"Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other hand the chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne" — Jeremy Bentham.
The ultimate reason behind the postulation for the creation of a sovereign modern State and government as the agency of state is the ultimate satisfactions and the realizations of human personality. This , Kant had treated in his famous dictum, that morality consist in treating persons as ends and not as means, and for this same too, Jefferson courageously affirmed when he said the government exist to protect and realize the inalienable rights of man.
Among the inalienable and natural rights; right to life, self defense among others.
For the society to escape the Hobbesian state of Nature and the survival of the fittest, where lives was described as nasty, brutish, poor, solitary and short. The existence of state and it's agencies enable individuals to submit parts of these inalienable rights to state for equitable redistribution of justice with fairness and equity.
The above defined the primary responsibilities of the State as primarily protection of lives and properties, and provisions of essential services which are beyond the capacity of the individuals. The resources which would have hitherto based on the survival of the fittest placed in the domains of the State and it's agencies.
In the pre slavery Africa and pre colonial era, communalism thrived among the people, communities and cleans. The survival of the fittest had no place contrary to today's African States especially Nigeria in particular which had long ago returned to primitive acquisition era by the privileged few/minority who are for the sake of their greediness, become the agents of enemies without as they themselves emerged the enemies within against anything that Will lead to the common good of the land.
The comparisons and acceptability of governments, regime by regime have absolutely been based on the two sovereign masters as postulated by Bentham, pains and pleasures as occasioned by the wellbeing of the majority starting with the protection of the inalienable rights of man — protection of lives and properties, and provisions of essential services to the citizenry. While Jeremy Bentham called for maximum pleasures for greater numbers of people, it has been maximum pains for greater numbers of people in Nigeria by any standard of measurement.
In the cases where a State failed in these primary responsibilities, it is also natural for the man to reclaimed his inalienable rights to ensure his survival, in this regard, the society may eventually resumes/return to the Hobbesian state before any regrouping to ensure orderliness. This maybe inevitable when all necessary provisions and institutional redresses have failed. Nigeria under this current civilian regime is toying such a line.
Insecurity in Nigeria today is in all fronts starting with insecurity of lives and properties of the Nigerian citizens ranging to the socioeconomic perils where citizens are most concerned again. The sociopolitical sphere of our national life that should afford the people the opportunity as occasioned by maximum pains, in what to do, especially for leadership redress and change via ballots have been compromised already. The just concluded Ekiti governorship election clearly portrayed what to come by in the 2027 general elections with already dilapidated and fractioned opposition political parties, courtesy of the incumbent's agenda to perpetuate itself even in the face of abysmal failures.
The compromised electoral umpire in the country (Independent National Electoral Commission - INEC) allegedly gave to the pro Terrorists APC led government, over 400,000 uncollected voter cards that undermine the outcome of the said election in favour of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
As the abysmal failures of the Tinubu led APC government is more glaring to the whole wide world with numerous victims of insecurity across the length and breadth of our country innumerable, and many living in perpetual fear, redeeming our present unsavoury image in the international community as a crime conquered nation, giving hope to the citizens that they are saved seemed an uneasy tasks as sociopolitical system is firmly captured already by a group using insecurity as a weapon for both wealth and power capturing.
This insecurity, it has become impossible for the watching world and Nigerians in particular not to believe that the government of the day at all tiers and the security hierarchies at their command have allowed insecurity to deteriorate to this level of daily peril and bring our country totally to her knees because some unpatriotic elements in position of policy, decisions and actions benefit from the protracted reign of terrors and insecurity in our country.
It is an unarguable truth that today, virtually no inch of Nigeria soil, from the far north to the south, is safe for her citizens. This is a direct by-product of leadership failure in the government's foremost constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and properties.
Nothing is wrong with the Nigerian State except leadership failures as a result of compromises, and ineffectiveness as a result of incompetency. The country can no longer be managed by those who claimed that they loved the country, have the fear of God but lack capacity to deliver, who have lost touch of the reality of the modern governance.
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| Sir Dele Abiola |
Nigeria of today is caught in a deplorable quagmire where, gradually to this time, our farmers can no longer access their farms and many villages have been deserted as a result of bandits' attacks and plunder, and mass abduction for ransom, leading to food shortages in our dear land. Sadly, this has further deteriorated to an all-time nightmare where innocent and tender school children and their teachers have joined the menu of terrorist abductions and massacre. The recent been in Oriire Local government of Oyo state, is a condemnable trend in the strongest term.
Today, the country's leadership have failed us in all major primary purposes and reasons for the existence of Governance in the first instance. The protection of lives and properties which comes first as the primary responsibility of government have been betrayed.
Secondly in the socioeconomic arena, the provisions of essential services by the government have ever been at zero level while the unsecured and unprotected citizens have been subjected to heavy and maximum taxations. For NIGERIANS Since the emergence of APC leadership in 2015 till date, it has been maximum pains for greater numbers of people.
Contrary to the country's leadership claims, terrorists are not prodigal sons , nor are they our brothers and as such no genuine and patriotic individuals will approve negotiations with the criminals threatening our existence , let alone training and their reabsorption into any State institution, except those profiting from the discomfort of the majority. THE WHOLE SALES TERRORISM, KIDNAPPING AND BANDITRY ALL OVER THE COUNTRY CAN NOT STAND.
Keeping quiet by Nigerians can no longer help anyone, Nigerians must ensure the country's leadership is accountable and ensure the school children and others in the captivity of the bandit terrorists are brought back home safely by any means possible by both the federal and state governments' collaboration.
If the leadership compromised and the desires to profit from our collective pains are removed, Nigeria State have the capacity to make the country a safer place for all and sundry.
IMMEDIATE AND LONG TERM SOLUTION TO AVOID EVENTUAL RETURN TO STATE OF NATURE
1. Immediate securing of our schools (public and private) with deployment of existing security operatives or creation of a special paramilitary cadets for this purpose. Closures of schools can never be a good ideal.
2. Empowerment of 50 percent of Nigerian Youths in agriculture and agro-allied businesses will compelled the drastic reduction of banditry.
3. Practical teaching and learning system in all of our educational institutions to produce self-dependent , self-reliant and productive individuals who will not be jobless or writing applications after graduation.
4. Firmly and effectively securing our boarders.
5. Publishing names and prosecuting financials of terrorism in Nigeria as well as the prosecution of terrorists by death penalty.
6. Compensation for the victims of terrorism and their immediate families.
7. Satellite and drones deployment will minimize the collateral damages on the parts of our security personnel.
8. Alternatively, Citizens should be fully armed for self defense.
WITH PAIN ON THE THRONE DITCHING OUT MAXIMUM TORTURES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH, EAST TO WEST, NIGERIANS NEED TO DEVELOP A BLUEPRINT AND ROADMAP FOR POSITIVE CHANGE THAT WILL LEAD THE COUNTRY TO THE DESIRED POLITICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STABILITY THAT THE CITIZENS DESPERATELY DESIRED.
A GENERATIONAL CHANGE IN THE COUNTRY'S LEADERSHIP IS A PANACEA.
Sir Dele Abiola
oluabiola81@gmail.com
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