16/06/2018
DATES IN THE LIFE OF NIGERIA.
By Mansur Mosan
This piece was first published by the author in Tell Magazine, titled “Dates in the life of Nigeria “
See page 63 of 31st January 2012 edition.
I was at home, alone, thinking over Nigeria’s problem as a nation when my mind began to compare Nigeria’s independent date (which serve as her date of birth) with this year 2012, which gave birth to the reflections and flashbacks below.
‘Like man, like state’. Yes! For everything there is a date and time, and for every action has its own reason(s). As human being has its own teething period, so also is a Nation, State, Local Government, Town, Company, Corporate organization, even Vehicles, etc. Each shall experience its own challenges at the appropriate time. Sure!
Before going further allow me to explain better, take a look at these years. It is simple; all the years which add up to figure 5 had been and will always be Nigeria’s challenging years! This is how; e.g. 1967, 1+9+6+7 =23, again add the 23, 2+3 =5. Do same to other years. The cyclical distance between these years was always nine-nine year intervals. All these were negative years for Nigeria, let’s check into the past.
1967- Civil war began;
1976- General Muritala Mohammed was killed;
1985- Major General Ibrahim Badamasi Babngida’s coup;
1994- General Sani Abacha versus Chief M.K.O. Abiola, and the western world;
2003- The massacre of ten Police officers, and the military repression, in Odi, Bayelsa State;
The first ever, Police strike in Nigeria, etc;
And now January 2012, nationwide strike on fuel subsidy removal.
The above are just the few ones I can remember among other major incidents that had happened to Nigeria in the years listed above. Of course, some people may point to another year with major event(s), but are the event shook Nigeria to the root as the listed ones does?
This will tremendously help our leaders to have a rethink on their decisions. Again, this will awakening the thinking of our people that things don’t just happen, rather it happens only at the appropriate date, and time.
Those who were incidentally born on this (Nigeria) day should check what events challenged them or changed their life during these above listed years.
