In a children’s fiction, One Week One Trouble, Anezi Okoro told the story of a boy, Wilson Tagbo, who begins secondary school but had more flaws than virtues because he got into trouble almost every week – from riding the school’s bull and interrupting a sports event to tampering with laughing gas at the Chemistry laboratory.
Looking at the current state of the country, wouldn’t it be apt to liken Nigeria toTagbo as her trouble seems endless? For a while now, there is hardly a week that passes without the citizens having to battle with one problem or another – herders/farmers clashes, banditry, kidnappings, fire outbreaks, National Identity Number (NIN) registration issues, food shortage, fuel scarcity and many more.
For some ambiguous reasons, motorists are back to the era of queuing for hours or even passing nights at fuel stations in order to get petrol to move around. Expectedly, transportation fare has doubled and prices of food and other items in the market have increasedastronomically. In some parts of the South, there is scarcity of meat and some other food items because a group that calls itself Amalgamated Union of Food Stuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, had the audacity to order the stoppage of food and meat supply from the north to the south.
Initially, it sounded like a joke. But behold, last week Thursday, the association commenced a strike action asking for N4.75 billion in compensation from the federal government for the destruction of their businesses and property during the #EndSARS protest and Shasha, Oyo State market chaos in February.
Although the six days strike was reportedly called off on Wednesday following the intervention of Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, it goes to show how selfish and unreasonable some people can be. This set of people has deliberately been sowing seeds of discord among the northerners. They portray the #EndSARS protest as being an anti-north protest which is far from the truth.
In the first two weeks of the protest which was carried out by Nigerian youths across the country who were demanding an end to police brutality, good governance, among others, we saw youths of the country from different tribes and religions united in one voice for a common purpose. They were forging ahead in this unity when some of our leaders became jittery and decided to destabilise them, leading to the huge destruction. And anyone who followed the reported accounts of the incident can testify that the destruction was done randomly across the country.
So, it couldn’t have been targeted at any ethnic group or region. Igbos, Hausas, Yorubas, Ijaws, Ibibios and people from other ethnic groups were victims of the mayhem. Now, should all these peoples withdraw their services to one another and, by implication, to the nation because some of them were adversely affected by the protest? What kind of country will that be?
Yes, there was an attack on food stuff sellers in Shasha, Ibadan, Oyo State. Was it not condemned by almost everyone, including governors, traditional and political leaders of the South West and other parts of the country? I remember the state governor, Seyi Makinde, and his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, promptly visiting the community, suing for peace and promising to give palliatives to those whose goods and property were affected by the mayhem.
So, there is no justification for the action of the northern food dealers who failed to realise that no section of the country has a monopoly of everything. What you have, others may not have. What others have, you may not have, hence the need for a balance. In any case, there are millions of northerners living in the south and vice versa. A lot of inter-marriages have taken place. So, by blocking transportation of food items to the south, you are also punishing your fellow northerners in that section of the country.
What about the huge loss to northern farmers who have invested millions of naira in their business, only to watch their goods perish or be compelled to sell them at giveaway prices because they are prevented from taking them to the south?  How will they be compensated?
I think we have come a long way as a country. And as long as we remain one nation, we should work towards peace and unity of the country instead of everyone clinging to their ethnic nationality as is being seen everywhere lately. There is no part of the country that is not feeling the heat of growing insecurity in the country. We should join hands to deal with the challenge instead of allowing it to tear us apart. There are various trades being carried out in the country – cattle rearing, farming, trading and many others. If those engaged in these businesses learn to abide by the rules of engagement and imbibe the principle of live-and-let live, our communities and the country at large will be a better, peaceful place to live.
Meanwhile, there is still a lot of work to be done about our national unity. It is not enough to erect the unity fountain or continue claiming that the country is united when through actions and inactions our political, opinion and religious leaders are constantly dividing the country. Some of our leaders, both at the federal and state levels, have placed their ethnic interests far above that of other ethnic groups in the country and are ready to dance to their tune no matter whose ox is gored. We have heard the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, and some other prominent people of Fulani origin constantly canvassing for amnesty for bandits who have killed, raped and plundered the North West and other parts of the country.  I believe you know the reason.
If we have leadership in the country, we need to see them take decisive measures to deal with the enormous problems in the country. The current issue of blockage of food supply particularly, should be swiftly and unbiasedly handled before it escalates.
For the leaders and peoples of the South, it is hoped that the events of the past six days have opened their eyes so that they can begin to prioritise investment in agriculture.

By: Calista Ezeaku