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It was about 14
months ago today, in the early hours of a Thursday morning when all
normal people were asleep, that I experienced an incident that changed
my life forever. There I was snoozing away after a very long day at
work, hoping that the few hours of sleep I get every day will be
sufficient on this very night; but not this particular day, as I was
awakened by an armed man dressed in black, with a face mask.

I was speechless
and still in sleep mode. All I could hear was: ‘bring the money, where
is the money and soon I received a resounding slap on my face that
brought clarity to my sight and took away the sleep I so desired. I
then realized there were about eight armed men on this operation, each
scrambling through the rooms for what they could lay their hands on.

This was followed
by a greedy attempt by two of the men who figured they might have
enough time to rape us, but this attempt was brought to a quick end
when my house mate shouted ‘Dan Allah’, meaning ‘in the name of God’,
in Hausa. Knowing that she recognized them as Hausa and with all the
rage in his hands, the armed man who was taking her away, punched her
in the face and she started bleeding instantly.

That is all I
remember. They took us back into the room, told us to stay in there and
shortly afterwards, we did not hear any more noise. The next person’s
voice I heard was my friend’s mum who I lived with, asking us all to
come into her room so we could all be together if they came back.
Interestingly, she had heard them trying to get in and called the
estate security who said she should call again if indeed she could
confirm they were thieves. How preposterous.

Anyway, she was
able to make a call before they broke into her bathroom door where she
hid, but obviously no quick action was taken because it was not until
4.30am, about one hour after the armed men had left, that the police
arrived. By this time, our lovely neighbour had been shot dead and a
young beautiful woman had become a widow. It was all like a dream. Like
many people that night, we all went to bed in a beautiful house on the
island where we had a generator running to provide us light, but it did
not shield us from the existing decadence in the society we live in.

After nights
without sleep and suddenly waking up at every sound I hear, I began to
wonder and find answers. My choices were not many, though. Do I hate
all the Hausa people I know because I knew these men were Hausa? Do I
question God knowing that he protects his own and will not let any evil
befall them? What was I to do?

This was not hard
to figure out after a while, when I started thinking about my great
country Nigeria and what it offers its citizens. Thankful to God that I
was still alive and knowing that the real issue was beyond tribe,
ethnicity or religion, I got to the point where I almost justified the
armed robbers’ actions. Crazy, yes of course, but will you blame me?

Why would a man who
had access to the basic human needs like food, water and shelter, leave
his home at 2am and come rob another fellow Nigerian? Well, I do not
have all the answers but what differentiates that man from the one who
holds a political position, sneaks around to have meetings in the dead
of the night to sign deals that translate to millions, sometimes
billions, of naira in his bank account. Which one of them is justified?

Honestly, why do we
get so mad at armed robbers on the street, but put up with the men who
rob us daily of what is due to us and our children? Enough is enough;
we need to make a choice. There is so much poverty in the midst of the
plenty and we are not isolated by a nice house in a nice area with a
nice ride and a heavy bank account. It’s time we begin to care for the
people around us, as we consciously vote to change the people that lead
us.

It is going to be
tough, people, but a New Nigeria is inevitable if we are to bequeath a
better nation to our children, one they can be proud of and not shy
away from or deny. If you can read this message, you are in the
minority in Nigeria, as most people do not have access to the Internet,
neither are they literate enough to read, but they need you and I to
make the right choices to give them a better opportunity.

Use your vote
wisely. Register to vote. It is your right and your responsibility. I
celebrate Nigeria at 50, not because of what is, but because of what I
know will be.

God bless you and God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.