(This piece carries enough power to change this country. I pray it gives you peace, hope, and motivation to make necessary changes! Do something good for someone. Every sacrifice/good deed will ultimately count!)
First, it was Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, under Goodluck Jonathan, 276 schoolgirls were abducted. 12 years later, dozens of them remain missing.Then, Dapchi, Yobe State, in 2018, under Muhammadu Buhari, 110 schoolgirls were abducted. Many were eventually returned (ransomed), although some died in captivity. Between 2021 and 2022, still under Buhari, there was a wave of mass abductions in Kagara (Niger State) and Jangebe (Zamfara State), where over 300 students were kidnapped.
And then, the spirit of ‘Emilokan’ followed Ahmed Tinubu: in 2024, more than 300 students were abducted in Kuriga village, Kaduna state; in 2025, 303 students and 12 teachers were abducted in Papiri, Niger State; and less than 3 weeks ago, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, 39 pupils (with toddlers) and 7 teachers were deviously abducted. One of the teachers was gruesomely murdered, and the killers shared the recording with the world. That is Nigeria today!
So, Lanrewaju Adepoju, the ewi (poetry) king saw ‘absolutely nothing’ under Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, after Obafemi Awolowo’s death (GOD rest his gracious leadership soul), when he wailed, “Nibo la nlo,” that is, “Where are we headed? Where are we going?” I wonder what he’ll be crying today – with the ‘Shege’ Nigerians are seeing now! Obviously, it’s not about who is in leadership, o no! It’s about the defective, deceptive, designed-to-fail system, called “Nigeria.”
The Bible says, “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15); so, with utmost love from my heart, I speak this truth, “Nigeria cannot work as currently structured! We must rethink, redesign and restructure Nigeria!” I pray it happens PEACEFULLY.
Just look at the faces of those 39 children in my DP, consider, and tell me what you wouldn’t do to secure their RELEASE if they were yours. Look at their teachers – true nation builders, who daily labour under inhumane conditions and earn slavish wages – taken away from their families. The Nigerian State has grown progressively callous towards the security and welfare of its citizens.
And, it will continue unless the 3 things listed on the bottom right hand side of the flier (my DP) are done, as a matter of urgency:
1. Let us UNITE – everybody suffers the consequences of disunity. The indigenous (not political) leadership of the Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas, MUST COME TOGETHER, put aside their differences, and FIGHT for their people as ONE. When they defeat the evil political leadership in the land, they can then decide whether they want to remain as one Nigeria or separate PEACEFULLY. The leadership of the different religions MUST do the same – UNITE!
2. Let us PRAY – we’re front-liners here. Let’s fervently continue!
3. Let us ACT – about 2 weeks ago, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) organized nationwide prayer, fasting and peaceful protest rallies to demand urgent government action against insecurity, kidnappings, and severe economic hardship in the country. That’s ACTING! That’s WATCHING! Such rallies should be SUSTAINED, at least monthly, weekly, or for 7 straight days, like Joshua and the Israelites did to bring down the walls of Jericho – and not something we do once a year, or quarterly, and go to sit down in our cathedrals. JESUS said to “WATCH and PRAY,” not pray and pray.
Religious bodies wield a lot of influence in this country, but they are not using it well. Dear LORD, open our eyes, in JESUS Name!
Also, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), and other employers of labour in the private sector, should take a COLLECTIVE STAND, and direct their organizations (members) to stop the remittance of pay as you earn (PAYE) and other taxes to the government.
Why do we continue to pay taxes to a government that won’t PROTECT us, build us HOSPITALS, give us ELECTRICITY or fix our ROADS? WHY? Besides, they are using a sizeable chunk of our taxes (YOURS and MINE) to ‘rehabilitate’ ‘repentant’ terrorists and kidnappers. Murderers, who have made many widows, widowers and orphans, are given brand new Hilux vans by our Federal Government as rehab packages. What is wrong with us?! Why do we stand and look at all these grievous anomalies? Is it ‘afise ni?!
’The New Nation – United States of America – was born when the new settlers stopped paying taxes to Britain. And why did they do that? They did so, because they were not allowed to have representatives in the British Parliament. They felt it was unfair and oppressive for a faraway government to tax them without their consent, sparking the famous slogan, “No taxation without representation!”
This frustration boiled over into boycotts, protests, destruction of property (such as the Boston Tea Party), and eventually the Revolutionary War, which led to American independence.
Far worse things have happened in Nigeria over the last 30 years, and continues to happen more alarmingly, yet, we continue to pay taxes?! Seriously, is there something wrong with us, collectively?!
Until we do the same, our leaders in Nigeria will continue to take us for granted. George Washington – the great war general, and first president of the United States – believed a lot in prayers, and often prayed the words of Psalm One. He would invite preachers to bless his troop and have them say the words of that Psalm over the soldiers. He reportedly had Psalm One read aloud at his first inauguration in New York City on April 30, 1789. George Washington was a man of prayer and faith, but he stood up against tyranny and oppression. Nigerians! It’s time to ARISE!
So, HELP US GOD!
DA