May God rest the souls of those who lost their lives in the last terror attacks in Paris on Friday November 13, 2015. What a terrible tragedy that some innocent souls were sent to their early graves on a day no one thought an event as terrible as that would take place. Any act that is only interested in taking the lives of people for whatever reasons is worth condemning. No one can justify such actions, and that is why the whole world rose against the terror attack in France.
However, we seem to be missing something here in Nigeria. Have we misplaced our priorities? While the whole world was condemning and showing solidarity towards France over the killings; no one was showing much sympathy to Nigeria over various terror attacks that took place at about the same time. The killings in Kano and Adamawa did not draw the attention of the world as much as the one that occurred in Paris. Is it that one life is more precious than the other or we still live in a world where Africans are left to face and fight their own battles?
Perhaps, that is the way the world sees it; but should our celebrities cry more than the bereaved? While most Nigerian celebrities didn’t consider it worthy enough to condemn the bombings and killings in both Kano and Adamawa, some of them were showing solidarity towards France. Some Nigerians were even changing their Green White Green Flags to Blue White Red of France. Nigerian celebrities were more united in their condemnation of the terror attacks in Paris than the bombings in the two Northern cities.
If we had to wait for one Samuel Eto’o to condemn the act of terror in both Kano and Adamawa before we could all realise that our duty first is to our dear nation before all others; then we need a rethink. Thousands of souls have been sent to the world beyond, while millions of people are being displaced as a result of losing their homes to terrorist.
Perhaps, our celebrities are better off not saying anything than exposing themselves to ridicule. Perhaps, they have shown us where their priorities are; so it is now left for us to carry our cross.
The question is, how many records released by Flavour and the likes were bought or sold in France? By the way, I thought more than 90% of CDs, MP3s and DVDs released by Nigerian celebrities are being sold and bought right here in Nigeria? So is it too much for our so-called celebrities to rise up in one voice and condemn terror attacks here in Nigeria before rising up against that of France?
Perhaps, the fear of being targeted by the terrorists is of major concern to the celebs; this is quite understandable, but Nigerians are just bothered about this seemingly lack of sympathy for the pains and sufferings they are passing through. Nigerians live in fear; and we are all targets regardless of whether you are a celebrity or not.
We either rise together as a nation or we sink together…
