A Government Of Lookers And Listeners -By Kene Obiezu

The abominable abduction of some schoolchildren and their schoolteachers in Oyo State has predictably sent shockwaves across the country. To grind salt into the grave injuries of Nigerians, a video has appeared showing the beheading of one of the teachers by his captors.

In separate videos, distressed school teachers have also been shown begging the government and Nigerians to come to their aid.

I seriously wonder how Nigerians can still sleep every night after seeing these things repeated almost daily in a nonstop cycle. Nigeria has become a terrorized country where ragtag criminals operate with chilling abandon as if there is no government.

Maybe there just isn’t a government. After all, there is no greater indictment of an ineffective government than insecurity. Nigerians can barely sleep with both eyes closed these days. All over the country, every day brings news of one attack or the other in one place or the other.

In response to the attack that happened within his state, Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor, has confirmed that the government is making efforts to rescue the teachers and their students. Interestingly, he also stated that the government is ready to listen to the abductors and their demands.

It Is what governance has unfortunately been reduced to in Nigeria—listening and looking—all done in a posture of utter helplessness, hopelessness, and haplessness. In the face of such devilish and devastating insecurity, the hallmarks of an effective government would be decisive action and debilitating sanctions. Yet, in Nigeria’s case, when confronted by what is an existential threat, public office holders have suddenly become mendicants.

The irony is indeed jarring that a government that does not listen to its people is now ready to listen to terrorists. More than listening, it is now ready to comply with whatever absurd demands they make because it has run out of options. What hides behind this false concern for the safety and welfare of the teachers and students is state cowardice and crass incompetence.

A couple of days ago, terrorists descended like locusts on the Askira-Uba Local Government area of Borno state. More than fifty schoolchildren were taken. Nigeria has effectively become a graveyard where the bones of children protrude from the ground in a macabre display of a museum of murderous incompetence.
Teachers and students were abducted, and a teacher was beheaded; yet, an emergency has not been declared anywhere. Let it be stated clearly: a country that allows the beheading of its teachers is a country that has lent its sharpened knives to the decapitators of its future.
There is no gainsaying that such a country is doomed.

Nigeria faces a stark security crisis. Nowhere seems safe. Even the places considered safe have been rattled by one breach of security or the other. To make matters worse, all those in government seem to be interested in doing is scheming on how to retain power in 2023.
Education in Nigeria also faces a grave threat. These days, schoolchildren are frequently attacked, and schools have become danger zones.

It Is truly a catastrophic situation because while Nigeria is doing nothing to put millions of its children who are out of school back in school, those who brave poverty and insecurity to be in school have become prey of ruthless non-state actors.

If things continue like this, then Nigeria is definitely headed to the precipice.

Kene Obiezu is a lawyer and writer.