Date: 2015-05-07

The news of a bleeding town hit me like the earthquake in Nepal which has so far recorded about 6,000 deaths with thousands unaccounted for. While our case (Ilorin) may not have recorded a figure as high as Nepals', it has generated a structure capable of ruining lives to death beyond three generations. So if my mathematics sense serves me right, a population of three generation has already surpassed the Nepal figure.

Of course, I am not a prophet of doom neither am I a soothsayer, but one need not wear these caps to predict the likely possibilities of the unfortunate circumstance we have found ourselves. This is what our failure to give our children, younger ones and society's liabilities the needed treatment they so deserve. While the fault may not entirely be that of the government, our own (parents and respective stakeholders), is the largest share of the blame.

One will be baffled by the incident but more concerned about where it is happening, Ilorin. Ilorin, my dear city. You have been thrown into near darkest time strange to your existence, natural belief and social service. The City of Harmony! Your harmony has been tainted by your very descendants. They have been encouraged by those who were charged with the responsibilities of administration, at the primitive, local and central levels. Nobody cares who is hungry as long as his immediate family is fed. We shall see if those food you keep for your generation unborn will make it to that time.

If we will sincerely admit, every corner is a soft spot and everybody is a suspect. Nobody is safe to walk like we used to in the 80s and 90s. Even though I may be small to paint a balanced picture of these times, what we met may be enough to encourage authorities in charge to brace up to the challenges at hand. All hands must be on deck. We must collectively see these problems as ours and not theirs.

A suggested solution: the traditional institutions (with all due respect) must reactivate its authority on its strongholds. Revisit the old ways of security. Search for new entrants into the community, take census of your households, streets and districts under your watch amd pass information to appropriate authority next above you for action. Alfas (Islamic scholars) should begin to sensitize the public on the dangers of this menace & educate us on the religious implication of acting against the dictates & commands of Allah.

Secondly, the traditional institution should accept the failure of government to deliver on the expectations of the people & co-opt indigenous associations & non-governmental organization to look at areas where job creation, empowerment & community development programs can be embarked upon as a way to keep some of these guys busy & also alleviate poverty in the land. This crisis must not be assumed to be over. We must be ready with counter measures to arrest a future occurrence.

Lastly, all of us must not abandon our family houses. We should visit it from time to time to know what is happening therein. Perhaps, if we change its service from event & tourist centers, and spend times there once in a while, we may have roles to play in the lives of those who do not have role models in the society. Let us ask questions about our neighbourhood, we must not betray the expectations of our fore-fathers who thought we can manage the walls of what they left behind.

My city must regain its pride in the comity of states. It must bleed-less!

Idris Abubakar Abdulkadir can be contact via the twitter handle @iaabubakar