A Nation United in Tragedy
Recently, the small nation of South Korea suffered a disaster involving a ferry that sank with hundreds of schoolchildren on board. In the wake of the accident, the nation went sober, and there was widespread anger directed at the government, the captain of the ship, disaster-management teams and all parties that might have been involved in regulation and rescue.
It was a disaster of “national scale”, especially because of the hundreds of schoolchildren involved. Media houses in the country minimised their reporting on other matters to provide up-to-date information on the tragedy. The resources and technological wealth of the country were mobilised towards the rescue effort.
The pages of the nation’s newspapers were filled with up-to-date photographs of grieving parents, divers involved in the rescue effort and the remains of the ship as it sank further into the sea. International news organisations also played their part by keeping the world informed and independently investigating the likely cause of the accident.
Essentially, the entire nation was consumed by the tragedy. An article published by Reuters summed up the emotional mood of the country as the lifeless bodies of some of the children were pulled from the sunken ship.
A Different Response in Nigeria
Compare that incident with some recent events in Nigeria.
Hundreds of schoolchildren have been murdered in cold blood. Some were butchered, while others were burnt alive in their dormitories. Yet, the government remained indifferent. In fact, the nation’s president even attended a political gathering barely a week after one of such incidents—a reminder of the insensitivity of those in power and the wider insecurity troubling the country, particularly the North-East, where Boko Haram fighters operated with near impunity.
More troubling is the fate of the more than 200 schoolgirls recently abducted from their school in the small town of Chibok, Borno State.
The girls have been in the hands of their captors for weeks—most probably being abused—yet the nation pretends as though “all is well”.
To further aggravate the pain of the victims’ families, a few days after the kidnapping and barely 24 hours after a major bomb blast near Abuja claimed scores of lives, President Goodluck Jonathan attended a political rally in Kano State. He was pictured celebrating with his political associates before a cheering crowd.
No brief visit was made to Chibok, the school or the families of the abducted girls.
Public and Media Indifference
The Nigerian population has also been largely indifferent. There has hardly been any major protest demanding the freedom of the girls.
While international media organisations such as Al Jazeera have continued to update viewers on the girls’ fate and interview government officials, our local news has been filled with political events, proceedings of the ongoing National Conference and other less urgent matters.
Only a few organisations, such as Premium Times through its editorial, have made strong statements on the matter, registered their protests and called for mass action until the government takes substantial steps to free the girls from their abductors.
The Danger of Remaining Silent
To sum things up, this is a nation ruled by the wicked and populated by divided people.
Children are being kidnapped, maimed and killed in horrific ways, yet some people still find reasons to blame the victims—probably because it is not happening within their own “safe zones”.
Nobody wants to act because they feel comfortable and unconcerned about events elsewhere. Yet, experience has taught us repeatedly that what goes around may eventually come around.
Pastor Martin Niemöller captured this danger in the following words:
“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
The Time to Act Is Now
Your time to act from your comfort or “safe zone” is now.
Use your Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and every other social-networking account available to you to support mass action for the freedom of the more than 200 schoolgirls in captivity.
Make a difference. Use the popular hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, or any other platform available to you, to campaign for the freedom of the girls.
Act now.
Save our girls. Save our future!
Update: The Continuing Kidnapping of Schoolchildren
In the years since this tragedy, some of the abducted girls have been rescued or released through negotiations, but many remain unaccounted for.
Disturbingly, the pattern of targeting schoolchildren has continued across Nigeria. From mass abductions in states such as Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger to more recent cases of school kidnappings, these incidents show that the crisis is far from over.
Schools—once considered safe spaces—have become targets, and families across the country now live in fear. The need for sustained attention, accountability and decisive action to secure the freedom and safety of all affected children remains urgent.
The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. Thomas Jefferson......
ReplyDeleteSeriously, our leaders holds a different definition of good governance. To qoute Thomas Jefferson's concept of governance is simply setting an alien standard. Its a pity bro. Thanks
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