June has been an especially disheartening month for Nigerians.
Tragedy after tragedy has fallen on innocent Nigerians simply looking to survive the oppressive drudgery that is Nigeria today, killing, maiming victims and orphaning their families.
A few weeks ago, a truck carrying wood fell off the Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos, killing several people.
Though that exact location had been the source of several near identical disasters and had been the recipient of a million dollar face-lift, complete with metal fences to keep people away from the newly commissioned art painted on the bridge’s pylons, nothing was clearly done to make the actual bridge safer, and lives were lost in its wake.
A week after, on the 21st, Barkin Ladi and several communities in Plateau were plunged into violence when civilian families were attacked and killed.
In two days, video and pictures of disemboweled toddlers began to circulate the internet and the death toll was put at 300 people.
The citizens of these communities blamed the terrorists who have killed innocent citizens across the entire North and much of South West and South Eastern Nigeria, the dreaded herdsmen.
This erases some of my anger with the Buhari government. This is sheer determination. Allah yayi jagora Baba. pic.twitter.com/CkjYAD9QCj
— Yadomah Mandara (@Yadomah) June 27, 2018
Two days, thousands of young Nigerians were enraged when they discovered two political pundits sympathetic to the Buhari administration had sent out deeply sycophantic and irresponsible tweets.
Using a picture taken by national photographer and image maker Bayo Omoboriowo of the president boarding a plane to the embattled Plateau state in the rain, both men waxed on about how selfless and stoic Buhari was to choose to visit the victims at the risk of getting wet.
When the people were being murdered in Barkin Ladi, the president was at the APC National Convention, where he feted his party members and tried to sway them to back him for his reelection bid.
He ignored widespread calls for action and only went to Plateau where he left no significant impact. Youth Corpers in Plateau even reported that after Buhari left, a fresh wave of attacks began.
Yesterday, 54 cars burnt to a crisp on a Lagos highway bridge, thanks to a fire started by a fuel truck that shouldn’t have been on the bridge in the first place. The official statement as at writing this article was that 9 people died in the inferno. Even though there were 54 cars, and the Fire service did not reach the scene of the accident until 45 minutes after.
Death seems to trail us, on our streets, in our homes, in our villages. Avoidable death can be traced directly to the negligence of persons and the entitlement of others.
With the exception of the president’s announcement that N10 billion will be disbursed between the affected families by the crisis in Plateau.
This was after the presidency released a ‘Killing Shit’, a list of all the known casualties that were perpetrated during the former president’s reign.
Through his spokesperson, President Buhari implied that since he hadn’t killed as many people under his watch, he is a much better president than Jonathan.
Perhaps the N10 Billion will silence the families destroyed by these attacks. For many of these families, abject poverty was a reality so even a fraction of the money will change their lives, but it will not bring their loved ones back, and will not solve the fundamental problem which is: Nigeria has a security problem and a qualified leader who refuses to take the necessary action to ensure that his people are protected.
Men like Femi Adesina and his principal, who cheapen the lives of those gruesomely murdered to mere numbers and a typing contest are evil.
People are dying, they died in Benue, in Adamawa, in Taraba, in Enugu, Anambra, Edo, Delta, they were shot at, killed, maimed.
And so far there seems to be nothing that can force the president’s hand and really push him to see the least that is expected of him is to provide security.
With such unmitigated violence, many major companies have packed up their businesses and left, content to have made some money. There is poverty, the kind that breeds desperation that we will either turn on each other, direct at the presidency itself.
This erases some of my anger with the Buhari government. This is sheer determination. Allah yayi jagora Baba. pic.twitter.com/CkjYAD9QCj
— Yadomah Mandara (@Yadomah) June 27, 2018
It is already beginning.
The citizens of Benue are publicly calling for the impeachment of their sitting governor. If they are successful, they will set a precedent that will spread like wildfire until it reaches the presidency and hamstrings our second term hungry president and he will deserve it.
We should have to beg the president to ensure our safety, if we cannot get it, we will speak with our PVCs.
Read » #YNaijaSays: How difficult can it be for the presidency to take decisive action that solves our institutional problems on YNaija
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