The abduction of some schoolchildren and their schoolteachers in Oyo State has predictably sent shockwaves across the country. To grind salt into the grave injuries of Nigerians, a video has appeared showing the beheading of one of the teachers by his captors.
In separate videos, distressed school teachers have also been shown begging the government and Nigerians to come to their aid. I seriously wonder how Nigerians can still sleep every night after seeing these things repeated almost daily in a nonstop cycle. Nigeria has become a terrorized country where ragtag criminals operate with chilling abandon.
Maybe there just isn’t a government. After all, there is no greater indictment of an ineffective government than insecurity. Nigerians can barely sleep with both eyes closed these days. All over the country, every day brings news of one attack or the other in one place or the other.
In response to the attack that happened within his state, Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor, has confirmed that the government is making efforts to rescue the teachers and their students. Interestingly, he also stated that the government is ready to listen to the abductors and their demands.
It Is what governance has unfortunately been reduced to in Nigeria—listening and looking—all done in a posture of utter helplessness, hopelessness, and haplessness. In the face of such devastating insecurity, the hallmarks of an effective government would be decisive action and debilitating sanctions. Yet, in Nigeria’s case, when confronted by what is an existential threat, public office holders have suddenly become mendicants.
