Resolutions are made and often renewed on the first day of every new year with a view to attaining greater heights. These resolutions, made in secrecy or in the open, are often pursued, adhered to or guarded religiously with a purpose. As events unfold, the content of these new pathways become glaring to observers equally as fate contributes its quota.
On a clement weathered day, Christian faithfuls had gone to observe Sunday worship and join in the commemorative prayers in remembrance of Nigeria’s heroes past as well as thank the Almighty for the relative peace experienced in the state in the wake of the November 28, 2008 mayhem. Little did they know that the Sunday was about to be desecrated by willing tools in the hands of political miscreants who saw the last mayhem as a misdemeanour.
Like a volcano, violence erupted again in Jos and in a matter of minutes terror replaced serenity as fear took hold of the city. Panic ghosted around homes and the minds of once air-breathing humans swiftly transformed into blood-thirsty vampires, haunting down innocent citizens with all available weapons. An anonymous eyewitness described the unfortunate event as a playback of the Rwandan genocide. Clearly, some people had it as their resolution to disrupt the peace of the traditional Home of Peace and Tourism, under whatever disguise.
Discussing such terrorism related issues readily brings to mind Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian whose odd Christmas gift to the Americans earned the nation a place on the terrorism watch list of the American government. Indeed it was pyromaniacs that unleashed havoc on innocent souls and property in Jos. Amidst calls from Nigerians, led by the Minister, Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, for the nation’s delisting, another sectarian clash only quashed and rubbished efforts being made to salvage the nation’s battered image and reinforce the “good people, great nation” message of the rebranding crusade.
Rather than express unity in diversity, mischief makers have established the nation’s diversity as a potent threat to national unity and development. Religion, widely described as the Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian politics, is manipulated at every opportunity to achieve parochial goals, even when no religion promotes violence.
The governments (federal and state) have failed in their primary responsibility of providing security for the people. This stems from the fact that the January 17, 2010 clash happened under the nose of a sitting panel of inquiry into previous crises, one of many whose recommendations have been swept under the carpet.
Drastic measures must be taken if the right and desire of every Nigerian to live and school in any state without fear of discrimination or attack is to be guaranteed. The lives and security of students, especially those of the University of Jos, are constantly threatened in every ethno-religious clash owing to the location of its campuses. This fear was evident in the quick rescue mission by some state governments in evacuating their endangered indigenes to safety. Many are of the opinion that innocent students would have been maimed, assaulted and possibly killed if not for this intervention coupled with the fact that the terror was not unleashed on a weekday.
Reputation is what you do, say and what others say about you. It is the template for assessing individual and corporate entities in order to determine their ratings before reasonable members of human society. Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or religion, must aspire for peaceful co-existence in the race for sustainable development and refurbishing the negative image acts of this nature have bestowed on the nation.
By Samuel Olaniran
