To Your Tent?

I have seen some videos online
consistently in the past few weeks
Video recording of young men having
demonic baths on the streets, in
market places, in graveyards, and
doing all sorts in order to become
suddenly wealthy in life.
While we all know that some of the
boys were being
scammed by some spiritualists who
are ripping them off for their
desperation to become rich, there are
some of them who actually invoke
real demonic powers and come into
money through this means.
Of course, it is only after they had
made the money that they will realize
it was not worth it in any way
There is a deeper consequence which
many of us are not paying attention to,
the devil does not stop at baths in
graveyards and eating on graves
It is always a slippery slope and
before long we will be retweeting
pictures of missing persons and
praying for the release of some
people who will eventually end
up as victims of these desperate
boys and girls.
The rate of kidnapping has also
increased drastically in the nation,
nobodies are being kidnapped for a
ransom of as low as 50,000 Naira
I was in Sokoto two weeks ago,
people told us (begged us) not to
travel by road
Northern Nigeria has become one
of those places where you visit at
your own risk due to the activities
of bandits which had been left to
roam unchecked and even encouraged
by the government of the nation
with publicly announced
cash gifts for their previous exploits
I get an average of five prayer requests
from families of victims of kidnappings
every week
In a country that has a government
In a country that was supposed to
have a government
Democracy is worse than military
regimes from where I stand
During the military regimes, the
activities of bandits and kidnappers
and their kinds were checked by
sheer force and fear
Yes, the military leaders looted the
treasury but we were far safer as a
people than we are now
If this present Nigeria is the dividends
of the democracy many died for,
I am sorry but I believe
that as a nation we got the short end
of the stick
The only people who have actually
benefitted from democracy are the
politicians
I cannot remember in any way how
democracy has made Nigeria better
I used to boast about the freedom of
the press in a democracy
I am a trained journalist and I remember
the dark days following June 12 annulment
up till the Abacha misrule.
I woke up this morning and I found out
TV stations are being suspended now for
interviewing certain agitators while
being sponsored for interviewing terrorist
kingpins from other parts of the country
So where then is the freedom of the
press? Dead!
Men of God were encouraged to keep to
their altars and leave the political arena
alone for the government but the social ills
always land right back on the pastor’s
doorstep
They bear the brunt of the selfishness and
wickedness of the leaders who have robed
corruption in purple and placed their
ambition above the welfare of all
Simply because of the 2023 power tussle,
the North released the Kraken in 2021,
meaning until they get their wish in the
next election the rate of kidnappings
and unrest will only escalate
This cycle has been on since 1999
It birthed Boko Haram and other bandits
All they see here is the power of
negotiation
The next president will use insecurity
as a political slogan and promise to kill
terrorism once and for all
It will be a lie.
Banditry and terrorism are now official
political tools for the desperate, a
talking point for the political leaders
We have all seen in the last few weeks
how so-called activists are mostly
hustlers
We really do not have a voice anymore
as a people,
We have been stifled!
The social media influencers are
making trends in exchange for a fee
PDP is sponsoring some
APC is sponsoring some
Boko Haram is sponsoring some
Drug barons are sponsoring some
IPOB is sponsoring some
USA is sponsoring some
Jack, the founder of twitter is backing
some and Conscience is sponsoring
none
We have a nation on fire and nobody
seems to care about anything but
their own interest
The call by some people who were
supposed to be wise was for everybody
to leave
Really?
Two hundred people should leave the
nation?
What a solution?
What stupidity!
The same people saying this are living
abroad but have no relevance abroad
Their social media following existed
basically because there is a Nigeria
Most of their followers are in Nigeria
Their relevance is all puff and smoke
without a Nigeria
I believe most of them speak mainly
out of emotion
Influencers should pay some more
attention to reason
Just 10% of Nigerians cannot leave
We must find a way to make this nation
work either as a whole or divided
I am very pragmatic
If you cannot feed a white elephant,
you can kill it to feed the people
The people are more important
than the selfish interest of a few
I sincerely don’t think the government
can do any better and I don’t think the
people can do any worse
Nigeria is simply stuck
I got a phone call yesterday from a
Christian brother who loves this nation
He had been sending me messages
calling
my attention to the ills spreading over
the nation like a sorcerer’s blanket
We spoke for some time
He is worried about Nigeria like most
people are
All the signs of a nation in crisis are
evident but as Asa sang,
“Nobody seems to be on the run”
Desperation is driving Nigerians
into all sorts
The line between right and wrong is
so blurred
Imagine how reality works now all over
the nation
Right and Wrong gets a crowd and do a
shouting match
Whoever shouts the most wins the day
That’s the formula Nigerian leaders
employ now in solving problems
Protesters will protest
Supporters will support
Both sides will get paid but the issues
will remain unresolved
Some of us are praying for Nigeria
every day
The church has paid a hefty price for
this nation and still continues to pay
such a price every day
The nation is churning out hopeless
citizens everyday
Hopelessness breeds desperation
Like the Israel of old, everyone is
doing whatever they can to make ends
meet
Internet fraudsters are the new heroes
Policemen are exploiting innocent
citizens every day
secessionists are crying blue murder
Citizens are suffering
It is time for a reset
The one-time chief anti-corruption
crusader in the nation has proven to
us in the last six years that there is
no vaccine against corruption
The footprint of his reign shows that
it is all man for himself and God for
us all
Many say they believe in Nigeria
bit they really don’t
Their action as they try to make ends
meet every day shows they dont
Those propagating lies to smear the
government are not helping matters
too
Why not highlight the obvious faults
rather than promote imaginary
tragedies that make it seem like you
were paid to trend fake news
It is time to determine the destiny of
this nation
I have seen the power of the Holy Spirit
do great wonders
If we must be one, let it be by the Spirit
If we must part ways, let it also be by
the Spirit
We can have peace either way but only
by the Spirit!