By Prof. Echefuna' R G ONYEBEADI

No! NO!! NOOO!...

Who says Nigeria is at war

Where Nigeria is not in any war at all, not to talk of "FULL BLOWN WAR"!...

How can Nigeria be at war with a RENEWED HOPE AGENDA!?

Ótì ó! Ìrò nì! Nòbì trù!

Nigeria cannot be at war and the President will be celebrating and commissioning a road that is yet to be constructed!

Nigeria cannot be at war and the President will contract billions of Naira to provide solar power for the President's residence at Aso Rock, while other citizens that are more than 200 million people remain in darkness!

Nigeria cannot be at war and the President sits akimbo, while our military are often ambushed and murdered by mercenaries and miscreants!

How can Nigeria be at war when the people are hungry and dying?

How can Nigeria be at war when people can no longer go to their farms for fear of being maimed, raped and killed?

Why would Nigeria even contemplate anything like war after a recent "magnanimous" meagre N35k wage award to workers, who are yet to receive it several months after?

With the recent increase of minimum wage to N70k, which cannot even pay for transport to work, why will Nigeria be at war? For what!?

If Nigeria is at war, who will be talking of awarding the President the sole candidacy for a second term in office by just midterm of the first tenure in office?

Will Governors and political gladiators be decamping in drones to the ruling Party if Nigeria is at war?

Will billions of Naira be deployed even without appropriation of NASS for new armoured vehicles, jet, yacht etc. for the President, with billions of Naira also deployed just to renovate the President's guest house in Lagos!?

Will Nigeria be at war and billions of Naira will be deployed to renovate the residence of the Vice President?

Why would anybody misconstrue ordinary "picnic" of merely shooting down military helicopter, pulling down of national flags and "ordinary" arms overrun of military barracks as an act of war?

Can Nigeria be at war and an innocent young naval officer will be carjacked and killed in Kaduna, in broad daylight, by miscreants?

How can Nigeria be at war and the President will be comfortable holidaying in Lagos?

Is it possible that Nigeria is at war and the indigenous people of Plateau, Benue and across the country will be continuously attacked, displaced and killed in quantum right in their own ancestral homes and land without any resistance and/or consequences?

Why the "unnecessary" alarm of "full blown war" when people are only rampantly kidnapped for ransom everywhere?

How can Nigeria be at war when appropriations to equip our military are being diverted to white elephant projects, if not outrightly embezzled?

How can we be talking of war in Nigeria when massive killings of citizens across the country have become mere statistics?

How can we be talking about war in Nigeria when government is very quick to declare state of emergency in Rivers State, for mere political skirmishes and scuttle democratic institutions, but look away from and continue to protect sponsored invaders that kill and take over ancestral homes and land of indigenous citizens?

How can there be war in Nigeria when bandits and terrorists have taken over parts of Northern Nigeria's territory, thus "enhancing" the territorial integrity of Nigeria?

Isn't it "stupidity" to claim that Nigeria is at war when known terrorists are openly collecting taxes from citizens on government highways, without any resistance and/or consequences?

Please, please, please, let's stop this very expensive "joke" of orchestrating war in Nigeria where "none" exists!

Please, let's be "patriotic" enough to continue to lie to ourselves!

Let's continue to deceive ourselves that we are not deceiving ourselves!

Wo, Ai don waka komot jèjèlì!... Naija mata taya percin.....

• His Royalty, Professor Echefuna' R G ONYEBEADI [DBA; PhDs; CEng. etc], Emeritus Professor of Engineering Economy & Strategic Management, is a United Nations Fellow and The Inegbese of Oligbo Kingdom.