‘… We require a Nigeria where sovereignty and power belong to the people; a Nigeria where rulers strive to satisfy the people at all times; a Nigeria where those who exercise power are accountable to the people; a Nigeria where public servants accept responsibility for inefficiency and bad advice; a Nigeria where abuse of office is severely punished and ill-gotten gains confiscated. We vote for a clean and peaceful Nigeria where children are well taken care of;… a Nigeria that has rediscovered her gaiety’ –  Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

Nigeria, Africa most populous country has one of the largest aggregation of ethnic groups but the smallest tribes in Africa. Beyond the classification of Nigeria with over 400 tribes with different languages in the 38 states (including the richest state, CORRUPTION), the gap between the  two main tribes, the poor and rich is alarming. The gap between the two tribes can be illustrated by the fact that five wealthiest individuals in Nigeria especially from the CORRUPTION STATE have assets that exceed those of the poor 50 percent of our population in the remaining 37 states.

The question is how long shall we be blinded through the skillful use of rhetoric by totalitarians of all political and elite stripes who have made their own special contribution to the science of lying and deception in Nigeria? How long shall we be subjected to use of lies and deceit to achieve economic, ethnic, and political objectives. Is it nothing to you that our supposedly democratic and community leaders has made their own special contribution to the art of deception and manipulation ‘drawing heavily on insights gleaned from social psychology, advertising and mass marketing,’ and religion? Must Nigeria richest state be CORRUPTION? Must Nigeria be ‘a place of frauds, a place where honesty is not needed … Frauds are kings, and rule and reign.’?

Beloved, our generation, l mean the poor tribe is at war which is beyond the war of gun and ammunition. We are in political war. Carl von Clausewitz, the famous late 18/early 19th century military theorist provides us a very helpful reflection for a better understanding of the war we are facing and the war facing us. According to him, “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” The knowledge of our political warfare waged by other means has potentials to set us free and understand the logic between the main two tribes in Nigeria – the poor and the rich. In the on-going war and in this age of post-truth politics, the poor are getting poorer and the rich and getting richer.

Scholars argues that ‘politics has never been a particularly moral or honourable pursuit – often more closely resembling a blood sport than a meeting of minds. Nor have many of those engaged in public affairs ever been strongly attached to the truth. For while facts, well thought out ideas, and solid policy proposals do occasionally find their way into election campaigns, their importance is almost always secondary.’ Beloved, how long shall we allow ourselves to be used to win elections by the rich tribe, the politicians ‘using emotional appeals that either play on the heartstrings of voters or scare the pants off them. Once in power, governments continue to practice emotional manipulation, realising that it is the royal road to staying in power.’ One major emotional appeal been used to lure us into ethnic division is ‘tribal politics.’ They use this to manipulate us in order to stay in power knowing that in our division they dominate and oppress us, the poor. They have forgotten that, oppression can make a wise man and even a saint mad (Eccl 7:7).

Poverty does not recognise your ethnic or religious background hence, this systematic political manipulation must stop now if we are to have a future. How long shall we be supporting looters just because they are from the same ethnic, political and religious background with us? Nigeria is going through post-truth politics and spirituality, dividing the poor tribe by encouraging anger, hunger, crime, and bigotry. Beyond the permanent feature of humanity flowing from Original Sin, the anger, famine, murder, kidnapping and hatred in Nigeria are sad features and realities of our post-truth politics and religion phenomenon. The media are not excluded from the war of politics against my generation, the poor tribe by misleading ‘the public through the use of a false balance in which the views of ignorant and marginal individuals are given equal weight to those of true experts in their respective fields.’

It is a known fact that throughout history, politicians and public figures are good in using powerful emotional appeal to get their ways throwing truth out the window as a technique of persuasion. Trusted elites have succumbed to the temptation to manipulate especially the emotions of the poor. They have a way of suppressing inconvenient facts and actions.

How can we describe a ‘trusted civil servant,’ building house for money fully air-conditioned in a community that lacked every necessities of life? Now, CORRUPTION state through its capital, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY is fighting back, must we keep silent? Charity begins at home. Beloved, it is time for us to go back and engage our grassroot so as to overcome ‘the low level of political discourse generally and the lack of any real participation by ordinary citizens in the governmental process.’ For effective reform in Nigeria, I am not calling for a sceptical lack of deference towards our leaders, but we need brave people who are prepared to challenge the post-truth politicians and their official propaganda. Enough of the fragmentation of news especially news shared on-line within a network in which lies, rumour and gossiping are taking the appearance of truth and spreading with alarming speed. They are part of media and political war meant to cause more division and anger especially among the poor tribe.

The poor tribe are paying the cost of post-truth politics in Nigeria by living in abject poverty and lack of essentials amenities for common human well being. Must we celebrate government for providing good roads, electricity or good medical service? The poor tribe needs liberation and the rich needs to be told the truth. The poor tribe are man made by the CORRUPT leaders, for God so loved the Nigerians that He gave us every natural and human resources to make us one RICH tribe so that we don’t need to be second class citizen in foreign lands.

I believe God is calling my generation to arise and stop the rich tribe especially those in CORRUPTION state looting and dinning over our commonwealth at the expense of the poor tribe. To the rich tribe in my generation, God is saying to you, stop striving after unending wealth forgetting the temporary comfort its brings. Why do you like to be a consumer generation using and consuming things you cannot produce or manufacture. Must we buy things in hopes that our spirits will soar while we are left still thirsty, keeping the poor in poverty and still left wanting more? Lord in Your mercy, deliver my generation.