The more priority is given to religion, ethnicity and culture, the more a crisis deteriorates. I am deeply saddened over the attacks ongoing in some sections of the nation.
Because of these differences, we kill, harass, intimidate and deny ourselves good peace, education and business, among other aspects of life. This is actually wrong and we need to get back to our senses and understand the impact in our differences. God didn’t gather us here in the same nation to harm one another because of our differences rather, it is to help one another.
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Constitutionally, every Nigerian has the right to live and own property wherever he/she needs irrespective of religion, ethnicity and cultural differences. Unfortunately, some have been killed while others injured just for residing in some parts of their fatherland.
To the best of my knowledge, we are one Nigeria no matter the regional or ethnic colouration. Then why the brouhaha if not planned by a few? I guess there are people behind the pandemonium; people who hate innocent Nigerians living in peace and harmony due to personal gain.
Such people are doing more harm than good to our communities through the use of unscrupulous minds; recruiting them and arming them with weapons and drugs to annihilate our communities and destabilize our peace.
Nigerians really need reorientation on the significance of unity in diversity, because there is no way we will allow a few misguided ones to compromise our lives for their selfish gains.
The dramatic part of this is that the land, the region, the culture plus the ethnicity we claim to belong to, exist before us and we will leave them here. Then why must you fight over them? All the regions depend on one another, and none can exist without the other.
Today Hausa/Fulani are being attacked in Yoruba land, tomorrow Yoruba will be attacked in Igbo land, Igbo in Hausa/Fulani land, next tomorrow will be the minorities to be attacked.
Both Islam and Christianity are against such acts. Therefore, we need to tell ourselves the truth behind the good teaching of our religions if not we may end up the worse for it.
Finally, I am calling on the masterminds of these crises to fear God and stop generating conflict among Nigerians. The government should stand up and do the needful by fishing out the perpetrators to face the wrath of the law.
By Helen Ekemena Igbodo, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri
