Nigeria's Celebrations Have Become Mourning Rituals Since 2015, According to Dele Sobowale

Dele Sobowale reflected on a quote by Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400, from VBQ, page 64, which reads "But, fortune's honey turned to gall…thus Fortune, with a slight turn of her will brings men [and nations] from joy to sorrow", a sentiment that resonated with him after a recent meeting with an old friend.

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The meeting, which took place three weeks ago, ended with both men, in their 80s, nearly in tears as they reminisced about their past adventures, including trips to Abuja, Calabar, Maiduguri, Enugu, Ilorin, Uyo, and other destinations, which they would often visit by road on weekends.

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These trips, which were both affordable and enjoyable, allowed them to visit friends and enjoy themselves, but suddenly came to an end, leaving a void in their lives that they only realized after discussing their past experiences, including a memorable time spent in Bacita, Kwara State.

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In Bacita, they spent a week with a late friend who worked for the Nigerian Sugar Company, NISUCO, and retired as a Farm Manager, who would take them on daily trips into the sugarcane plantation in his official Land Rover, where they would witness 3,000 manual laborers at work.

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The laborers wielded sharp cutlasses, and the experience, although thrilling, now seems like a distant memory, as they exclaimed, "Those days are gone; nobody would go to any Kwara rural area again", a sentiment that opened up a Pandora's box of regrets about other places they used to visit.

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They began to strike off names of places from their list, including Degema, Bida, Ikogosi, Obolo Afor, Otukpo, Funtua, Ahoada, Jega, New Bussa, Ikom, Katsina Ala, and others, realizing that many Nigerians still live in these areas, which have become "Nigerian hells on Earth" that they now avoid.

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Their late friend in Wushishi was slaughtered on his farm, which put an end to their visits to Wushishi and Badeggi, and trips to Potiskum and Gombi have become suicidal missions, while places like Auchi, Agenebode, Sabon Gida Ora, and Kokori are now avoided.

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The predictability of mass killings has become a chilling reality, and in the past, as recently as 2010 and 2011, the concern was reducing accidents, with the Federal Government deploying more policemen and the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, to minimize carnage.

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People could travel at any time, day or night, without fear, but those days are over, and it appears that the happy days are behind us, with imminent violence and poverty preventing many Nigerians from enjoying themselves, and our leaders seemingly no longer caring.

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The failure of governments from 2013 till now has turned cherished occasions for family reunions and visits to birthplaces into orgies of violence and mass funerals, with the entire military now on high alert to prevent mass massacres, but to no avail.

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The Palm Sunday genocide in Jos, which eliminated several lives, laid bare the government's inability to protect its citizens when needed most, and nothing will ever be the same again, with President Tinubu's ten-minute visit to Jos and the State Governor's arrival in an armored tank leaving lasting impressions.

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Palm Sunday, a rehearsal for Easter Sunday, was turned into a mournful occasion, with the terrorists deleting two festivals with one strike in Jos, as well as minor incidents in Kwara State.

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The next Muslim festival, in May 2026, is approaching, and the question on everyone's mind is whether bandits will strike again, with millions of Muslims facing two variables: money and bandits, which stand between them and a happy celebration.

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Many Muslims who would travel long distances to celebrate Sallah and kill rams now find them unaffordable, and those who would usually travel home, especially to the North East, North West, and North Central, are reluctant to go, with conviviality taking a back seat to personal security.

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Despite precautions, the most important question is not how many rams will be killed, but whether bandits will strike on that day and massacre fellow Nigerians, with many unable to remember that, in 2014, festivals were not predictable funerals, but they are now.

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The news of Governor Okpebholo awarding full scholarships to the children of slain Brigadier General Oseni Braimah is commendable, but it also raises questions about the value of such gestures, as the Governor can only speak for himself, and his successors might not feel obligated to continue taking care of the kids.

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The story of the Governor's promise is reminiscent of a university sports coach in the US, who would assess new students by throwing them into a real game on the first day, and if they failed, would ask, "Is that the best you can do?", a question that now applies to President Tinubu, who was enjoying himself in London when Maiduguri came under attack.

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President Tinubu ordered the Service Chiefs to relocate to Borno State, but their redeployment has not improved the insecurity in the North East state, and since then, three army officers have lost their lives in combat with terrorists, raising critical questions about the government's ability to protect its citizens.

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The passing out ceremony for 744 "repentant" Boko Haram members, organized by the military and the Federal Government, is ill-timed, coming just a few days after the burial of Brigadier General Oseni Braimah, and is seen as the right thing at the wrong time, making heinous crime pay with an ill-considered amnesty.