The Outsider Within Us

Growing up, I had a love-tug relationship with my brother. He was stubborn and so was I. He always yearned to be superior to me and I just wouldn't have it. I was older than he was and that was that but he wouldn't have it. Our bond was so strong that till date people think we are twins. As much as we used to fight growing up, we would never let a third party come between us. We would get together and (figuratively) beat down any such infiltrator. We had a bond, we had love and we still do. 

Our relationship back then reminds me of Nigeria and her citizens. We squabble due to our various differences stemming from religious bias to tribal ones and many more. Nonetheless, I've seen ALL Nigerians come together to repel abuse and insult and the likes from other countries. I've seen Nigerians come together to fight a common cause especially if it is against an "outsider". There have been "twitter war of words" against countries like Ghana and South Africa who "dared" to cross Nigerians. In those "wars", there weren't religious or tribal sides like we know of, we united against these "common enemies" as ONE NIGERIA. We also always came out victorious against all odds and regardless of how trivial or important the cause of the "war" was. 

One thing I know about Nigerians is our ability to unite against and win our common enemy. Take for example how we all came together to fight the near-unseen war against Ebola and how well we came out tops despite the tremendous scare, dire challenges and seriousness of the situation. We won the battle against the deadly Ebola virus, even in our unprepared state. 

What baffles me now is how we cannot all come together to fight our greatest enemy, Boko Haram. Perhaps we do not see these demented maniacs as "outsiders", after all our very own President Goodluck Jonathan once claimed that they "are our brothers"! 

I beg to differ from his school of thoughts that Nigerians are in any way related to those blood-thirsty emotionless barbaric and fanatical beasts called Boko Haram. How on earth does a human being mastermind a terrorist disguising as a student, attending an assembly on a Monday morning and blowing his devious self up alongside tens of innocent genuine students? What sort of mind conceives such a strategy to achieve a horrible and unjustifiable cause? 

I think it is way past time for all Nigerians to stand up and fight this war against terrorism on our soil. For the sake of ourselves, presently and for the future, I say it is high time we rise and take decisive  steps towards bringing an end to terrorism in our country. Human beings, fellow Nigerians at that, not goats nor sheep are being slaughtered, needlessly and avoidably, daily by Boko Haram. How long shall our soil continue to get drunk with the blood of the innocent while we carry on like it doesn't concern us? If we could unite against Ebola, I don't see nor understand why we have allowed things to degenerate to this level. 

It is time to wake up and realize that this isn't a fight between siblings nor political parties but rather a fight against "an outsider". All hands must be on deck and all religious or tribal bias shoved aside for victory to reign. The government should also carry out intense campaigns sensitizing Nigerians on how to spot terrorists before they can carry out their mindless killings, how to report these nefarious criminals, etc.  I believe if we leave no stone unturned in our quest to end Boko Haram's reign, we will succeed and come out victorious. 

Rest in peace young lads.