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Ethnic militia and national development

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Gunmen kill 3 policemen, 2 others in Lagos, kidnap 4 telcos staff

The rise of ethnic militants in the country in my mind’s eye is now tied to who occupies the presidency, when Jonathan was in charge, the Boko people did not let him breathe and now that Buhari is in charge the Avengers, or whatever they call themselves have decided to give him headaches.

The Fulani herdsmen in their own estimation continue to rampage and pillage irrespective of whoever is in power.

My position is very clear on this. During electioneering, you here all sort of threats of how they will make the country ungovernable if the other person wins and immediately that happens you begin to see violence from the opposing ethnic coloration.

How did we get here. Is the amalgamation of 1914 becoming unglued and unstuck, never have we built so much distrust amongst our people. Today the fire of distrust is raging unabated.

Read also: The menace of the Fulani herdsmen

What kind of country will we be bequeathing to our children the next generation. How are we going to rebuild the cohesion that is needed for national development especially at these times of rough economic turbulence.

I think a well coordinated military type campaign for national cohesion should be launched. We need to embark on vigorous social re engineering so that people can begin to see the evil in ethnic distrust.

My real issue is how easy it is to indoctrinate and mobilize into evil while it remains virtually Herculean to do same for positive things. How come it’s ever so easy to indoctrinate someone to the point where he straps himself with a bomb and goes to kill himself and others all becuase he or she believes in a vision. Try to convince an average Nigerian to pick up a vision that will lead to positive growth and the kind of resistance you will get will baffle you.

Are we beginning to show signs of a failed state, are we beginning to go the way of Somalia and the rest. The signs are surely there, the collapse of the economy, frustrations amongst the populace, failure of national structures of governance, corruption, lack of social infrastructure and a dearth in the message of national rebirth. Leadership has failed us, even sports that used to be a uniting force has eluded us and we are in deep slumber, a macabre dance of death.

It’s sad.

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