By: Rasak Ayanlakin (Democrat)
When will our government through a strongly established educational policy mandate the learning of History in our schools; both secondary and higher institution levels.
The news about the violent clash between Yoruba and Hausa has spread like kerosene fire – everyone; especially young ones had been overwhelmed with astonishment and wonderment at this uncanny barbarism.
To them; wastage of lives and properties over ethnic-related issues is novel and fresh. Meanwhile, ethnic crisis has been scaring Nigeria since the slave trade era and till today, it remains apparent.
We’ve witnessed a dramatic augmentation (increase) in ethnic violence; hence this is what actually gave birth to this write-up; and the writer’s perception that the non-negotiable peace has been rendered negotiable in the Nigerian context.
Whenever information about ethnic violence reaches me; I’m most time overwhelmed with sense of melancholia; not because of Nigerians as a whole, but some classes of people.
The class of defenseless children who are ignorant of the nitty-gritty of the war. The class of women who understand nothing about the genesis of provocation that metamorphosed into the crises.
The class of the armless old men/women who neither have the stamina to provoke war nor have the capacity to withstand the intensity of destruction these wars might cause; and finally the class of responsible youth who genuinely remain conscious of law and order and respect the right to live of their fellow Nigerians. They possess the stamina and needed physique and psyche to provoke violence; but pleased to remain conscious of the law and stay away from the break of this law.
I’ve not come here to provoke acrimonious arguments; I’ve come to use this golden opportunity to confidently state some condemnations against the murderous attack and counter-attacks already witnessed.
God bless the soul of Late Mrs. Adunni Oluwole! Adunni was a colorful politician and pro-colonial activist, who believed Nigeria, was never matured to be independent. Madam Adunni died many years ago, and hopefully her ideas (though bitter to our hearing), died along with her. After many years of Adunni’s death, Nigeria runs a nation that is divided along ethno-religious and lingo-cultural lines.
Our peaceful co-existence as a nation had always been truncated; our brother-keeperism treated with levity and unwarranted neglect.
If the whole of a community is on fire, an average Nigerian would never make a generous attempt towards assisting his community in extinguishing the fire – unless he sees the danger moving closer to his compound.
I understand Nigerians – a human live means nothing to them. Only their lives mean a lot to them (some apologies to the good and patriotic ones).
When a Hausa man is dying, a Yoruba man must forget about the murderous philosophy of tribalism. An Igbo woman is dying, let’s forget about religious affiliations, and get her treated. A Yoruba child is dying, let’s not be concerned about which part of the country he comes from. Here, we are talking about lives. I mean lives!
Over many decades, we’d been singing the illusion of the non-negotiability of peace; we’d not recorded a highly motivating repentance from perpetrators of ethnic violence. We need nobody to inform that the usual song of non-negotiability of peace is just a mere cajolery, hoax and Leviathan rhapsody (indeed a non-profitable ideology in the Nigerian context).
We should allow the negotiability of peace and be patient to witness what would be creditable results. No negotiators would prefer war to peace; vices to virtues; and violence to orderliness; anarchic atmosphere to tranquil atmosphere.
I’ve not gained adequate solace in researching which party should be taken liable for the cause of this atrocious occurrence. One fact remains crystal and obvious clear that whether a party was initially guilty or not; peace should be non-negotiable; and if negotiated; must be credited with prevailing values and regards.
You don’t address a cumbersome grotesque with unproductive solutions of yesterday. An unproductive solution of yesterday dutifully challenges us all to go and brainstorm for a novel and articulate modus operandi to resolving the problems.
Crisis and violence are unproductive solutions of yesterday; only people who cannot reason out of the box would subscribe to that again. We do not extinguish fire with fire. We do not cure madness with lunacy.
At this critical stage, it is imperative to note that human lives are easily consumed like ice-cream in the Nigerian context. This serves a clear indication of our level of heartlessness and callousness as Nigerians; it deserves a zero tolerance. Yes a zero tolerance.
If we’d been eliminating one another in the names of religious domination, ethnic supremacy and socio-political sovereignty and meet no positive outcomes; then nobody should sensitize us that we had just been just killing rat with atomic bombs. When you decide to kill a stubborn rat with atomic bomb; all other innocent animals including humans surrounding the scene also bear the gigantic consequences.
Conclusively, this humble writer is a pursuer of democratic and principled society where everybody will have his say; but the majority will be given their way. Let non-negotiable peace be negotiated; and we shall be glad to see that an average negotiator needs nothing but peace. Yes peace.
Rasak Ayanlakin (Democrat) is a social media commentator. He currently lives in Osun State. 08163124556.
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