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Many Nigerians of all faiths will gather this night in many formal and informal places worship in what in local parlance is called “crossover” service to usher in the New Year. During this service, Satan gets a national beating from all Nigerians. This has been the case since Christianity came in the company of Commerce and Civilization to Nigeria more than a hundred years ago and Islam came about two hundred years ago.
At this annual ritual, fingers are pointed at the arch-enemy – the ubiquitous force that disrupts and destroys, and which therefore must be slayed. Nigerians dislike the company of Satan and wish to banish him forever from Nigerian soil. They pray hard, they stump and dance and when it appears that English and the local languages are not enough to maim or kill Satan, Muslims veer off in Arabic while their Christian brothers speak in tongues. No one wants Satan to follow them into the New Year.
But despite the annual slaying ritual by the faithful, it appears Satan has taken permanent residence in Nigeria – Nigeria is regally among countries that leads the world in maternal and child deaths, debilitating poverty, rudimentary human development, chaotic infrastructure (bad roads, absence of electricity, unheard-of clean and potable water) mediocre education as well as deadly health infrastructure, violence and corruption.
Faced with hopelessness of the Nigerian situation and collectively accepting that Satan is permanently resident in the country and holds a Nigerian passport, the annual ritual of Satan slaying focuses on self. Although gathered as a group, each individual fights Satan and banishes him from his life. Nigeria as a country is left to somehow sort itself out without the involvement of Nigerians. But this won’t work. Nigeria cannot sort itself out without Nigerians from leadership to followership changing their ways of life. Nigeria is Nigeria because of its peoples. It is not an abstract concept to refer to in the second or third person. We are Nigeria.
Where the devil in Nigeria is Satan hiding that our religious and secular intelligence services cannot find it, flush it out and send it back to hell? Who is harboring Satan in Nigeria? No Nigerian will own up to harboring Satan in their houses, minds, words and actions. “God forbid” or “I reject it”, they would say. But Nigeria is what it is because of what we have made it.
Nigeria is skewed because of abuses at all levels. Everyone abuses something or someone. And sometimes, Nigerians attribute the gains of their abuses to God! Satan resides in abuses committed this country.
Below is an alphabetical list (maybe not exhaustive) of abuses that Nigerians commit on a daily basis. Combined, these abuses have made Nigeria one of the most hostile and dangerous countries in the world to live in – hell on earth.
- Child abuse
- Corporate abuse
- Democracy abuse
- Drug abuse
- Environment abuse
- Food abuse
- Freedom abuse
- God abuse
- Governance abuse
- Husband abuse
- Intellect abuse
- Justice abuse
- Leadership abuse
- Management abuse
- Media abuse
- Minority abuse
- Neighbour abuse
- Position abuse
- Power abuse
- Privilege abuse
- Religion abuse
- Responsibility abuse
- Rights abuse
- Self-abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Social media abuse
- Time abuse
- Trust abuse
- Wife abuse
- Wealth abuse
As you slay the Satan this night, make a resolution not to commit any of these abuses in 2019.
Make 2019 an abuse-free year.
Happy New Year !