WHO IS NEXT?

Ethnic group existence in my view is mostly primordial, and traditionally predicted on belief system, cultural affiliation and geographical positioning.

However, the establishment of nation states by colonialism has created tensions amongst ethnic groups, who pre-colonialism lived separately, but nowadays found themselves cohabiting in post colonial nation states.

The forced cohabitation and tension created as a result of colonialism has given birth to new species of citizenry within the polity, who are instrumentalist, capitalising on every available primordial cleavages to forment disunity.

Some of these instrumentalists forment disorderliness for political power, while others are on a mission to conquer territories to advance ethnic dominance.

Recent events in the South Western cornubation of Yoruba land, precisely speaking, Ekiti State left my jaw dropping. I was filled with anger and suspicion as to why?

It is difficult for me to fathom how such heinous, dastardly act could happened in an environment well known for peaceful coexistence.

Hopefully, my readers can understand why I was taken over by anguish. 

This is because no reasonable explication within the purview of standard clarification that is commonplace when random killings like these took place previously, necessarily elucidate these events.

These are the monarchs reportedly killed while returning from a meeting in Irele-Ekiti. The traditional rulers killed were David Ogunsakin, the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti; and Olatunde Olusola, the Onimojo of Omojola-Ekiti. The latest one in this killing spree is that of Olukoro of koro in Ekiti local government of kwara state.

This is not an act of Regicide, whereby the obvious implication would be the internal usurpation of power for dominance within a given polity. Put differently, this is not an act predicted on internal struggle for power within those royal traditional enclave, rather it is a criminal instrumentalist act by those hell bent on creating chaos, inter-ethnic animosity for their selfish reasons, which might be pecuniary or political domination.

Nigeria's statehood is undergoing deep-rooted conflagration of a kind not witnessed since, after, the civil war. Moreover, the failed state characteristics and symptoms have thrown up inter-ethnic fault lines, and dangerous narratives, a dichotomy reminiscent of the narratives prevalent in the 1800 during Uthman dan fodio jihad.  The killings in Ekiti have made matters unpalatable.

There is palpable psychological tremor amongst the indigenous people, which has rejuvenated the fear or feeling of attempted domination in the minds of Ekiti people, thereby waking up the ghost of Kiriji war and Afonja travails.

It is incumbent on the government to protect life and property of the citizens.

The following section of international declarations and national constitutional provisions are instructive here: 

Nigeria constitution 1999 as amended section 33... Section 14 (2b)

African charter on human and people's rights... Article 4.

Article 3 universal declaration on human rights.

The government is obviously failing in fulfilling the expectations of the citizenry in respect of the fundamental constitutional duties required for good governance in Nigeria. 

It is time to wake up on the good side of the citizens by providing "responsible governance". Those in government paying lip services to restructuring might end up finding themselves on the bad side of the citizenry. Remember that insecurity in one hamlet would metamorphose to overall insecurity in the nation. Boko Haram insurgency provides enough evidence of the above statement.

Governments at all levels must come up with implementable agenda for the decentralisation of security agencies to tackle these elements wandering about in Nigeria creating havoc that might lead to the disintegration of Nigeria.

Let us hope those in authority are listening. Nigerians are crying........