level playing field for eligible voters and candidates. President Jonathan, as an interested party has no constitutional or moral right to control INEC around any aspect of the electoral process.

    Again, INEC recently announced that in its compliance with the 2010 Electoral Act, it had created additional 30,000 polling units across the country to ensure that no polling unit has more than 500 voters.

    As laudable as the initiative appears to be, there are allegations of lopsidedness from many people and socio-political groups against the allocation of the polling units in favour of the North as the zone has clearly got over 70 per cent out of the new polling units. That is where the INEC chairman should ensure that genuine observations, issues and complaints raised are addressed without further delay. If truly there are structural, administrative and institutional arrangements that appear to have favoured candidates from a particular section of the country above the others, the commission should look inward and rectify them before the polls. For the sensitive nature of its duties, INEC should guard against partisanship and should be seen as such in the allocation of the polling units. It should not be reluctant to do the right thing without any iota of fear or intimidation. This should be done as quickly as possible. Beyond the printing of electoral materials and the creation of new polling units, there is need for continuous enlightenment, voter education and honesty of purpose in order to have free, fair and credible elections in the country.

     

    •  Adewale Kupoluyi

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • What does Fani-Kayode truly want?

    SIR: IT is stress-free to be titled as a statesman in Nigeria. All it takes is to be loyal to public figures and to causes even though not good enough, and in your journey you may be recognized and-given a government appointment or conferred with a national honour. Appointments to – and recognition of- citizens if merited are not immoral-because the country belongs to all citizens and as such have equal stake in her affairs as those in authority.

    But the eerie fact about most self-styled Nigerian statesmen is that instead of using their time outside of government work to positively sway direction of thoughts, engage government on good governance and – promote humanitarian global best practices, you find them either vilifying their protégées, persons with influence, pitting regions against one another or even religious bodies – all at a cost to national growth.

    Some of these vituperations are on the spur-of-the-moment instead of-as a consultation conscientiously arranged over time which-could be up to a decade as -in some rational well-coordinated climes.

    Femi Fani-Kayode was an unfamiliar persona to me the first time I saw him on national television many years ago- on Segun Arinze’s ‘No holds barred’ show on AIT in Lagos. The discussion with his other guest on that day moderated by Arinze focused around General Olusegun Obasanjo and – was fiery to the point that it audaciously almost saw both discussants- exchange fisticuffs and Arinze had a tough time controlling his guests.

    It was with bafflement – that I saw this man- full of commotion a moment earlier on television-made minister of the federal republic under Olusegun Obasanjo administration and all I could mutter was, ‘no wonder’, which totally agrees with my opening statement. The sun beams have shone on him ever since particularly for his overbearing stances on national issues.

    Real statesmen are trained to say less- they skirt around issues when goaded especially when they are not official spokespersons of government but Femi bares it all as a matter of course.

    Before now President Goodluck Jonathan was a ‘president without balls’, (Femi’s widely circulated article in the newspapers about this president) but today he is a self-styled government spokesman defending the use of a civilian private jet to purchase arms from South Africa. This is not about the intrinsic worth or otherwise of using Pastor Oritsejafor’s private jet to procure arms, but it begs the question: is Femi Fani-Kayode eminently qualified to speak on behalf of this government on matters of state that concerns national security?

    A moment ago, this same man left the ruling party for the opposition and whilst there he overwhelmed those of us who must read the newspapers with daily articles on the misgovernance of this administration and to the eternal praise of his principal (Chief Olusegun Obasanjo) who in his surmise is the best president this country has ever produced- so far.

    Since when then did President Jonathan become a ‘president with balls’ enough for Femi to not only return- to the party but- to rationalize the importance of a covert arms deal? How come he finds it convenient to support a team he once belittled with so much gusto?

    This man is blessed by God – he had a prominent father and went to renowned institutions around the world and observers expect him to use this God-given exposure rightly instead of wooing needless diatribes.

    It is obvious that the ruling party has a high threshold for putting up with all manner of politicians – the reason why people like Femi assumes wrongly that all Nigerians suffer from amnesia. What does Femi Fani-Kayode truly want from Nigeria?

    • Simon Abah

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State

  • Boko Haram: Something is not right

    SIR: In the early hours of April 14, Boko Haram militants invaded the sleepy little town of Chibok.  They made off with about 234 school girls, and then the school was razed to the ground.

    Expectedly, the Nigerian military and security operatives descended on the town and its environs in what was supposed to be a formidable military/rescue operation.   However, there continues to be incessant Boko Haram operations and mayhem in and around that general locale.

    On May 5, in an attack lasting several hours, Boko Haram attacked a village used as a base by our security officers in the search for the missing school girls.  May 13, there was an attack on three villages.  June 2, three communities in Gwoza were sacked.  On May 20, three villages not far from Chibok were attacked.  Between May 29, and June 5, six attacks were carried out and 20 women were abducted.  June 3, Boko Haram attacked four more villages.  June 10, 20 more women were kidnapped from a nomadic settlement near Chibok.  June 13 to 19 June saw two more attacks.  July 4 to July 10, four more attacks.  August 6, Boko Haram attacked Gwoza on a large scale.  Their men arrived on motorcycles and up to 50 Toyota Hilux trucks.  On August 11, during attacks on local villages, 97 men and young boys were kidnapped.  In all of these attacks, hundreds of innocent people were killed, homes and properties were destroyed.  Quite a few of our military personnel lost their lives too.

    All of these attacks took place in the general Chibok – Gwoza axis, an area supposedly suffused with military presence, and under a State of Emergency.  Yet, Boko Haram continues to operate there and elsewhere with impunity.  Clearly, something is wrong.  It is akin to Al Qaeda never leaving Manhattan in New York immediately after 9/11, and just kept going back and bombing ‘ground zero.’

    We are talking about the Nigerian military here; a body that has acquitted itself excellently well since the 1960s.  A force that has conducted successful operations in much more volatile environments – from the Congo to Sierra Leone.  And now we are to believe that this same force that has garnered even more experience and more expertise over time is suddenly unable to see-off a ragtag band of criminals?  Something is not right.

    That is not all.

    One Reverend Stephen Davis recently went to town with revelations about Boko Haram.  Davis, an Australian, is something of a ‘hostage negotiator.’  He had invited himself to Nigeria on the back of the Chibok school girls’ abduction.  After about four months of negotiations, the girls are still in captivity, however, Davis cut loose on the alleged sponsors of Boko Haram.  He reported that Ali Modu Sherrif (former Governor of Borno), General Ihejirika (former Chief of Army Staff, COAS), and a couple of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials (one “who recently left the bank,”) were all in on it.

    For me, the surprise is the Ihejirika and CBN links.  Now, I don’t know whether the good Reverend has been duped or not, but if I were Gen Ihejirika, I will insist on an immediate and thorough investigation to clear my name.

    As COAS, Ihejirika was a real thorn in the flesh of Boko Haram.  At one time, he shut down the telecommunication network in the North-east.  That began to strangulate Boko Haram until some elders and politicians up there protested.  Ihejirika then went after the insurgents with a singleness of purpose that caused the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to cry ‘time out.’  NEF claimed that the General was committing genocide against Northern youths.  They prevailed on Jonathan to have him removed.  Not satisfied, the NEF promised to drag Ihejirika to the International Criminal Court at The Hague to face prosecution for Human Rights abuses.

    Sheriff is a different kettle of fish.  His protestations notwithstanding, the chap has been neck-deep with Boko Haram.  True, he later fell out with them, but he was certainly their main financier in the early years (just like a few South-south governors initially financed the gentlemen who later morphed into what we know today as Niger Delta militants).  After his electoral victory, Sheriff didn’t give the boys the type of Sharia they craved; instead he gave them a short-lived commissioner.  To add salt to a religiously-fermented injury, Sheriff was complicit in their leader’s earlier-than-planned coadunation with his after-life virgins.  The battle line between the two camps had been drawn ever since.

    You could see why – assuming the people with whom Davis have been hanging out wanted to be mischievous – Ihejirika and Sheriff’s names would be top of the list of possible Boko Haram sponsors.

    Clearly, there’s more to this whole Boko Haram business than meets the eye and things are beginning to point in uncomfortable directions.  And as if all that isn’t troubling enough, the federal government owns up to a dubious act of money laundering and/or a covert arms purchase deal gone bad, using – of all things! – the private jet of the president of CAN.  That just puts the cherry on the parfait, doesn’t it?  Yep…something is not right.

    • Michael Egbejumi-David,

    demdem@otmail.co.uk

    Twitter: demdemdem1

  • Youths, save Nigeria

    I have since heard many a youth lament about how our grandfathers continue to ruin the country in the name of ruling it, about how the rulers of yesteryears are yet the leaders of tomorrow, about how these grandfathers themselves were youths when they set out but now detest our youth and our entitlement, about how the affairs of the youth are left for our gramps (and grannies) to ru(i)n.

    I had therefore asserted that anyone older than the republic Nigeria has no business whatsoever ruling in whatever capacity, that we, the youth of this country, have had enough of them, that they have failed to solve even issues that their wantonness created lest we talk of the challenges of our time; that they have over-stayed their welcome being antiquated and obsolete in all their ways.

    For it is no longer news that to survive in the days and weeks and months to come, one must break forth, set boundaries and realise those limits (as) set, and mind one’s business. That we must shift gaze from the ambitious, ambiguous, agenda we are asked to look unto, and look within. We must hold our destinies in our hands and defend our sovereignty, security and sanity. That hope comes not from the Centre, not from the House, not from the Court, not even from the Rock.

    Hope comes from within us, and is ours forever. It is held in our arms, held by our hands, close to our hearts. Unlike us, it is not threatened by Boko Haram, it is not starved by the incredibly high cost of living, it is not shut without to live on, and off, the streets, it is not clothed in rags and fades, it is not denied admission by JAMB nor is its stay in the institutions lengthened indefinitely by strikes. And it is no longer subsidized by SURE-P nor paralysed by PHCN, or whatever it is now called.

    Our hope is sure and forever so; and cannot be denied or taken away as usual. It is not attached to the politician and his cronies. It is not injured by the utterances of the Dame. It is not misguided by the calculations and political correctness of His Excellency. It cannot be kidnapped by blood-sharing insurgents, it does not require rescue by American forces.

    I have since realised that youth can be turned to advantage, that things are easier when one is young (contrary to popular opinion and everyday observation); that when one is young, the ‘whole world’ typically rallies around to help, advice is easier to get and experience, to garner, and the ancient argumentum ad misericordiam holds sway.

    I have since discovered that youth is when many a potential is wasted, that youth is many a potential wasted, that there is more to life than potential; that, to succeed, the one with potential must invariably mind his own business, however young he may be.

    It is said, when the bush rat ages, it suckles at her offspring’s breasts. Nigeria is of age, and it is high time we nurtured her, it is high time we stood up for her, high time we chased away those who exploit her, who devastate her, who strangle her.

    It is our business to save Nigeria.

    • Ayokunle Adeleye,

    OOU, Sagamu.

  • Reforming the prisons

    SIR; The Nigerian Prison Act 1972, spells out the goals and orientation of the Nigerian Prisons Service. They are charged with taking custody of those legally detained, identifying causes of their behaviour and retraining them to become useful citizens in the society. Prisons are essentially correctional and reformatory; they are not institutions for the dehumanisation of the confined.

    Also, a prison is not expected to be exactly a bed of roses as the inmates are there for penal purposes; neither is it supposed to be a bed of thorns and thistles meant to snuff life out of the inmates. For the 49,000 inmates in various Nigerian prisons, (29,000 of whom are awaiting trial, and the 856 on death row), hell cannot be worse.

    The sanitary situation is not only repulsive but frighteningly demeaning and exposes the inmates to health hazards as inmates are forced to excrete in buckets and stay with their excreta for days. Feeding is a luxury, bathing a rarity, recreation zilch, reformation non-existent and privacy a privilege. Hence, most inmates leave the reformatory frail, fragile and with one debilitating disease or the other.

    A terrible practice in Nigeria prison system is that our prisons cohabit those whose trials are still in progress and those whose trials have been decided, as a prison is for those whose judicial fate has been decided; in other words those who have been convicted while a jail is a transitional facility for those undergoing legal proceedings i.e. those awaiting judgment on their trial.

    Of the 227 prisons in the country, four out of five were built before 1950. The infrastructure is old and decrepit. Buildings used as workshops are inadequate and some prisons non-existent.

    A report by Human Rights Practice Commission for prisoner’s dignity, estimated that at least one inmate dies per day in the Kirikiri prison in Lagos alone. Dead inmates are promptly buried in graves on the compound usually without their families being notified. It is sad that claims like these are not investigated.

    The government should please look into the present state of our prison system. Obviously, more prison cells should be built. The private sector can make a change to the system through contributions for medical checkups of inmates on a regular basis, feeding programmes and even jobs for those who have served their terms and are back in the society. Families should also endeavour not to neglect their wards in prison but check on them regularly because some prisoners have testimonies of their wards not coming to visit even after several years in prison even with such families knowing where they are; others have regretted their actions and vowed to change ways because of the pains they see in their loved ones eyes each time they are allowed to visit.

     

    •Ojo Adelayo,

    University of Ibadan

  • Nigeria now haven for fake products

    SIR; Over the weekend, I used three different samples of wire cables to conduct an experiment after the loss of my electric pressing iron and a socket. My electric socket (Royal Quest England) of 220-240V was used to connect my pressing iron of equal voltage, 220-240V. Instantly, the cable blew and damaged the socket. I bought another socket of the same capacity but this time with electric iron of low capacity. This time, the cable rather than blow off simply melted like a candle which showed that the supposed 220-240V socket is not up to 120V.

    Apart from wiring cables, most electric bulbs in our market today are also fake. I live in an area where electricity supply is intermittent but I change my electric bulbs after every five weeks. While two of the six bulbs I bought seven months ago are still working, I have been changing the remaining four routinely. I bought them from the same place, at the same amount and the seller confirmed to me that they are the best bulbs I can get from the market now.

    Three days ago, a cousin of mine lost his home to inferno which emanated from an electric bulb socket. Such tragedies are not rampant in the country only because of irregular supply of electricity.

    Apart from wiring cables and bulbs, a good number of the stabilizers, Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), air conditioner, switches, electric cooking stove, pressing iron and many other electrical materials being sold in the market today are fake.

    The same is no less true of auto spare parts in the Nigerian market and building materials. As for the tragic incident at the Synagogue Guest House where over 80 persons were reported killed, I would not put the tragic situation beyond the use of fake or substandard materials.

    It is estimated that Nigeria loses over N50 billion to fake and substandard products annually and out of this amount, N20 billion comes from auto spare parts sector alone. Research has shown that 60% of these fake products come from the Peoples Republic of China but the Chinese in turn blame the situation on Nigerian entrepreneurs who go to China and ask the manufacturers to produce for them at reduced quality in order to shore up their profit margins.

    Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) whose job is to rid Nigeria of free of fake and adulterated products appear to have surrendered to the cartel of fake products importers, unfortunately for an agency that has been around for 42 years. SON, with only two laboratories in Lagos and Enugu where products could be subjected to laboratory analysis, has proven that they lack capacity to effectively check the menace. In many instances, product samples are said to be taken to Ghana for laboratory analysis. Apart from this technical incapacitation, SON lacks laboratory analysts and chemists as its workforce is dominated by clerical cadre.

    One recalls with nostalgia the days of National Agency for Food and drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) under the leadership of late Prof Dora Akunyili. The activities of the agency were practical, result-oriented and purposeful. These were the times when you saw hawkers run helter-skelter at the sight of NAFDAC officials. Today, NAFDAC activities are only showed on a paid TV advert and newspapers.

    No matter any indices used, an economy where more than 80% of products in circulation are fake cannot make progress. The situation is biting hard on ordinary Nigerians whose small incomes are spent on products that do not last beyond second use.  One begin to wonder if Nigeria has become a permanent safe haven for counterfeit products as the activities of the manufacturers and dealers of fake products go unchecked.

     

    •Onogwu Isah Muhammed,

    Lokoja, Kogi State.

  • My close shave with death

    SIR; I do not know whether to laugh or to be forlorn about how fear has become a citizen of our country, living daily with us. I am an undergraduate. Few days after the Nyanya car park bomb blast of April 14, I went to my dad’s place at Mararaba, Abuja to spend the weekend. He had told me there was a surprise for me, so I went in enthused anticipation. On the day I was to come back to school, he brought out a package from his room and handed it over to me. I looked at it, desperate and tensed. On the carton was an image of a laptop. I smiled from ear to ear, screaming for joy: “Daddy has fulfilled his promise at last!” A brand new laptop!

    After thanking him, I set out to school.

    I boarded an El- Rufai bus when I got to Mararaba junction. I spotted a vacant seat close to the front and plopped into it, dropping my heavy bag on the floor. The bus hadn’t moved yet because the driver intended the seats to be fully occupied, with some passengers standing, if possible.

    I was famished, so I decided to go down to get a seven up or sprite – my favorites. I left my bag where I sat, to secure the space and because it was heavy; my new lap top was in it. I was holding the drink and was just about collecting my balance from the vendor when I heard shouts from the bus. I turned abruptly and saw people jumping off the bus through the windows and doors. I saw fear on their faces, about three adults flying from one window at the same time. They ran as soon as their legs touched down.

    “Bomb! Bomb!” was all I heard.

    I snatched my money and raced into the bus. Quickly, I snatched my bag, jumped down and joined in the running. I had not run up to 20 metres when I noticed I was being chased and fingers were pointed at me.

    “Catch am! Stop that boy” they ranted.

    Confused, I stopped running. I received a heavy blow behind my neck that confused me the more.

    “Wetin dey dis bag!?”

    I bent to open it for them to see for themselves but I was stopped.

    “Shegen yaro. You wan kill am with us ko? Dan banza”

    “It’s my clothes, school books and laptop” I said with a creaking voice.

    “Why you drop down from the bus?”

    I raised the can of Sprite I held in reply.

    “So you no be boko boy?”

    That was when I understood their hostility.

    “Open the bag. Where you dey school?” they asked, amidst murmurs, laughs and side talks. The crowd was enormous by now.

    I opened my bag and opened my wallet that has my I D card.

    “University of Abuja”. One read aloud, comparing the face on the card with the one in front of them.

    “Sorry o” one said finally. “Na condition make krafish bend”

    I forced a smile, realizing that never again will Nigerians feel secure; never again will we have the trust we had for each other. Never again.

    •Joseph Joshua

    Abuja