The continuing blur of mischief, lies, bigotry and propaganda in the global political cloud have been a great source of concern specifically among the third world countries like Nigeria. In fact, insecurity, rights abuses, lawlessness, corruption and other forms of injustices have been posing grave dangers to the the people.
This is even more worrisome given the appalling desires of different interest groups to selfishly legitimise corruption across public and private services in order to enrich themselves at the detriment of the larger society .
Today, insecurity and corruption have regrettably ruined nearly every sector of the Nigerian economy and sadly placed the country into a dehumanising condition such that it is being closely ranked with Afghanistan and Syria on the global list of war torn countries engulfed in devastating terror and insurgency.
This is notwithstanding bad leadership, which in itself, has created many other artificial problems especially one of class discrimination that have negatively impacted on Nigeria’s diversity and fault lines, forming the tribes of the riches on one hand and the poor on the other.
Much more displeasing, for instance, is the sad reality that Nigeria’s elite class has for a record number of years been forcing themselves to the center of politics and confine power rotations only among their immediate families and associates who also have an ultimate degree of influence on the economy. Meanwhile, they are obvious of the aspirations of the poor.
They have built bridges and erected barriers to demarcate relationship with the poor class from all conners; prohibiting their sons and daughters from marriages with the poor, providing themselves adequate healthcare, education and security. Sad!!
Worse of all is that those in the poor class are still getting it wrong. They have become artificially infused into thinking that ethnicity and religion are the only ladders that could change Nigeria from a dreadful place of insurgency to paradise. Consequently, for the common man, whatever crime someone from the ruling class commits would simply have to be overlooked in the event that they share ethnic affiliation or faith with them. This is stupid and unless the poor understand this, things may probably not change in this part of the world.
Bashir Hassan,
Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri,
Maiduguri, Borno state
