Rome was Burning, Nero was Fiddling!! Young Nigerians are Dying, We Must not Stay Silent!!

Bear with me if I do not come across as articulate as I should, I am emotionally down (read in tears) reading about the Murders of Ukeoma Ikechukwu and Obinna Okpokiri, two NYSC members who died in course of serving their nation… It is ironical, isn’t it, dying for a nation that does not give a hoot about you (I digress; this is about the death of these fellow Nigerians and not about Nigeria).

I remember calling my mom in tears on the second day of my NYSC orientation camp in Isialangwa, Abia State, I was crying because I had been queuing up in the rain, the sleeping arrangement was appalling, the food was horrid, hygiene was non-existent, in the scheme of things extremely mundane issues but my distress call got my mother panicking and making plans to get me back to Lagos ASAP… Ukeoma and Obinna’s mothers are never going to get the chance of responding to their sons’ distress calls not to talk of getting them back home. Their lives have been cut short for selfish and wicked reasons.

My friend Foluke, a medical doctor is currently serving in Katsina state, she was in the market when the riot started, fortunately she’s alive to narrate her experience. She had to park her car in front of an Islamic school, remove her car number plates and beg some indigenes for an hijab to disguise herself. They were kind enough to hide her in their house till things settled and she returned home

Every time I get a Blackberry broadcast message about a corper in distress or dying, or read an article or a tweet, I think to myself, it could have been me and my heart bleeds. I keep visiting Ukeoma's Facebook page to read his last status, I can almost recite it by heart now. This young man was proud to serve his nation, he stood for truth and integrity and he was rewarded with death.

Ukeoma we know, Obinna we know, there are several others dead, some injured and some unaccounted for. At some point or the other, we are all called to serve our nation and posted to unfamiliar places. Against our will, we respond to this deadly “clarion call” like these ones did. Let’s not fold our hands and watch these young ones die in vain. As a group of “Nigerian Youths” we succeeded in promoting mass voter participation, as a group we can also seek justice for these ones.

Let us not stay silent and pretend this is not happening. Let us seek justice for the departed and the remnant corpers who are yet to be evacuated from these areas. Kindly join 100,000 Youths call for Justice for the family of slain Youth Corpers and sign an accompanying petition here. It’s a petition seeking compensation for the families of the department and pushing for a bill at the National Assembly to make NYSC optional or thoroughly reformed. Also, please spread the message, let's push for numbers!

Thank you, God bless you and God bless Nigeria!

Journey To Uhuru

I love discussing politics but I do not write political pieces. I cannot call this a political piece, (it will be insulting on the great political pieces I garner information from), it is more of my thoughts on Nigeria’s current political landscape.

It is not yet Uhuru for Nigeria both in terms of the political landscape and conducting credible, free and fair elections but we have begun our journey to Uhuru and each step brings us closer. Several things excite me about Saturday’s NASS elections and reinforce my faith in a better Nigeria. Although far from perfect, compared to previous elections since Nigeria's return to democracy, it is a huge improvement. Disappointingly, INEC is yet to release the official comprehensive results of the NASS election, but from information available on Nigeria Elections Coalition, based on results released by INEC so far, PDP currently has 55% of the Seats in the Senate and 49% in the House of Representatives.

A couple of friends have asked why people like me are Anti-PDP, considering all Nigerian political parties are the same with no political ideologies. As much as I agree with the sentiment that Nigerian political parties lack political ideologies, a question I pose in response is “how can political ideologies be developed if a single party stays in overwhelming majority forever with no fear of losing dominance?” Nigeria’s democracy is young and it is not unusual not to have ideologies, however, what will be unusual is not moving towards developing ideologies. The mix in the new NASS is a step towards this as legislators voting for bills along party lines will lay the foundation. Rome was not built in a day, so how can Nigeria be built in a day? :| (Of course, I have other reasons for being Anti-PDP but this piece is not about that so moving on!)

Another issue that excites me is the role new media played and is currently playing in Nigeria’s political landscape. As an avid advocate of the usefulness of new media, I have been involved in several debates on whether new media can be effective in Nigeria. This piece is not about new media so I will not delve into details but can the lawyer in me say “I rest my case” :)

Most exciting for me however is the fact that the Nigerian electorate is gradually finding its voice. Elected public officers have no choice but to acknowledge that they can be booted out. As many rightly argue, most politicians in the opposition are recycled. However the home that recycles also has the option of incinerating – Ask Iyabo Bello Obasanjo and Dimeji Bankole. O ye Nigerian Politicians, the fear of the Nigerian electorate should be the beginning of wisdom.

So why this epistle? My way of encouraging everyone to play an active role. Come Saturday April 16 and Tuesday, April 26, come out and #pressyahand for your conscience irrespective of who you think may or may not win. Your voting should not only be seen as voting a candidate in or out of office but also see it as your contribution to developing a vibrant democracy in Nigeria where the voice of the people matter.

Still on politics, if you are in need of a good laugh, I recommend reading tweets from @TeamDeleMomodu, @delemomodu2011  and for good music, listen to Dame P's Umblerra  below:|

God bless Nigeria!