While Shed Tears for George Floyd, Perhaps They Too Might Have Tears To Shed For You:

Let me just say that I’ll share this as widely as I possibly can. But before I do that, let me quickly touch upon this if only tangentially as it is easy to lose the thought flow that this write up has generated in my minds eye.

Basically I must say that I am sick and tired of being sick of our people, especially the people of Southern Nigeria saved by the BELL with the emergence of Trump as the winner in the last US election over Hillary Clinton and by extension our Cousin without value, that infact approved the regime change that derailed this nation that is on the right path from all reports and indices, am tired of these people just sounding misguided and annoying over the sad development in the far away United states.

These people are indifferent about the role their heroes President Obama and Hilary Clinton played when they in exchange for the Jonathan administration aided and abated the APC and PMB into power in 2015. Well the verdict is now out. Are you better today than you were five years ago?

Where do we even start ?

Do we count the deaths ? Or the existential threats we face today? All thanks to the master stroke by the Obama and the Democrats. We are only half way to the mayhem planned by these people foisted upon us. The python dance we saw was merely the shoulders of the storm not the eye.

Because President Trump was sitting in the White house, even while there’s really no clear indication of what he may have done to slow the fast moving train. But he simply gave an indication that he will not honour the black cheque issued by President Obama and Hilary Clinton.

I said this to say that we are all deeply pained and outraged by the way and manner George Floyd was murdered. The systematic racism that yielded what we saw with Goerge Floyd has been so entrenched and long been coming as the politicians through the decades continue to try to outdo each other Democrats and Republicans on who will be tougher on crimes. These toughness sadly is at the very back of Blacks and other Minorities.

Perhaps some of us need to step back and read the 1996 crime bill pushed and signed by President Clinton to understand how we got to where we are today. That bill was titled; Anti immigration and effective death penalty bill. Google it and read it before pointing fingers at the current president Donald Trump.

The people of the world are watching to see if America will once again rise up and live true to their claim of being the so called land of the free and home of the brave. Such claims now hangs in balance with the murder of One man George Floyd.

America will do herself alot of good by distancing themselves and disowning those cruel and barbaric bigots or risk being disowned by the world. They have enough people of moral conscience to achieve that. They’ve done it before and we expect them to do it again and emerge stronger.

Having said that, it is also very sad and disingenuous to watch or listen to some of our people fall into the predictable profile of joining the bandwagon mentality by subscribing to the opinion and the drowning noise of those who wish to score some kind of political points with this tragedy.

They want to blame President Trump and talk so passionately about injustice in America where injustice is of course a reality but when fully manifested is treated as an aberration. Compare that to these people who are ironically from, or live places where these wickedness are rife and are even often celebrated depending on who’s at the receiving end.

Even those that recently escaped from where this injustice has become an acceptable new normal have the nerve to criticize them with their unreasonable expectations.

These are people from places where people have lived with injustice and cruelty for so long that they’ve grown so apathetic and are now experiencing some kind of death of outrage. Noting here shocks our conscience anymore. It is black on black crime that often go unnoticed.

Often, Once the news breaks about mass killings hundreds atimes with graphic images streamed to out devices we first check the ethnic groups, if they are Igbos those who have lived their life in hate and tribal bigotry might share a bottle of star over such wickedness and tragedy because it happened to people they love to hate.

These are the hypocrites whining over the sad murder of One American of course unjustly. But tell them about the 3 million that was murdered senselessly in the genocidal civil war and pogrom and they will show no emotion. At the worst they will blame you and give you the indication that given the right moment he or she will repeat same.

They will give you one thousand excuses why it is ok for the trained military and security forces to veer into the civilian space and maul down innocent women and children. They will hide behind party lines and tell you someone carrying AK47 with proof of murder should walk free and the one waving flag should be thrown in jail or even gunned down.

They will blame Trump and praise Obama who made this day possible and you ask yourself; what are these people thinking?
Infact inferiority complex comes in many shapes and forms. Those who are foaming from both sides of their mouths in condemnation of America and President Trump while over looking this cesspool of evil and rationalizing what’s happening here for whatever reasons they may have are inwardly suffering from inferiority complex.

This is exhibited in their actions and preoccupations with what’s happening in the distant places like America and Europe. This simply suggests or imply that those lives are worth more than their own and that of their people here in Nigeria.

I’ve even seen some people cry more than the bereaved when people suffer disaster in some of these places. Like what happened in France few years back and many people here changed their social media icons to French flag in solidarity with France.

Nothing wrong with that. But How many of these people have shown solidarity with the Igbos in all the their suffering and pains? How many have talked about the huge numbers massacred across Middlebelt and parts of Enugu and Ebonyi states?

Black life in Africa really don’t matter. We are here engaging in moral relativism while ignoring our embarrassing inadequacies, growing injustice and perennial problems.
That’s part of the reasons why we are disrespected around the world. We are full of contradictions and confusions.

Until we start putting equal premium in our lives. Until we start speaking and addressing the huge evil in our midst, the killings, the tribal discrimination which as it stands today with an Igbo person is even worst than racial discrimination in its meaniest form. Until we focus on these things, even while we stand in solidarity with other people across the world facing similar injustice then we are nothing short of of clueless and irresponsible bunch.

So while shed tears for the George Floyds of this world and criticize America, let’s save some of that breath for the many unknown faces buried in mass graves, so many summarily executed by the trigger happy cops down here. Let’s also direct our outrage or increase it in what’s happening in our neck of the wood in Nigeria.

Perhaps as you listen to an American tell you his or her story, empathize with them and stand in solidarity for what’s just and fair. But then also find it duty bound to tell them your story too. Because you too do have a very sad story to tell. Perhaps they too might shed tears for you.

GOD BLESS ALL.

Chris O. Maduka

Our guest writer.