Jr. Pope: We Need Functional Country, Fr. Angelo.

1] It has all been about Junior Pope since Wednesday. A lot of stories have been told. A lot of people have spoken. The events helped me understand better the decay in our society and the mentality of our people. Well, to be honest, I was not surprised. 

2] I was not surprised that adults entered a speed boat without life jackets. That is the normal life of an average Nigerian. A life jacket is meant to save one from drowning in the event of an accident. It is a backup. Tell me an aspect of the lives of Nigerians that has a backup.

3] What is the difference between plying the River Niger without life jackets and mounting a motorcycle or bicycle without helmets? 

4] What is its difference with entering a bus or car without a seat belt or functional airbag for front-seaters? How is it different from people organizing events where a crowd is expected without a standby ambulance or emergency services?

5] How is it different from living in a country without functional hospitals? How is it different from living in a country without security of of lives and property; without health insurance, vehicle insurance, job insurance, house insurance, pension benefits, and life insurance?

6] How is crossing the River Niger without life jackets different from giving birth to a child in a country without any plans for adults, not to mention children?

7] How is it different from looking for university admission in a country where graduates are jobless and the few employed ones are searching for means of escape?

8] What is the difference between living in a country where justice is not guaranteed in a court of law or where the decisions of the court could be ignored because they do not favor those in power?

9] What is its difference with living in a country where the physically challenged have no social security? Your own case will not be different if you become "disabled" any day. The list is endless. 

10] This is the kind of society in which Nigerians find themselves at the moment. 

11] Having been denied access to natural securities and backups, an average Nigerian turns to the supernatural. That is why the most lucrative businesses are those that focus on spritism. Sadly, opportunits and hoodlums have hijacked the lucrative business. And there is nothing anyone could do to stop them because the land is fertile.

12] I saw a lot of people blaming the producer of the said movie and Nollywood. We are all to blame. We are living in a country where human life has little or no worth and no backup.

13] We need a country that is functional if we have to live like humans. We need a regional government or a peaceful Balkanization where each region or nation can make laws that could build and protect human society so that we stop living like animals in the jungle.

14] Our hearts are with the families of all those who lost their lives in that mishap. May Junior Pope and others who lost their lives rest in peace.

Fr Angelo Chidi Unegbu