It may interest us that there is a scene in Tunde Kelani's 1999 film ṣaworo idẹ going round these days that seem way ahead of its time.
In that scene, an elderly man said something to the effect of: thieves want to help you solve a problem with the lock to your house and you are rejoicing.
This statement is very germane to the proposition of a US intervention in Nigeria's current palaver.
TO be succinctly and abundantly clear, no sane individual or group should be happy with the spate of killings in Nigeria beginning most prominently with the Niger Delta insurgency.
From those days of the Niger Delta insurgents and now Boko Haram and their many unintended consequences, no one is unscathed.
Every Nigerian is affected. But, apart from the victims of insurgency, there are countless other critical questions begging answers. For instance, what about the unaccounted for victims of the many pockets of wars and battles along ethnic and tribal divides across the country? What about Umuleri and Aguleri, what about Ifè and Modákẹ́kẹ́, I dare ask. What religious narratives fit these episodes?
Yet, like adding salt to our wounds, and in their signature crocodile gaits, politicians are endlessly taking advantage of our pitiful situation. And regrettably, as if we haven't yet learnt from our own history, our people are busy taking sides. Worse still, there is a seemingly naive plea for our very same afflictors to take away our pains and dress our wounds.
But, it should not be lost on anyone that certain political desperados wanting to grab power by every and any means and those whose interest this will serve may be orchestrating all these noise connecting government to Nigerian Christian genocide narrative.
Having unsuccessfully played the religion card during the 2023 Nigeria General elections, it is not so difficult to see through the veil how this current narratives and moves may be another batch of calculated attempts to get external help to undemocratically interfere in a democratic system. Getting the big brother with vested interest to wade in guns-a-blazing. Not that this in unprecedented but that it's taking a hugely barbaric turn.
Of course, we can fight the government for not doing enough to tackle our many national challenges. But, unfortunately
is government not doing enough, not our stack reality? And aren't we complicit?
Our political class always have everything except the political will to do what will benefit the people who gave them the political power. And do we not shield or defend them - as our people - wherever and whenever we can? And rain cats and dogs of blame if they're not our people.
But whose interest has blaming government served?
Not only will it not serve any sane interest to take sides or blame any particular government. The blame game is always a lost battle. And, by the way, is any side safe enough to take at this time?
Yet, and as always, are the people who take sides and blame blames not always the victims? Are the perpetual perpetrators not always safely far from the maddening crowd?
I am thinking - and so should you - what if all well meaning Nigerians commit to this issue of insecurity, including those desperados who want to covertly procure power?
What if, if you know a thief, you fight him, you call him out or simply, do not join him or take his side?
One popular way of taking sides these days is by labelling evil. One of such is the current labelling or killings in Nigeria as Christian genocide.
Such labelling begs many questions. For instance, are we saying that certain religion demands killing to worship their God - like rites and offerings? Or are some people simply servicing their covetous egos, killing people to possess their possessions?
Are we not simply putting people in religious boxes because of how they dress, the language they speak, their localisation or tribe or ethnicity?
Evil does not descreminate but unfortunately, it's victims do. And the evil they label only gets bigger and bolder.
As such, if we continue on this path of labelling evil, taking sides, crying wolves, building and promoting wrong narratives, calling our dog a bad name in order to get another dog, are we forgetting that all dogs bark and bite?
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