A THOUSAND WAY TO DIE IN NAIJA

Normally, authorities of a Nation are supposed to be upset at the loss of a citizen, especially when the death is avoidable. This is usually the case in developed Nations anyway. And most times pronto, investigations are conducted when someone dies while they begin to put measures in place to avert future occurrences.

 

But here in the Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba United State of Nigeria, ever wondered the number of lives that has been lost to quite avoidable deaths? The figures are alarming. What we do by the way is to sympathize with the families of the dead and then nonchalantly move on, like we are not all susceptible to similar deaths in the future if we make no move to avert a future occurrence.

 

Consider all of these;

 

·         Those of us who commute daily via Public Transport (in a city like Lagos especially) would agree with me that our lives are displayed on the wares of death. No thanks to most Commercial Bus Drivers with the vehicles they drive us in, one which is often not fit enough for the roads.

 

            Some buses are actually without a good clutch, some have brake issues amidst other malfunctioning parts. While some drivers keep kegs of petrol in their boot, synonymous to journeying on a would be explosive, attentions are no longer paid to having spare Tyres. Needless to say that most public transport rides on substandard and defective Tyres.

 

             Two naked wires somewhat sparks the ignition,  and I had better not bother my head over detailed analysis of the discomfort experienced journeying in such vehicles. Is it the fact that your spinal cord is at risk of imbalance with the wooden chairs supported sideways with an unfriendly steel supposedly glued to the floor by an incompetent welder? Or that the interior could rather be mosquito infested? A minute silence for the shock absorber too.

 

     I don't live on the very organized side of Lagos, so those that live on the Island might find it difficult to relate.

 

·        Many lives we have lost to Residential Buildings caving in and unexpectedly crashing down on unsuspecting occupants. This is often caused by greedy engineers who would rather amass wealth than give a good job.

 

·         Racism abounds all over the world. I agree. Tribes oftentimes rise against one another, killing themselves in the process usually over boundaries, power tussle and injustice among other reasons.

 

But in this part of the world, inter-tribal clashes could be avoidable. A group of Fulani herdsmen could just decide to strike over the flimsiest excuse and kill tons in the process. Painting another scenario is that of two ethnically different drunks in a bar arguing over a topic, same becoming very heated and all of a sudden, one injures the other with his bottle. And like a movie script of sort, those with same tongue as the perpetrator but peacefully minding their businesses, would just lose their peace of mind like a flash. And before you know it, it becomes an ethnic war, leaving many dead. This is not just unreasonable, but avoidable.

 

 

·         Food being an essential tool in life could be the cause of the death of an average Nigerian. Asides food poisoning, many times we consume expired groceries on a daily basis. Many edibles are even sold without a proper approval from food agencies.

 

        There was even a time news filtered into town (more than a decade ago), about a killer beans that had previously been sprinkled with preservatives and allegedly kept for the next growing season, but smuggled into the market by some unscrupulous elements. Many lives that had innocently purchased the beans in the market were lost, and I particularly remembered an entire nuclear family that was wiped out. Pathetic!

 

·         How about deaths caused by trigger happy Law Enforcement Agents. The one constantly popping up in my head being that of Yankee returnee twins at ketu in Lagos, about three years ago.

 In company of their friends whom they had gone out drinking with, they were shot by a policeman attached to the bar, just because they couldn't give tips. Now again, who says police are our friends?

 

·         Now to fake drugs: A groom to be was playing football with his friends and had his toe bruised in the process. Conscious of the fact that he would be wearing shoes all day in few days; he took an analgesic injection to ease the pain.

Complications arose from it and he died in the wee hours of his supposed big day. One with an African mentality ordinarily would have concluded the witches from his village killed him. But the honest truth was that, the injection he took was actually a counterfeit, hence poisonous.

 

And just recently, we lost a young and promising Gospel Musician to fake Malaria Drugs and my heart bleeds at such ridiculous deaths. Needless to say I personally stopped using a particular brand of pain reliever when I discovered it was beginning to cause me discomfort.

Dora Akunyili (former NAFDAC boss) of blessed memory was quite passionate about this cause. And to think that this woman was on several occasions, attacked whilst seated atop the regulatory body by these unscrupulous elements is disheartening.

 

·         On the other hand, stress kills faster than some ailments. Most Nigerians, from employees to private business owners, trying too hard to stay afloat are stressed. The Nation’s economy too no doubt is stressing the mental alertness of her citizens. Many employees are underpaid. No wonder some of them just wake one morning, looking all fit and healthy only to just slump and die at work. This was the lot of an old classmate a few years back. Yet we blame deaths like these on the devil who might as at that time, be minding his business in hell.

 

·         Do not forget the high number of People who die from fire incidence caused by exposure to naked flames. Fallen petroleum trucks and exhaust fumes from generators (a device we obviously cannot do without, especially with the Nation’s epileptic power supply). Sadly, in my over thirty something years of existence, I have never experienced a straight up uninterrupted power supply for at least, ninety six hours. Never before have I.

·         Pot holes on major highways has also contributed to the death of many. We are generally insensitive. A major road under construction in Lagos, command- AIT road precisely has this sharp iron used in constructing the gutters exposed to people such that a few lives had been lost. One was a school girl of less than ten, and another market woman. Almost lost my biological father too. He had seen off his guest to the main road, the plank placed across the gutter broke with him on it and the exposed gutter-iron pierced his thigh, he could have died actually.

 

·         Chaotic political rallies and elections for instance had whipped quite a larger number of our country men and women. Some were just onlookers, yet they were not spared. And in such an instance, Political Leaders mostly would just zoom off in their usually bullet proof cars, as innocent members of the public are made to pay for the peace of the land with their blood. Like they really cared though.

 

·         Now I wonder if overpopulation is the reason why people build on water drainage. The flow of water is obstructed, while erosion wipes out people in the event of an heavy downpour.

 

·         Ritual killings are not left out. Body parts being chopped by ritual killers many times form a gory scene at isolated communities. All of these were done usually to get Money, Fame and/or Power, when in fact Mayweather was just throwing professional blows and earning Millions of Dollars.

 

·         Local hooliganism are an item when not instantly tamed by the Law Enforcement Agencies. From the Badoo boys in Ikorodu. Boko Haram (terrorists) holds sway still, the erstwhile Awawa boys in Agege. We pray there shouldn’t be any other springing up. Not forgetting the demon within, kidnapping.

 

 

    When the Economic situation becomes too unbearable, suicide looms by her Citizens. Suicide despite avoidable is caused by a lot of factors but not limited to the following in a Country like Nigeria; Economic Recession, loss of job or other means of livelihood and debt. This is despite the news of the huge sum of money Government Officials had embezzled slapping us in the face as the Citizens suffer along.

 

    The list is endless, but one thing to note however is that, apart from the Government failing us in many things, sometimes our insensitivity and greed to ourselves too is another menace to be critically looked into.