“You don’t want to die in Nigeria. Hell, you don’t even want to fall ill in Nigeria. You are just another number. You will be told ‘people die all the time in Nigeria, what makes you so special?”
These were words uttered to South African journalist, Robyn Kriel by a fellow member of the international press who is resident in Lagos.
The journalist in question was referring to the recent collapse of a building on the premises of popular Pastor T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue of All Nations and her statement holds true not only for that situation, but for many others that occur in the country.
The Nigerian life is worthless; we know it and unfortunately so does the world at large.
With regards to the building collapse, South Africa knew the exact number of its citizens that sadly perished in the unfortunate incident but how many Nigerians died there? No one knows.
Nigerians die every day; go missing every day, get killed every day, get lost every day but only their families are left to bear the brunt because we are all an individual government to ourselves.
As a Nigerian, you provide you own power supply, your own water, you darn well provide your own security.
A case in point on the worthlessness of the Nigerian life is theALUU 4 saga which occurred on October 5, 2012 in Port Harcourt; Four youngsters with bright futures snuffed out in a death undeserving even for the lowest of animals.
The question now is: what has been done to grant them justice? If such a thing had happened in a country with a better standard of living, there would have been a statement of condolence from the government, maybe even the president, but in Nigeria what do we get? Silence. Silence from the courts, silence from the government, just silence.
Over 200 girls were kidnapped from Chibok in Borno state on April 14, 2014, more than 6 months ago, and till now, they are still missing.
The Nigerian government wants us to stop politicizing the abduction of hundreds of children whose parents spend their days in grief and anguish without any form of closure.
Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh died of the Ebola Virus Diseaseon August 19, 2014, an ailment which she contracted while trying to protect Nigeria from a deadly epidemic; yet her country could not modify its laws in order to name her a national heroine.
Nigerians are being executed all over the world and disappearing without a trace but who will be held accountable when even their own government doesn’t care about them?
Sports broadcaster, Aisha Falode, has constantly appealed to the Nigerian government to help find the murderers of her son, 19-year-old Toba, who died in Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE) in February but nothing has been done.
However, the Federal Government has promised to unravel the circumstances behind the death of ex-Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s son Oyamuyefa who also died in Dubai.
One of the major reasons why Nigeria is where it is, why we are so backward despite being so blessed, is because there is no value for life. An American soldier would head for an almost certain death in Iraq because he knows that he is not just a number, he is an American.
Until the Nigerian life is valued by its country, until we are seen as precious human beings and not just masses of flesh occupying space, until our lives are no longer worthless, we are not likely to make progress as a country.
The time for change is now…
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