The Evil Parasites We Feed. Chibu Ndubuisi

The Evil Parasites We Feed.
Chibu Ndubuisi. 17/072017
Peace be to you.

Thomas Sowell advises that "no society ever thrived because it had a large and growing class of parasites living off those who produce".
Parasite is simply defined as an organism that lives in or on another organism( it host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host expense. It is equally defined as a person who habitually relies on or exploit others and gives nothing in return.
The discuss today is about the "evil parasites" we feed as a nation. When we exploit and expropriate the Niger Delta area without commensurate development, we are feeding this monster parasite. When we engage in hate speeches full of bile, we are feeding the evil parasite of war. When we act with evil intentioned machinations of kidnapping school children for ransom or turning them to sex slaves we are feeding the evil parasites that destroys civilizations. When we talk about how we can negotiate on how to make Nigeria move ahead and some in the Nigeria skewed system pontificate that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable fail to realise that "peace is won by words and wars by weapons" and in diminishing others by wars we diminish ourselves. When religious extremist murder in the name of God, they feed the parasite of intolerance to freedom of worship or when they try to alter an educational curriculum to favour a certain religion in a secular state like Nigeria, they feed the parasite of fundamentalism and dont understand the dignity of our differences.
Why are some people so afraid to negotiate on how Nigeria can move ahead? Why must we continue with this great historical cum structural imbalances in the nation? How can we cut down on the menancing tentacles of this evil parasites ravaging our nation? How can we reduce the drumbeats of war all over the land? How can we "silence the guns" as African Union puts it? Why have we not been able to learn a great lesson of peace, that wars never solved any conflict in the long run? Fifty years after the Biafran war, why has Nigeria failed or lacked the courage to negotiate with the people of south east? Why are herdsmen terrorizing every section of the south and some part of north central and east? Why has this great structural imbalances been meted out to them despite the "no victor no vanquished" rhetoric by Gowon? To understand all these questions posed, you must go back to our definition of what a parasite is and why a very faulty relationship is vital for its survival.
Why have we continued to feed this parasite despite having a glimpse of how nations are built? We have continued to feed it by falling to negotiate round a table of brotherhood that would have made us understand our differences and our shared strengths and work out acceptale terms and conditions of our continued marriage of convenience as a nation if need be and if not needed we part. A nation is organic, hence subject to change. Peace is won by words if we understand and not by grandstanding.
Former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on the 26th of February 2014, advised in his centenary broadcast that "for the threads of our regional, ethnic and religious diversity, we must continually weave a vibrant collage of values that strengthens the Nigeria spirit" if i may ask, what values are we weaving and what is that Nigeria spirit? He took this step further by conveying a National Conference in 2014 to make us continue to negotiate. What has happened with the recommendations of National conference report?
When we enable this negotiations to scale through, we will create light in the soul of the nation, and as the chinese proverb says that:
"When there is light in the soul, there is beauty in the person
When there is beauty in the person,there harmony in the house
When there is hamony in the house, there is order in the nation
When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world".
When wholistic peace is established and not peace of the graveyard, parasites that thrives in exploitation and crises will no longer flourish and the time becomes ripe to heed the advise of Jonathan Sacks particularly to religious extremist that
"we will no longer kill in the name of God of life,
show hate in the name of God of love,
show cruelty in the name of God of compassion or
go to war in the name of God of peace".
Lets keep opening avenues for negotiations and honest Implementation of outcomes.
Peace be with you.