Nigeria: Why I DO Not Hail Thee on Equality and Justice (Distressing Picture Alert)

Today, I reflect on a Nigeria I can no longer relate to. A Nigeria that saddens me as soon as its syllables reach my ears or touch the edge of my tongue. Nigeria We Hail Thee was the national anthem before it was replaced by Arise, O Compatriots in 1978. And just like a relic of the past, Nigeria seems bent on going backwards infinitely. 'Nigeria We Hail Thee' was always my favourite of the two. The lines of that anthem have never been truer or more needed than it is now and it would soon be obvious why this is so by the end of this post.

Why do I say Nigeria is going backwards? That's simple. The concept of equality has a peculiar meaning to the Nigerian ear. Ministers rob the state blind every day, reportedly buy houses costing twenty million euro, and swell up private Swiss bank accounts with stolen government cash  while pensioners literally perish in the sweltering sun of the land of their birth after months of starving without pay. Nigerians often say: "don't worry, God is in control. He will punish those greedy politicians." But get this: A desperate man steals a bracelet in the market place. How dare he steal! He must be taught a lesson. He must pay. He is burnt alive by a blood thirsty mob. The video is no longer available on YouTube. I saw it. It was vile.

At a time when other countries in the world are cleaning up their act; Egypt, Libya, Iraq - to name a few. Nigeria is busy going backwards. One of its greatest achievements this year is championing violence towards women. Remember this? Nothing happened to the perpetrators. Now look at the picture below. This is the latest incident to come to the attention of the Nigerian media. The culprits of such appalling violence  are almost never brought to book. The culprit in the latest case is yet to be caught. He may never be caught. Nigerian politicians and presumably the Police too have been too busy looking at how to corner adults who fancy same sex adults.

Source

Apparently homosexuality is the cause of poverty, rape, lack of good quality health care, bad roads, lack of electricity and pipe borne water in Nigeria. Homosexuality will not let Nigerians go to sleep at night. It is responsible for high mother-and-infant mortality rates. Man on man love starves Nigerians to death, robs them in broad daylight and stops them getting the thousands of jobs on offer in the highly thriving employment market. It destroys the transformers that provide badly needed electricity and causes needless accidents on death trap roads. Yes, homosexuality has many ills to answer for and the Nigerian government must exorcise its spirit so that its legislators on passing that bill can now think straight. Thanks to the Same Gender Marriage Prohibition Bill 2011, Nigeria can look forward to manna from heaven for its vulnerable citizens when USAID (plus other foreign aid and investment) dry up. Make no mistake, Obama means business about human rights. Nigeria will suffer through withdrawal of international aid if this bill becomes law. Good luck, Nigeria.

I finish by reflecting on Nigeria's previous national anthem: 'Nigeria We Hail Thee'. It is sad that it was replaced with 'Arise O Compatriots.'  There is nothing patriotic about oppressing a homosexual minority and taking away the human rights that every other Nigerian enjoys in expressing their sexuality.

Nigeria We Hail Thee*

Nigeria, we hail thee,

Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In brotherhood we stand,
Nigerians all, are proud to serve
our sovereign motherland.

Our flag shall be a symbol,
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honoured,
And this we count as gain
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain

O Lord of all creation,
Grant this our one request
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed
And so, with peace and plenty,
Nigeria may be blessed.

*"Nigeria We Hail Thee" - by Lillian Jean Williams. Courtesy of Wikisource