THE NIGERIAN TRAGEDY: A NATION ON THE EDGE

June 3^rd 2012 will be one of many days that stirs feelings of unimaginable grief and sorrow in the hearts of many.

Nigeria is a country that has, in recent times, become all too familiar with the spate of tragic and catastrophic events. Bomb attacks, ghastly road traffic accidents and now, another plane crash.

Many will find it difficult to come to terms with this reality. The bereaved may never be able to live life as they have previously known. What is it that makes death from the June 3^rd Dana Air Plane crash different from death by any other means? Why is it that the bereaved will find it difficult coping with this tragic loss? The most likely answer would be because the blood of the deceased is in the hands of our leaders.

It may seem redundant to lay blame on who was responsible for what, and who wasn’t doing his/her job properly that may have led to the crash; however, the reality is that the crash could have been any other airline. This is because the policies and regulations put in place by the relevant authorities were not followed (and are hardly ever followed) to ensure the safety of the lives of air travelers. The Dana passengers, on that tragically fateful flight, were just the unlucky victims of a broken system.

One need not be an aviation expert or aerospace engineer to deduce that faulty airplanes have no business flying in the sky. A popular Nigerian comical truism goes “there’s no parking space in the sky”; indeed there isn’t. This leads one to speculate what could have been done to avert this disaster and many others waiting to happen. There are a million and one things that could have been put in place to ensure passenger safety – but none of them matter to the families of the deceased right now, as grief and pain are the only languages they understand.

Human life is increasingly beginning to lose value in a capitalist world, where money is our god and financial security is put before all else. But when one loses a loved one(s) in so tragic a manner, the pain and hatred cuts deep beyond description, and all the money and compensation in the world would never bring back the dead or take us back in time to tell the passengers not to board that ill-fated flight.

Nigeria is a nation on the edge. On the verge of total failure and collapse. Our leaders have conceded defeat and have allowed the nation spiral down into despondency and squalor; a haven for corruption, mismanagement and unaccountability.

Act as you please, make your money and go home - should be our new motto, because after June 3^rd, one may find it difficult to see the Unity in a nation where Islamic fundamentalist have resolved to wipe out selected groups in a country they all share; Faith in a nation where opportunities are out of the reach of the underprivileged; Peace in a nation at war with itself; and Progress where more people descend into squalid impoverishment on a daily basis due to corruption.

As we mourn the loss of the innocent lives of that air tragedy (and all the other tragedies that occurred that week and in the past year), we must also remember to mourn the loss of the Nigeria of our dreams. A nation that was to be the envy of the West. The model for Africa, a beacon of economic and social progress marked with outstanding increase in living standards and quality of life. A nation that made us proud. That imaginary Nigeria where people boarded an aircraft and landed safely on the tarmac to meet the warm embrace of their loved ones.

We must mourn, all day, everyday; until change comes.

To the departed…..R.I.P

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