Wonders shall never stop happening and as I look at our dear nation Nigeria, I am beginning to wonder when the wars will end. Indeed, any challenge in governance must be combated with a ‘war’ rather than an appropriate action plan. Ours has become a blame game which is a product of psychological disorder popularly referred to as ‘see what you made me do?’ No one wants to take responsibility. Someone else must be guilty for whatever goes wrong at all levels in the society. We have enjoyed for a long time our exaggerated and falsified approach to life. Often, we try to kill a fly or mosquito with a sledge hammer! Only in Nigeria can this happen! We have heard of wars being fought in battle fields, however, most wars being fought in Nigeria have no visible battle grounds. Only the Biafra and the Boko Haram are two notable wars which can be classified as real wars. The Herdsmen War is another serious war in Nigeria where many lives have been lost so far. The others are wars being fought with mere ‘kid gloves’. Below is a comprehensive list of the remote and recent ‘war’ experiences in Nigeria:
The Biafra Civil War BCW
War Against Illiteracy WAI
War Against Indiscipline WAI
War Against Corruption WAC
War Against Looting/Fraud WAL
War Against Insurgency WAI
War Against Boko Haram WAB ie Boko Haram’s Holy War on Nigeria
War Against Fulani -Herdsmen WAF
War Against Nepotism WAN
War Against Religion WAR
War Against Democracy WAD
War Against Tribalism WAT
War Against the Militants WAM
War Against IPOB WAIPOB
War Against Everything Else WAE!!!!
Lord have mercy! Which is which? Na so so war against one thing or another abi we no go tire? We have waged so many wars the war acronyms are getting duplicated or exhausted! Very soon we will wage a war against reality or shall I say War Against Reason (WAR), since we are so WAR-HUNGRY as toothless bull dogs! We pronounce wars and pretend to prosecute them BUT never pursue them to logical conclusions. For example, how many of these wars have we fought and won? We can only lay claim to the Biafra civil war for now or else…
‘Finishiative’ is the ability to finish what you initiate. Finitiative is definitely not in our reasoning even if it is in the contemporary dictionaries! We are only superactive with our ideas/initiatives. What a shame, Initiative without Fiinitiative, banza ni! We have even fought a war against finitiative and lost! No wonder some people have said that the problem with Nigeria is not with the paucity of ideas. We have the best of creative thinkers. We also are blessed with people who can articulate and present ideas in writing or in oratorical deliveries with the best of English language, even better than the English people! The most vital and crucial aspect of the best and most profound ideas in the world or in life is the successful actualization and we lack this. If this is lacking in anyone or any group of people/society, it becomes a serious problem of all. This is the bane of our society. Can we just lay these WARS to rest and start the process of actualizing our thoughts and ideas? How nice!
When will Nigeria end the seamless and endless wars and get to work? When are we going to end our endless preparation to face reality? (A nfi odun mewa pile were – meaning it is taking us ten years to prepare for malady!). To me these wars are mere distractions and attention seeking ploys. Enough is enough. We have heard about wars for far too long and on a more serious note, we have fought only one civil war (Biafra War) and the scar still remains with us as a nation. Even the late Elder Statesman Odumegwu Ojukwu, Leader of the Biafra War, in his life time said “another war in Nigeria will be one too many!”. The Boko Haram war is still on-going and no one knows when it will end. The other fake wars without guns and bombs must be brought to a halt. Let us give them another name(s), may be Action Plan (AP)! Such Action plans may be directed to construct, initiate, repair, rebuild or orchestrate meaningful developmental activities, instead of the over-used WAR appelation.
The following are some suggested Action Plans (AP):
AP to eradicate Illiteracy in the society
AP to curb Indiscipline in the society
AP to curb Insecurity/Insurgency
AP eliminate Nepotism and tribalism in governance
AP to make Corruption a taboo in our society
AP to control Religious Bigotry in Nigeria
AP to put a halt to Looting/Fraud in Nigeria
AP put an end to Indolence/Poor work ethics
AP to promote peace and progress in Nigeria
AP to jettison African Time in the society
AP to introduce/install everything else that’s good for Nigeria!!!!!!!
The eleven items listed above remain the number of players which make up a soccer team. Fortunately, our Nigerian soccer team has made us proud by winning us the Gold Medal during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Rather than waging some wars which soon become moribund, we should craft and execute Action Plans (AP) which are achievable with successful finitiatives. Nigeria will be the better for it.
In the meantime, let all Nigerians join me in bringing an end to calling governmental desires and actions ‘Wars’ and replace them with a simpler and more apt terminology called ’Action Plan’ (AP). The word WAR has become so sick, nauseating and stale. It should be jettisoned henceforth! Nigerians are neither for nor against a particular habit, issues, or other humanly preoccupations. What is important is the name given to the issue. We are tired of the use of the word WARs which we often fight with kid gloves! We can do better. There shall be no more wars in our land in the name of Jesus. It is going to be peace, progress and development from now on. So help us God.
