The Nation We Never Became

It was 2020. The world, particularly Nigeria, had just survived the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a country like Nigeria, it did not only survive the pandemic; it conquered this disease that drove the world economy to point zero.

It defeated the daily sermons and morning calls by street evangelists who preached about the end times.

Despite the house arrest imposed on Nigerians by the coronavirus, many people discovered parts of themselves they never knew existed. A few saw the light, while others became better at what they do.

Businesses reopened. Schools resumed. And the world went along with its daily activities, even though the lockdown left a mark that can never be erased.

While the world moved on from the nemesis that came with the pandemic, Nigeria found itself in yet another situation.

#ENDSARS PROTEST.

It began as a whisper in the night.

Citizens were struggling to cope with the lingering effects of the pandemic. They had just resumed their businesses after months of sitting at home.

One morning, everyone woke up to the gory news of a murder at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos. Images and videos of dead bodies were flying around the internet.

These people were protesting against police brutality when police officers took it upon themselves to murder innocent civilians who were exercising their right to protest.

This sparked outrage among the masses. Within a few days, a fierce protest broke out in Nigeria.

As the protest escalated into violence, government buildings including police facilities and more prominently, Igbosere High Court, were destroyed. Nigerians took to the streets as they refused to gamble with their destiny.

And for the first time in my life, the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria; Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba came out in solidarity to defend what they believed in. Public figures spoke harshly against the government's insensitivity, and the common man took to the streets in anger.

Nigeria has an outstanding record of ethnic crises. Between 1967 and 1970, the country was in a mess as it went through the Biafran War, which led to the deaths of three million people, including children.

This has remained fresh in the memories of the survivors and their children, as the actors justified their actions with no formal apology for the lives lost.

Therefore, the union of the three major ethnic groups was actually a welcome development. There was no ethnic prejudice or cry of marginalization from any corner.

The thirty-six states of Nigeria were hit by violent protests that even surprised the political class.

But don't they say that what goes around comes around?

A few weeks into the protest, government officials made statements denying the videos circulating on social media, describing them as AI-generated. And the international media took it up.

There was poor reportage of the protest as journalists struggled to protect themselves from the crowd while doing their jobs.

However, the supposed union of the ethnic groups turned into yet another means of determining who was more Nigerian than the other.

The unifying factor became a disadvantage.

During the protest, the spirit of ethnocentrism took over like a ravaging war.

Claims that the Igbo ethnic group would take over Lagos after the protest found their ground.

In the South-Eastern region, the ancestral home of the Igbo people, the arguments intensified.

Rumours said that properties owned by Igbo people were destroyed in Lagos.

At the time, the region was battling one of its toughest movements, as calls for the Republic of Biafra arose.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) already had a place in the hearts of the public. Therefore, some people distanced themselves from the protest, despite the leader, Nnamdi Kanu's, support for it.

In school, children made jokes about how they loved Nnamdi Kanu more than every other politician in the country. The only person who came close to this description was Mr. Peter Obi, who would later contest the 2023 presidential election, an election that was criticized for alleged electoral malpractices and glitches.

This was the bone of contention.

Extremists spoke harshly from different ends.

People distanced themselves from the protest.

And an event that should have been historic ended with ethnic prejudice.

I can still remember how it felt.

The praise, the hope and the courage that came with the protest died.

At that moment, we became fools in the presence of the world.

And a fool is a person who doesn't know and doesn't know that he doesn't know.

We do not know how much shame we brought upon ourselves by letting the political elite ridicule us.

The Giant of Africa.

A country known for its creativity on the global stage.

We made a mockery of what we had built.

Each time I remember that, I cry for what would have been if Nigerians had succeeded in their call for justice.

Nigeria would have been a safer place.

The political class would know its place in the handling of the affairs of the country. They would treat everything that concerned Nigerians with caution.

And for the rest of Africa, it would have been a call to take action against political elites who want to build wealth at the expense of the people.

But all those dreams and aspirations of a better future ended at the feet of ethnocentrism.

They were sacrificed at the altar of "Omo Igbo", "Ndi Awusa"and "Nyamiri."

This is what happens when we allow our emotions to blind us:

It takes away the human in us and transforms us into beasts, thereby confirming the belief that Africans have no heart.