Nigerians still have reasons to be calm irrespective of the negative incidents happening in the country.
A public sector consultant, Buchi Madu, believes so and that much he said during a conversation on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds.
The outbreak of the Ebola virus on the West African region and its entry into Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, through a flight form Liberia, had caused panic in recent weeks, but Mr Madu believes that the Nigerian Government has shown its capability to handle the situation.
He noted that the Government, having shown that it was in control, must have earned the trust of the people and therefore they (people) would follow instructions given out.
He, therefore, urged the Government to do more in making information about the virus available to the public.
Nigerian athletes’ performances at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow also came to the fore and Madu expressed joy that the country has been able to record some successes especially with the record breaking double gold medal by sprinter, Blessing Okagbare.
Although the ban on female weightlifter, Chika Amalaha, who failed a dope test, was a downside for the country’s representation at the games, Madu said that this would do little to rob Nigeria of its glory, as the country had always been well rated in sports.
He declined speaking further on issues surrounding Amalaha’s ban and the eventual withdrawal of her earlier won Gold medal, since it was still an evolving case.
Mr Madu, however, said that the issue of terrorism could not be overlooked as it had taken a more alarming dimension with the introduction of female suicide bombers in recent attacks.
Referring to it as “a culture that is very alien to Nigerians”, he said, that while “the Government was doing its best, albeit late in the game”, Nigerians need to “untangle the underlining issue of Islamic fundamentalism from politics and all of the noise around it.”
He explained that there was a faction of extremists, who have an agenda and were determined to achieve it. He added, also, that there had been power play between the North and South and he thinks the politicians have played major roles in it as the crisis could be a tool for disgruntled politicians to unsettle the country’s leadership.
