April 17 1994, I was 15 yrs and 45 days old. A young secondary school student in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria who had just witnessed a brazen rape on our sensibilities by the annulment of an election which was held to be both free and fair by all the observers.
As at that time, a fifteen year old was brought up to believe in his or her leaders. Our parents were witnesses to the earlier upheavel of the civil war and were cautious. That cautiousness did not stop young people from having dreams.
I for one wanted non stop running water in the bathroom so I could spend lazy evenings in the showers after a long days work. I wanted non stop electricity supply, to do my homework, house chores and baby sitting in the convenience of light.
Daddy had to take us to school in his car, but at any pothole on the road which his car entered, we knew he was spending a fortune keeping it on the road.
At 15, I wanted to be all I could for myself and my fellow citizens of the world. But my geographical location was somewhere in the rainforests of West Africa, amongst a people, the most densely populated within that region.
I had to mingle with over a hundred million other dreams and leanings and feelings (smile). Some few holders of political power who happened to be in positions of military command thought they could take the fate of my little 15 year old life and the lives of others for a ride.
Nigeria is a nation with almost equal number of citizens being either of the Christian faith or Islam. Religion was an issue that was held to be both threatening and unifying, but even the muslim muslim ticket of the SDP was no barrier to Nigerians yearn for a new beginning which we all thought and indeed felt was about to unfold.
I was taken aghast when people I referred to as elders and wiser made decisions that was both irresponsible and beyond reason.
As at April 17 1994, this young man had seen a lameduck Interim Government being overthrown by the Military Power Block that contrived the events of the era. I was, as well as many Nigerians were, in captivity as the rule of law was breached at will by the Military and their civilian cronies, who as I might add were in both high and low places.
Thankfully now, all these has passed. Nigeria is on the path of recovery, and those dreams which I had of a country that loves her citizens as she is loved, might not be realised in my lifetime, but then, if we all work towards it with aplomb, our kids might live that dream. We would not allow ourselves to make the same mistakes our peers of that era made.
A strong democratic Nigeria appears with the vision of the greatest Nigerian to have existed in our lifetime. We share that vision, we might not see that vision being realised, he might not see the vision realised, but we know it is already.
April 17 1994, that should be 12 years, 7 months a few days to today. Na wah oh! Just like we say here in Nigeria (ha ha ha).
Would like to know the inspiration behind this question though, that period in my life shaped the way my entire individual has existed.
How old were you then...
2006-12-29 14:47:42
·
answer #2
·
answered by leero a 1
·
0⤊
0⤋
someone flying
turning a human to a rabbit
make himself a giant
changing homeowork into flowers
making a dog into a person
2006-12-29 14:46:15
·
answer #3
·
answered by tdang424 7
·
0⤊
0⤋