SOME of the events that heralded the year 2012 were so frightening and unsettling that at a point I thought seriously of emigrating – not necessarily to Europe or America as some might think but to a more peaceful country along the west coast. In pursuit of this, I went on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media trying to locate old friends and school mates in order to inform them of my plans and to find out if they would be willing to receive a guest who might, as things stand, literally overstay her welcome having been turned  into an overnight refugee.

Let me refresh your minds about the events I am talking about. First on the list is the sporadic bombings by the Boko Haram crazies; there is also the protest against the removal of fuel subsidy and the sit-at-home that made one stock up on food and other essential items, and the accompanying panic when the stock ran out and there seemed to be no truce in sight. There was also the increase in crime during the period that turned the younger members of each community into vigilante groups who policed their community during the night. The fact that we older ones were ensconced in our homes did not mean we had the pleasure of sleep. We also kept vigil, praying and hoping the criminal elements wouldn’t have the upper hand. These events brought home the very possibility of being caught in a war situation and being turned into a refugee.

These thoughts were not palatable as they reminded me of the experiences of some school mates of mine (both in Ghana and Europe) who came from South Africa during the apartheid days; while others came from other southern and east African countries while some were from Sri Lanka, Ireland, Palestine, etc. They all had different appellations - freedom fighters, Tamil Tigers, Sinn Fein – depending on their mission; while others were plain innocent refugees. The mission or status influenced their demeanour – aggressive, frightened, or plainly disoriented. They (young people then) were either displaced or separated from loved ones by war, or by the fight to obtain liberty from the perceived white/religious/ethnic oppressors in their respective countries.  Whatever the mission or status was, one could see that despite the fact that their host countries did the best they could to accommodate them in terms of educating them and taking care of their general welfare; there was indeed no place like home. These people knew that they were in a strange land; and that was the plain fact.

So, after linking up with long-lost friends on the internet, and after receiving a few encouraging responses, I invited myself to a conference to reconsider my plans, and attempt to answer a question that had been plaguing my mind ever since I embarked upon this journey; and it is “Toyin, where are you going to start from even if you eventually relocate?” That is one big question for someone on the other side of fifty and I know that there are a lot of people in my shoes; and this set me thinking – wither Nigeria? What are we doing to make sure that this great country of ours does not disintegrate? That the great people of this great nation are not unnecessarily displaced? How are we going to ensure that things do not fall apart so that the centre can hold? How, especially with different nationalities throwing up different agendas on a daily basis? Whatever we do, we must remember that we have no other country but this one.

FROM MY MAILBOX

Trivialising national issues
Madam, those who watch matches have a common trait: they always know what the player ought to have done to win matches. But when they find themselves on the turf, they perform even more woefully. When a conductor finds himself in the driver's seat, the view of the road tends to change. We should not blame them because the system has assaulted the senses and psyche of her citizens so much that nationalism has been obliterated from our mentalities.
— Dayo Oladeji, Saki, Oke Ogun. 08027278748
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That the labours of our past heroes, and heroines should not be in vain, it is imperative that Nigerians should treat the 28 leaders from the south-south with suspicion. What these leaders from the south-south have told us by their action is that the president is a regional president, and that does not only belittle the president, but portends a great danger for the unity of the country. These 28 ‘wise men’ have proved again, that there are some people you cannot trust with power. Some observant parents will agree with this statement. Such parents would hand over the care of the house to a second or last child instead of the first child as a result of their observation of how responsible the first child is. Also at the cultural level, a powerful man on his death bed would share his properties based on his observation of the characteristics of each of his children. To some he will give healing charms, to some he will give charms for war and so, on. What the south-south leaders failed to realise is that President Jonathan as at today is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who made the public policy for all Nigerians and not for one section of the country.
— Timilehin John Aderemi 08055983466
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A Yoruba adage says the presence of the elders in the market will prevent the baby’s head from bending. We need to remind the so-called elders that the votes that made their son president did not come from the minority but from those objective Nigerians with a larger vision which transcends that of tribal opportunists. Elders are expected to be truthful at all time.
— Rotimi Ashaolu, Ibafo, Ogun state 08033796044

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