Tell-tale signal: Depreciation in value for human life and humanity

by Eze Eluchie

For the past few weeks, no day has passed bye without news of the slaughter of defenseless Nigerian villagers in our Northeastern Zone by terrorists. Entire villages have been ravaged, several hundred killed and countless young girls and women carted away to serve as sex-slaves to these terrorists.

Whilst the high number of fatalities and extent of destruction to properties in our Northeast zone has been troubling, the real shocker is the nonchalance with which most Nigerians have reacted to the sad events. For instance, news of the killing of over 70 Nigerians at the hands of terrorists in Bama town in Bornu State was buried deep in obscure sections of the few national dailies which had bothered to report the news; the very loud silence following the kidnapping of over 20 young girls from a boarding school in Konduga (also in Bornu) and the general lack of empathy to the plight of the peoples affected by the violence serves to dehumanize us all.

Quite rightly, most of the victims of the violence described above are of the Kanuri, Shuwa, Hausa, Beriberi, Ngizim, Fulani or other ethnic nationalities indigenous to our northeast zone - but they are first and foremost, human beings, nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers or other relatives to someone/some people?

Is it possible that others not directly affected do not care what happens to co-joiners in the Nigerian contraption or worse still, is there deep rooted unspoken ‘joy’ at the misfortune of others? That would be terribly unfortunate!

We depreciate our humanity when we are unable to empathize with others over deep losses. It could have been anyone of us. No one knows where the terrorists will strike next.

When a society reaches the depth where mass death, maiming on a large scale and other atrocities are taken as casual occurrence, there is need for worry - it is an early warning signal that far worse occurrences will be tolerated and is perhaps being hatched.

Our fundamentals are faulty. Restructuring and renegotiating our contraption will address the disconnect amongst our various peoples.

Picture:  Victims of one of several Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria's Northeastern Zone being taken to a morgue.

Profiting from terror

by Eze Eluchie

For the past 2 years and more particularly in the course of the past 12 months, all semblance of civil governance has collapsed in the three States in Nigeria’s Northeastern Zone, to wit: Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa – yet, in a reality that defies logic, these 3 States have not failed to come forward and claim their own shares of financial allocations from the monthly monetary bazaar known as the Fiscal Allocation.

Pray, what have the Governors of these 3 States (Kashim Shettima {Bornu}, Murtala Nyako {Adamawa} and Ibrahim Geida {Yobe}and their associates) where the activities of Boko Haram has effectively made a greater part of the zone inaccessible to all but security operatives and military forces, been doing with the several Billions they have collected? No infrastructural works, no agricultural engagements, nothing! Yet these guys shamelessly keep on coming to Abuja to collect huge sums on a monthly basis.

It appears that more people than meets the eye have vested interests in the endless continuation of the lawlessness and terror pervading our Northeast zone.With the 'State of Emergency in these area now converted into a ceaseless source of loot, one really fears that the war against terror in our Northeast zone may never end.

Let's restructure and renegotiate the contraption to stem the horrendous thievery in the name of governance.

Picture: Aftermath of one of the several terrorist attacks in our Northeastern zone 

Lawlessness as Law!

by Eze Eluchie

Two isolated oddities, happening contemporaneously in different States of our federation, typify the level of decadence and reign of impunity to which our contraption has fallen in the course of the past few years. These are:
1. The shutting down of a huge Shopping Mall at Iponrin, Lagos State on the orders of the daughter of a former Governor of Lagos State on account of purported disagreements between the aid daughter of an ex-Governor and owners of Shops in the Mall and an incredulous insistence that Shop owners at the Mall must register with a particular political party, and
2. The public shooting to death of an aide to the Abia State Governor - yes, you read right, 'aide to the son of a State Governor, apparently at the instigation of the son of the said State Governor!

I had actually shied away from commenting on these absurd events in the hope that as more details emerged, our worst fears will be disproved. Alas, owners of Shops at the Mall shut by ex-Governor Bola Tinubu's daughter whose loses continue to sky-rocket and the young widow and child whose husband/dad was killed courtesy of Governor Theodore Orji's brat, serve to give life to our sad reality.

More worrisome is the fact that these untoward criminal acts by these apparently not well brought up scions of our political rulers were effected either with the connivance or active collaboration of our Police and security agencies (who are ordinarily supposed to protect the public).

Unfortunately, the system will provide protection for these 'executive' urchins.

And we wonder why we are where we are and the rest of the world are where they are?

Picture: Injustice