In historical context, the real (coming) liberation of Nigeria is not a biafran agenda. That sounds genocidal. It is the people’s agenda that will bring freedom.

Still Not Another Great Year

By Adeola Aderounmu

One of my closing articles last year 2014 was titled lt Was Not A Great Year.

I recognized, though, that 2014 was a breakthrough for someone or some people.

It is the same for 2015. The year will end soon.  Femi got engaged to Ann. Someone got married. Another got a job. Someone finally laid the foundation for a house or one family finally moved to their dream home.

Perhaps someone started school in Accra or in the US.

These feats like building a mansion or having the economic means to attend the school of one’s choice outside of Nigeria could be hard-earned personal achievements or breakthroughs.

Some feats are definitely based on ill-earned wealth like looting of state or national treasury. Some people robbed the bank and some cheated some corporate bodies here and there.

In my world, genuine achievements are the only ones worth celebrating.

In my personal opinion, for Nigeria and Nigerians especially the common people with whom l associate, 2015 will not be remembered as a great year.

I don’t even want to think about the sorrows of Mama-ibeji whose two sons were gunned down by a psycho policeman because no one in position of authority in Lagos state is taking the responsibility for the tragedy.

For those in authority and for all those who have grown insensitive to the real meaning of life, it is merry as usual no matter where the next tragedy is aiming.

In 2015 more Nigerians slided down into the unemployment curve.

Generally poverty remains rife and sadly a persistent way of life for several millions.

Social injustice took a turn for the worse.  Hate crime and crimes in general increased.  Apathy and inaffection took control of millions of people.

War continues to ravage some parts of Northern Nigeria. Despite the claim of technical victory of the Nigerian government, killings linked to foreign religions and faiths escalated. Even killings related to pure tribal killings escalated in different regions.

What is technical defeat? Deceits in Nigeria has helped in the inventions of varbose terminologies. In 1993 we learnt that annulment was different from cancellation. So again l ask, what is technical defeat or technical victory?

The response of the Nigerian army leading to the summary execution of some fundamentalists in Zaria will continue to attract attention and condemnation for the present government.

Religion has laid fertile grounds to future violence and catastrophes in several parts of Nigeria. I don’t see a way out soon. Telling people to do away with religion in Nigeria is a license to creating more enemies for yourself. They don’t understand history.

I will remember many things about 2015.

Some of these memories won’t be about new developments. They will just be part of the shock that l have lived with most of my life.

Millions of people are living in Nigeria without a mind of their own. They cannot think for themselves about what is good and right. They don’t see or understand how governments and religions have made them zombies.

People’s mentalities have been permanently deformed. There are no cures.

In 2015 Nigerians are still listening to the same old music-that their politicians are criminals. The latest revelations have been dubbed Dasuki-gate.

I prefer to call it the Dasuki-Jonathan-Iweala gate. It is not different from the Babangida-gate when billions of dollars disappeared into thin air. It is not different from the Obasanjo-gate. It is the name that keep changing, Nigerian politicians are hard-core criminals.

Now, it is Dasuki that is talking. His arrest and confessions are enough to trigger a revolution in Nigeria.

I cannot ”shop” or ”buy” that denial that Buhari did not benefit from the Dasuki-Jonathan-Iweala gate. No, not yet.

Why should l believe all the confessions of Dasuki and take off only one of them because it is about Mr. Buhari? I can as well just dismiss all his confessions in that case.

True, the APC-led government is now acting under immense pressure in recent days.

I don’t feel sorry for Mr. Buhari and his supporters. They can try all they can. They can explain or justify all they can. What is unchangeable is that the Dasuki-Jonathan-Iweala largesse went round and came round.

Dasuki may have just bought his freedom by implicating Buhari. If he continues to talk, it will get messier. Suddenly a bail could be granted!

Who know? Nigerians may have heard and seen the end of another make-believe trial.

APC is not the solution to Nigeria’s problem.

It is the people of Nigeria who will determine when enough is enough.

They will do this by first, occupying and sacking the senate.

They will choose good men and women of impeccable character to sit and discuss how they want to live and pursue happiness. Soon, they will find it that this is do-able without a rotten and wasteful senate.

They will talk about what kind of life they want their children and grandchildren to live.

They will sit and plan a system of government that will work 200 years from now and forever more.

They will learn from history that this is how great nations arose, that no country was served with greatness on a platter of gold. It may take time, but this is where Nigeria’s greatness will be molded-when the people make up their minds.

When a senate is cutting ribbons to launch suggestion boxes then you know that the conquerors of Nigeria are truly insane.

When the people are ready, without a single loss of life, they will negotiate their existence within or without Nigeria.

It is not a Biafran agenda which sounds genocidal already. Rather it is a liberation-of-Nigeria-agenda and the people will orchestrate and carry it out.

This madness where a few privileged people have successfully sustained a permanently corrupt and haphazard system that enslave and punish more than 100 million people must come to an end.

It is arguably the biggest tragedy in the world unfolding since 1960.

Hence it is sad that at the end of 2015 the Nigerian government in its infinite mercilessness continue to make decisions whereby the people pay for the sins of the criminals in government.

The latest is the credit card palaver. It was the end of year present for all Nigerians for their resiliency.

It was a topping on the recurrent annual ritual of petroleum products scarcity.

These came on the heels of the biometric verification process that robbed millions of Nigerians the opportunity to run their bank accounts simply because they don’t live in Nigeria.

I could give a million reasons why 2015 was not a great year. Imagine if l delve into the health, education and infrastructure areas. What about if l went ahead to discuss the power sector and the failure of the manufacturing sector.

One thing is undeniable. Nigeria is now a backward country compared to the rest of the world.

There is however no end to this argument that 2015 was not a great year for Nigeria.

For me, to even imagine what lies ahead of Nigeria in 2016 under the prevailing global crash in oil-prices and other revolutionary advances around the world is totally hearbreaking

aderounmu@gmail.com