Originally penned by Oluwakorede Asuni on the 4th of December, 2008
The callousness of the murder of three young Nigerians in cold blood while completing the compulsory national assignment (National Youth Service)in Jos, is a general testimony to the cruelty of man and the particular crudeness of our polity in Nigeria – politics of bitterness.
Youths, giving a year of their life to the improvement of the country murdered in cold blood for o justifiable reason except that they accepted to serve their fatherland in Plateau State? Or perhaps come from another ethnic group or hold values of a certain religion. When has it become a sin to be a Nigerian from another part of the country? When has it become wrong to practise a religion of one’s choice?
Is it not national integration and harmony one of the cardinal goals of the National Youth Service scheme which recently celebrated 35 years of excellence amidst pomp and pageantry nationwide?
Isn’t it time to rethink the entire policy thrust of the program to determine if it is a necessary evil that we all should continue to tolerate?
Granted the entire crisis is an unfortunate incident, which should not have been allowed to happen noting our prior knowledge that such only leaves blood, pain and mourning in its wake as the many ethno religious crisis of the past have shown.
But given the greedy nature of the political criminals in whose hands lie the mandate of leadership across the nation, many such unfortunate incidents are not only allowed to happen but are most times perpetrated by this ones.
The dreams and ambitions of the three youth corpers have all been murdered with them in cold blood. Their efforts of the (4 + n)years – where ‘n’ is usually indeterminable except in retrospect- is wasted and their families who have heaved a sigh of relief that their own has completed a major phase in the cycle of being, expecting, encouraging and preparing them for the next phase, have all been left high, dry and cold.
Asking for justice is only singing a worn song devoid of melody or music – just going through the motions- and nought will come out of it.
Even at that what justice can be done that will undo the death of these ones? Except that we console their families, ask God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss and perhaps wait for the next set of causalities of the indecent pot belly politicking that is characteristic of this country, so we can console and pray again.
Justice is beyond man, only the divine can appropriate it fairly.
Oluwakorede Asuni writes from Niger State where he is completing his one year National Youth Service.
Whilst some of us undergoing the scheme or who have passed through the scheme have testified to the fact that we are seeing different parts of the country we otherwise wouldn’t have known thus learning their language and culture. And yet some others are thankful for the many opportunities it provides to interact with communities and thus contribute to their development. How can we be happy when all we get in turn is such senseless killings and other atrocious maltreatments from members of host communities where we are serving and contributing to the improvements of the quality of life.
