Opinion: How do Nigerian feel about the sting of injustice?

by Mayowa Okekale

criminal_justice_jurisprudence

How every Nigerian would feel about the scourge of injustice should be the major concern of our leaders. It is very painful when we see the practice of double standard being operated at different quarters of the economy. Favoritism goes to a person who does not deserve it.

Precisely last week, I was struck on the way by the words of a foreign Gospel Musician, Tye Tribbett, where he consoled believers about what is able to do for them if they put their trust in him. To a believer the lyrics of the song really carry weight and would pacify the mind of any heavy-hearted in its listening mood. He sings: “God is able to do just what he said he would do. He’s gonna fulfill every promise to you. Don’t give up on God, cause he won’t give up on you. He’s able”.

With a deep muse on the lyrics of the song, different issues came to my mind. And I asked myself: Have we not given up on God in this country? When will the hopes and aspirations of the hoi-polloi stopped to be dashed? Will there be any difference in the standard of living of the people? Will the masses soon laugh? Or will it be as usual?

Those were really some of the questions that came to my mind. Do they still have the ray of hope that their lives and country can change for the better?

Amongst words of the famous American writer and activist, Martin Luther Jr., I found yet another understanding of injustice and how its pervasiveness has been ruining the unity of the country that has tagged itself Giant of Africa, Nigeria. I want to believe Martin Luther was, in actual fact, was trying to remind the leaders of the country when he then said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We all know that a man in Washington would only care for America, and that is to tell you the extent to which the leadership class has become so humane to their subjects; how the rulers have become so tyrannical to the people they claim they are serving. The man cares for himself; the women care for their child only. I would not sound political but social this time round as this is premised on our socio-economic behavioral dispositions towards one another. Nobody is left out. I think we must start thinking about how any individual feels about injustice. The pains really make them sad and look down on themselves. They no longer keep their heads high wherever they go.

We are very familiar with the running of our government, where the stigma of selfishness and greed has made us undeveloped and dormant. Deceit has become part of the modus operandi, and there is no other thing that speedily ruins the life of a man or unity of a country than selfishness which breeds corruption. As a matter of reality, that is what has become cankerworm to us and making us redundant, despite the fact that some ruling class political tag themselves progressives. No! I think the progressives are all gone. They watch and pity our condition in their world beyond.

How every Nigerian would feel about the scourge of injustice should be the major concern of our leaders. It is very painful when we see the practice of double standard being operated at different quarters of the economy. Favoritism goes to a person who does not deserve it. Many children of the rich don’t work for what they earn and where they are today. We still see the fraudulent, corrupt ones walk around majestically like saints, even when those who have not done up to what they do are heavily pounced on and even sentenced to death. The law which favors the rich would nail down the poor. The law of equality has been proscribed; it is no longer effectual as far as the issue of social injustice is concerned in this country.

Or how else do we explain a scenario where a governor of a particular state tells a widow to “go and die”? How do we explain a situation where public officials embezzle millions of naira without no trial in court?  All of these could be considered the highest point of injustice in a democratic nation. Perhaps most of them don’t know our lord himself forbids injustice, but let us remind them of what the bible explains to us in the book of Gen 6:5, and 6.

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This article is published with permission from Abusidiqu.com

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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