by Joel Allotey

”Our cries for deliverance from the scourge that Nigeria is synonymous with has fallen on deaf ears; both the ears of our God and that of our government.”

“Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. The Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins…Outside the sword bereaves, inside there is only death” – Lamentations 1:5, 20.

The biblical reference to the lamentations of Jeremiah after the destruction of Jerusalem is apt in describing the persistent anguish in the heart of every Nigerian. Our collective tragedies- corruption, unemployment, infrastructural decay, violence and insecurity among the many evils that plague the nation, are now commonplace and accepted as the norm. Human life has lost its esteemed value; with avoidable deaths occurring en masse.

Whichever way terror strikes our land, be it in the form of failed institutions, incompetent politicians, violent insurgents or dilapidated infrastructure, we mourn our dead, criticise the leaders we ourselves, for selfish reasons, elected into power, and go about our normal business; waiting for the next mishap. We say “Our leaders are corrupt and wicked, they don’t care about us…there is nothing we can do…our democracy is flawed”

When will we snap out of this trance? When will we stop sitting around, anticipating death like helpless victims who are at the mercy of a tyrant? Why have we submitted ourselves to mere existence amidst constant fear? Did we commit some unmentionable evil against our Creator? Have we, for too long, revelled in the obscenity of carnal and material indulgence?  Have we neglected our Maker and turned to idolatry of worldly pleasures? Indeed, it appears as though we have incurred a divine wrath.

Maybe, if we undertook a nationwide fast accompanied by fervent prayers we may invoke a much needed divine intervention. Perhaps, if we marched into the streets, placards and tree branches in hand, we may get the attention of our leaders and goad them to action. But then again we’ve tried all that and it has yielded little to nothing. Our cries for deliverance from the scourge that Nigeria is synonymous with has fallen on deaf ears; both the ears of our God and that of our government.

So, now we wander this weary land; cautious and hopeful that today would not be the day we meet our untimely end. All the honestly acquired and ill-gotten means of financial security we can amass offers no protection from the ever-present danger that lurks in every corner of our country.

“Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return…unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure”- Lamentations 5:21, 22.

Jeremiah submits himself and the fate of his land unto his God with the hope that Jerusalem would be restored to its former glory. Nigeria, however, needs a more expeditious redemption. We need to abide by the common aphorism which states that “Heaven helps those who help themselves”; not individually, but help ourselves collectively in this battle for survival. We need to show our human side in the face of inhumane living conditions. We need to rise above the accepted norm of corruption and give our society a chance at economic progress; not progress on charts and documents, but that which permeates every social stratum and uplifts our people out of impoverishment. We need to beleaguer our government until it makes our safety and security its priority.

Only then can we pray for God’s grace.

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Joel Allotey is a Medical Student at the University of Ghana Medical School. An avid writer on social, political and medical issues, and an advocate for the development of African society through empowerment and enlightenment of the youth. He tweets from @JCallotey

30 Days 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians from across the world to share their stories and experiences – creating a meeting point where our common humanity is explored.

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