By Ozioma Onyenweaku
I have been trying to get my hand over this article. I shake. I tremble. I am heavy at heart. The agony is too much. I hope I end up getting a coherent article out of this.
I was working on another topic that would deal on the stress level in the system and how it affects particularly children and women. That was triggered by the young mother that stabbed her children and other related events that happened. That is not to be now because recent events have far overtaken that, at least for now.
I was quite young when I first read “Who among you will the son ask for bread and he gives him stone, or fish and he gives him serpent?” With my young mind I contemplated it was not possible. With my adult mind and as a mother I contemplated that it was not possible. Even with the worst wicked of all parents, I could not contemplate any handing his or her child serpent at the request of a fish.
Children will always run to their parents for their bread. Most times they request for that bread in a manner that parents might find lacking respect. They hand over the bread all the same with a caution, “next time ask nicely.” Why would the parent give despite anything? Because he knows that it is from his hand that the child should look up for his bread. The parent, in fact, knows that it is his obligation to provide the bread for the child; he does not even need to wait for the child to ask for him to give. And where there is an oversight on the parent’s part to provide, he accepts the child’s agitation over the oversight, and acts on it by providing.
Same way, a country owes recognizable obligations to the citizens of the country. The citizens are like the children. They look up to the government of the country for their needs. Every member of the country enjoys equal status of citizenship.
The major obligations of the government of every country is to protect lives and property of the citizens, promote democracy and social justice, provide social welfare services and basic necessities of life such as hospitals, schools, good water source, electricity, education etc; and ensure that the fundamental human rights of the citizens are protected . By living up to its obligations, the government ensures that everyone enjoys the right to life, feels safe in his home, and be able to realize his potential.
How well the government plays its own part will determine how its citizens respond to and relate with the government.
The recent event in Nigeria by Nigerian youths was supposed to be an eye opening event not an opportunity to have a blood bath. The youths look up to the government for their protection, their needs and the opportunity to develop their potentials. It is undeniable that the Nigerian government is found wanting in the discharge of its obligations towards the country. There is so much insecurity, so much hunger, lack of good schools, no equipped hospitals, no roads, and incessant abuse of fundamental human rights and a whole lot of other ills. Expectations not met breeds frustration. Unfulfilled dreams keep a being restless.
The youths became frustrated. They agitated! They craved for the attention and care of their father figure, the government!
Yes, they cried out for bread, for water and for protection, so to speak. What did they get? Weapon of destruction that is meant to wade off enemies of the country was turned on them!
The youths’ outcry should have served as a wake-up call to the government to assess its performance of how well it has been living up to its responsibility to the citizens of the country. The government is not expected be perfect (because ultimate solution to problems lies with God Almighty) but there should be evidence of intentional and committed efforts towards caring for the citizens.
Rather than use the opportunity to evaluate itself, Nigerian government preferred to waste the children. What a disappointment!
Can a father give his son serpent instead of bread? Nigeria youths received bullet instead of bread. They received the bullets while singing their country’s national anthem, and hugging their country’s flag as sign of their patriotism. The pain! The pain!!