Like Venezuela, like Nigeria

By SUNNY IKHIOYA

A lot has been said and written about President Donald Trump sending US troops to Venezuela,  kidnapping the  president of the country, and bringing him to America. The motives have also been debated in several quarters. My intention in this piece is to understand how a sovereign nation can be so weakened to the extent of allowing a super power country access into its own country, take away the president when they are not fully at war.  

You may want to ask why this is possible in Venezuela and could never be attempted in North Korea that has defied the US and the West for several decades? In the same thread, you could also ask why the mighty US military could not conjure a successful strategy to take out Fidel Castro of Cuba for many decades of their stand-offs? Finally, you may want to assess the position of Nigeria,  vis-a-vis that of Venezuela. Can the same treatment be meted out to Nigeria with successful results? If there is a possibility, how can we put our house in order? 

The greatest challenge of mankind today is the refusal of a few controlling individuals and nations to use their power for the general good of all. And, the biggest enabler of this is the mass ignorance of the controlled population. The same strategy that was used to perpetuate slavery, colonialism and neo- colonialism is being recycled- religion, ethnicity, racism and the likes. 

The greatest weapon to defeat this monstrous challenge is education, enlightenment and true nationalism. The Holy Book says that the people suffer for lack of knowledge and understanding. What happened in Venezuela is possible in Nigeria because all of the indices of failure found in Venezuela are present in Nigeria. It is squarely a situation of leadership and elite failure. 

If a nation is strong and solid enough, no superpower will attempt such a game plan with them, especially when you have a united and focused population backing you. That is why nations like Nigeria need strong leadership that will redirect the mindsets of the populace and place those fanatics of religion and ethnicity where they belong. It is possible in Nigeria because the country is a badly fractured, with a huge population and resources attracting foreign interests. It is also possible because of the potential  in the country and the consequences if they are allowed to bloom.

It is said that the insect eating the kola nut is inside the kola nut. Before an external thief is able to infiltrate or penetrate an unfamiliar terrain, he must be assisted by a local. These facts were on display last week in Venezuela, the country with the largest oil reserve in the whole world. It is either we all collectively decide to end insecurity once and for all in this country or end up in the manner of Venezuela. Already, the vultures are hovering around: the US has landed, Israel has signified interests, while the likes of Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Somalia and even Afghanistan have been here all the while, flexing their muscles through itinerant preachers and misguided Nigerian religious leaders. 

They want to control Nigeria, and in their attempt, they have turned the country into the largest gathering of multidimensional poor people in a single country in the world. They are not ashamed of the consequences of their actions. They are ready to bring the whole nation to ashes because of their selfish interests. 

The most beautiful thing about Nigeria is the diversity of its people, its flora and fauna, its welcoming cultures, and its acceptance of all. But it is this hospitality that has been taken for granted. Venezuela did not just fall to the USA. The country was betrayed by its leadership which found itself caught in the battles of the superpowers. A country blessed with vast quantity of oil now  unable to take care of the basic necessities for the people. The value of its currency became almost worthless, and the once thriving businesses in the country had to close down; yet the superpowers would not allow the country to be. 

In the midst of these challenges, you find citizens ready to give their country away for a piece of silver. That was what happened in Venezuela. The people who were supposed to guard and protect their president were bought over. They betrayed their leader, making it easy for the Americans to stroll in and took President Maduro and his wife away. 

Are we not seeing similar scenes in our battles with the Boko Haram and other insurgents? Again, I repeat, we must not take religious fanaticism lightly in this country. Anyone or a group that tends to fuel such should be dealt with decisively. 

The case of Kwara was highlighted when it first started. Even Professor Wole Soyinka had to chide the authorities in Kwara State then for allowing religious leaders to go beyond their boundaries. Today, the rate of kidnappings and banditry have increased in that state. A woman’s house was torched because she refused to renounce her faith, with those in authority watching. When you cannot take charge of your house, outsiders will come and do it for you.  

This is what happened in Venezuela, as explained by an X user, formerly Twitter, who is identified as @David Usher. “Are we really expected to believe this was some display of military genius? Let’s drop the theatre. You do not simply storm the most heavily protected seat of power in Venezuela and walk away with the president through sheer brilliance. That story insults basic intelligence.This was not military planning. This was not commandos outsmarting an entire security apparatus. This was not intelligence superiority.  This was a coup. A coup succeeds not because of foreign might but because insiders opened the door. What happened here reeks of betrayal of officials paid off, commanders turned, loyalties bought. That is how presidents fall. Not through Hollywood style raids, but through treachery from within.” No religion is greater than the other. They are all instruments of control of the people’s minds. The world has lost its moral compass, with the way President Trump is going. 

We must embrace progress. Education that focuses on building the right society should be our focus, not religion and ethnicity, and that is the solution to our somewhat insurmountable challenges 

• Ikhioya wrote via: http://www.southsouthecho.com

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