Between Us and the Americans

FTO Designate, DV Lottery, GRE and TOEFL Cancellations: Charging Tunes from the Americans

          

                                     

Thank you America!

Now at last that the dreaded operationally hydra-headed and fundamentally absurd group called Boko Haram and its sister group Ansaru has finally been designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations based in Nigeria I think some people can now heave a sigh of relief for reasons so diverse. One, it has been a long call. Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor had even made presentations at the Congress on the subject matter. Secondly, the manner of operation of these brainless dudes void of any recourse to mankind has left so much to be desired. It has strengthened the need to use every means humanly and supernaturally possible to stop at once their dastardly activities in our midst.

Really, call them a monster I think it is an underestimation of what they are. From riotous collision with state’s formations to destructive romance of mosques and wanton exterminating game of enmity against the church in order to establish a fairy Islamic order in their vague minds one can not but agree to the allusion that the hordes of hell are now in the midst of mortals. If the fiend hides under the camouflage of war against book who themselves are schooled; if now the foe takes offence in conjugal celebrations who themselves are married; and if the enemy now declares death at christening of a child born who themselves were given birth to, a thing the beasts would berate, then we must all know that the ongoing dialogue with the sects is typical of a major tete-a-tete between the sun and the moon called solar eclipse. As the result often is when this happen the rest of the creatures would wallow and wander in wonder through harrowing hours of unsure light- twilight.

Cries! They are the creation of the uncaring government who over the years has chosen to rule its people with the iron rod of underdevelopment order than lead them to the glorious level where welfare and security become their inalienable rights the social/welfarists argued. Others in their religious minds have averred that these people are really out to foist a mono-religion society on Nigerians, which is not incorrect; at least, from their statement of intent one would subscribe. Every argument about the creation of these discordant groups seems to be a valid point of view. Now they are here with us, but God forbid for us. And the end to their century-like sojourn is what we all are seeking. Given that, nobody can thumb up the military campaign in the regions in the East of the North nor rate highly the inference of the purportedly advancing dialogue; and more so that the sinister ripples of the then Christmas Day “Underwear Bomber” have refused to diffuse away from our contemporary chronicles, that the Americans have now spoken, I think we must give our listening hears; yield our deciphering minds to the clanging tunes from the American people.

That apart, also in the wake of the gracious month we are in, the wind of change, blown through the trumpet of cancellation or deletion or deregistration hit our ears that have refused to loathe such news. Given that, before what I actually mean to say, Nigeria was deregistered from the list of countries whose citizens are qualified to swap allegiance of their citizenship by choice through Diversity Visa Lottery to the United States of America. That decision did not go down well with so many youths and even families who have being nursing the dream of crossing to the green or greener pasture. As if they are foragers or devourers of made foods; even though in reality we are as our country remain the boomer of other nations’ economy given that she is the highest importer of many products including food. My family is a beneficiary of the lottery thing. Now that the game is over, it is as if the road to a prosperous and rich life is closed to so many. You needed to see the lamentations of people.

As if they are not done yet; like I was initially saying before I digressed to the DV lottery issue, the American people have yet again shown their determination to reduce the numbers of Nigerians gaining entrance into their land; and if anything more, to complicate the process of eventually landing there. The American eagle now sings “no more GRE and TOEFL exams in Nigeria.”GRE and TOEFL used to be the minor hurdles young and brilliant Nigerians jumped to cross to their earthly “paradise” at least for education and there from… “America, home away, sweeter home!”

I really felt for a bosom friend whose wife-to-be has gotten admission to study in the US. He has began to enquire about GRE and TOEFL so that he could also fly with his love only for this trumpet to sound yet again on Nigeria that Nigerians can no longer sit for GRE and TOEFL in Nigeria. Oh so bad! That is what the gong of the town crier has brought our ears thus far there could be more in the offing.

While we wait to see that, we must consider the offering before us. We must consider them not in a reactionary way as to tackle America, no. But to consider them in a reflective mood, it is a charge! It is a cheering charge to self discovery as a people. It is a call to create the Nigerian dream and pursue it. It is a trump of war against corruption, poverty, maladministration and such things that have crippled the once flying and great Eagle of Africa. It is a call to return the value of Naira to the status of strength it once had against the Dollar as it was in the 1980s. It is a call to ban the importation of services and technologies! It is a call to look inward and build our own capacities and industries. It is a call to gather in a sober and resolute convocation, all of us, to denounce our pact with corruption and disregard our agreement with greed. It is a call to harness the champion in us and make Nigeria the giant of the world it really should be so that all of earth will be queuing to have Nigeria for home. Though this shall be, it is my dream, but now it must be!

Nigeria arise! It is not the time to be sorrowful even if the gates of America and all of West are shut against Nigerians. Even if they don’t, the time is rife that Nigeria shuts her gates against her sons and daughters from fleeing to provoke the giant in them and unleash the hitherto latent potential buried in them. It is the time we make Nigeria the America we love. Our kin in the White House, President Obama, have said it all; “we must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans.” It is the time we follow the path of Japan and China. It is the time we empower the youth to be proud of the land of “Unity and Faith”. It is the time the elite class show clinical sincerity in the pursuit of “Peace and Progress” for Nigeria. It is the time the UIs of this world, the OAUs, UNIMAIDs, UNILAGs, FUNABs and of course the ABUADs of this world begin to par with or rather pass the Harvards and the Yales. The time is now that Fellowships and Scholarships, Grants and Post-doctoral awards abound and been sought by all of earth in Nigerian universities. It is the time education is delivered unhindered by strike actions. It is even the time the current ASUU, ASUP and co face off with the FG be resolved. It is the time, as Gov Fashola has in recent times found his lips professing and his heart desiring, “Made-in-Nigeria Everything” fill Apapa on their way out to even New Zealand and within in Aba en route Maiduguri. It is the time UCH, LUTH and co. becomes global centers of excellence for health care. Call it a dream, yes, it is my Nigerian Dream.

Nigeria ARISE and dance to the beautiful symphony from America!