“I have always found it hard to believe that some human beings were merely created by God to cause others discomfort, grief and pain. I cannot fathom any reason a person created by God should behave so barbarically as to take the life of his fellow human being. But recent events in the world, particularly Nigeria, have caused me to have a re-think. Are you not a witness to the atrocities going on all over Nigeria? From east to west, north to south, the story is the same. To some people, life is not worth anything anymore. They kill and maim as easily as they gulp a glass of wine. This is how brutish life has become in Nigeria,” he began.
Still reflecting on the development, “I sat through the weekend of last week pondering the sad events that have occurred in recent times and how much impact they have had on the psyche of those that have fallen victim, why do some people behave as if they would never die? The stories we read daily are sometimes too preposterous to believe. There are no longer boundaries or respect for the sanctity of life. Even blood relationships mean nothing to some people anymore. The recent story of a herbalist who killed a 68-year-old retired female Customs Officer that had gone to him for prayers to conceive and bear a child was horrifying.
To show the depth of hardheartedness our nation has sunk, the culprit did not betray any emotions or remorse as he spoke on national television. He did not see anything wrong in killing a woman and her daughter who had gone to him for solace. Before the bubble burst he had fleeced the woman of millions of Naira in cash and property. Evil cannot be allowed to continue to thrive in our land, when we can do something to put a stop to it. The stigma Nigeria is gradually acquiring is that of notoriety. Which is why I have asked: How much is life worth in Nigeria? We cannot make any meaningful progress as a nation if the safety of lives and properties is not guaranteed.”
Proffering solutions to the mishaps, he suggested the following:
First, we need to redirect the consciousness of the families to begin to play their assigned roles in nation-building. Family traditions, norms and values should be re-established to serve as a moral compass for the families.
The government has a huge role to play. It should introduce courses that will help develop the child from kindergarten right up to the University. The idea is to gradually build confidence in the child and orient it to the direction it should go. It is wrong to try to reorient a person when he is already grown.
There is also the need for the citizenry to be more alive to their civic duties by shunning corruption, immorality and slothfulness. They must expose those who make life unbearable for them, and by so doing avoid falling victims themselves. It is only when this has been achieved that life can be worth living in Nigeria. Till that happens, I can never stop asking: How much is life worth in Nigeria?