COW AND BLOOD DEMOCRACY

BY IKECHUKWU AGADA

All eyes with sky-high expectations are locked with the President to review his catch statement during his first inauguration: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”  to  ” I am not for all Nigerians but for my tribe only”. 

Nigeria presently is under siege in a war like situation and the inherent danger worsens by the day. There seems no end in sight to the horror and carnage unleashed by bandits. From the agonizing tales of survivors to viral videos getting clicks up and down, the reputation of the country has been beating to the ground as one of the most insecure nations of the world to live in.  

Indeed, the crime rate in the country has shot up astronomically in recent times with only a few of the figures being recorded. With war drums beating across the length and breadth of the country, tensions are already flaming up prompting people to leave in droves including investors to more secured African nations. Nigeria being the giant of Africa is just mere semantics. 

Two words describe Nigeria democracy at the moment: ” Cow and Blood”. Nigeria has written a brand new chapter into the coveted book of democracy. She has made history as the only country in the world where “Cow Democracy” is operational.  Killings, banditry, kidnapping, terrorism among others are the major news daily decorating the front pages of national dailies. Some of these bandits with a display of untouchable charisma in their ignoble trade, appear to be like the proverbial cat with nine lives as they walk free several poles apart from the long arm of the law citing backing from above. 

The inability of the security agencies to neutralise their nefarious activities have emboldened them as they have extended their wickedness from the major highways to the communities, villages and homes across the country killing, maiming, kidnapping for ransom among other criminalities. The spike in the blood of Nigerians slaughtered in recent times on a daily basis has reached alarming proportions. 

All men and women of good conscience should condemn these ugly daily episodes of anguish, pain, and tears from families because cows are given more priority than human lives. The blood of these innocent Nigerians cry for vengeance. These haggard, illiterate and poor communicators of English Language bandits terrorising the country are not operating alone as their coordinated activities, advanced weaponry speak volumes of the heavy war chest sponsors benefitting from the evils. The situation on ground calls for self-defence at all times.

Except I am overreading the situation, it is asinine for some political and religious ideologically challenged devils to declare war on the nation for some ulterior motives. Their real intentions, when unmasked, are more odoriferous than the rosy smells Nigerians are being treated to. It is insulting for any group or tribe to arrogate ownership of Nigeria to itself. Such comedy should be jettisoned at this perilous time in the nation’s life. 

Unless, something urgent is done now, 2023 is going to be a cross-over year. Even more than the walls of expectations raised against the presidential election in 2015, the ongoing fortifications for that of 2023 are likely to match-if not already surpass- the biblical walls of Jericho but these walls fell with the blast of trumpets. It is time to get your trumpet against these unseen walls being erected ahead of 2023, against the Nigerian masses. 

Nigeria belongs to Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation. Security is everyone’s business but Justice, equity and fairness must be entrenched. Criminality should be treated as one irrespective of its tribe or religion. Democracy as promulgated by Lincoln should be practised in words and action to delete this retrogressive and gradually precipitating blood sucking government of the cows, by the cows and for the cows.