society
History Is Knocking: Memory as Weapon; Will Nigeria Lift the Shield or March Blind into Repetition?
History Is Knocking: Memory as Weapon; Will Nigeria Lift the Shield or March Blind into Repetition?
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“REMEMBER or REPEAT; Nigeria’s future depends on whether we choose MEMORY over AMNESIA.”
Nigeria lives in the long shadow of its past. The country that emerged on October 1, 1960 (radiant with promise, vast in diversity and rich in human and natural resources) has been repeatedly battered by choices made in the present that forget the LESSONS of HISTORY. To treat history as a dusty archive is to hand the future to forces that thrive on collective amnesia. Corruption, impunity, ethnic manipulation and policy myopia. If memory is indeed a weapon, Nigeria’s survival depends on whether its citizens and leaders are brave enough to wield it. {Independence – Oct 1, 1960; sources on Nigeria’s founding and constitutional arc.}
We must first admit a simple fact, MEMORY is POLITICAL. Who remembers and how we remember shapes power. Chinua Achebe’s blunt admonition remains essential: “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” That line is not mere literary flourish (it is a diagnosis. When state narratives elevate rulers and erase victims, justice withers and policy becomes propaganda. The Nigerian story has repeatedly seen official versions triumph over inconvenient truths, coups sanitised as necessary correctives; economic mismanagement repackaged as temporary sacrifice; violence rationalised as inevitable. Reclaiming national memory means restoring the histories of those sidelined) the poor farmer whose land was drained by a policy he never consented to, the activists whose warnings were ignored, the communities displaced by avoidable violence.
Concrete reminders of what happens when memory is abandoned are stark. The Nigerian Civil War -1967/1970- (a human catastrophe that cost hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of lives) was not simply a regional conflict but a national wound born of ethnic fear, political exclusion and resource competition. Its lessons (the cruelty of blockades; the human cost of political exclusion; the fragility of a federation without trust) must be institutionalized (memorials, properly funded history curricula, and truth-telling commissions) lest the CYCLE REPEAT. The facts are not negotiable, the war’s dates and the scale of the suffering remain foundational to any honest national narrative.
Similarly, the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election (a moment that exposed the rot of military patronage and elite collusion) should be taught, commemorated and used as a political touchstone. The denial of that mandate left a generational scar on civic trust that still influences political behaviour. Commemoration is not mere ritual; it is a political act that says to society that WE REMEMBER INJUSTICE and we will not let it be normalized.
The cost of forgetting is measurable. Recent independent assessments show Nigeria wrestling with alarming socio-economic indicators and poverty levels that remain staggeringly high and a public sector reputation stained by pervasive corruption. The World Bank has documented deep and growing numbers of people pushed into poverty in the last decade; Transparency International places Nigeria low on its Corruption Perceptions Index, indicating that impunity remains a major structural problem. When governance is short-term and amnesic (leaders failing to heed past policy failures) outcomes weaken and ordinary citizens pay with hunger, displacement and lost opportunity. These are not abstract metrics; they are human lives.
Memory must therefore be institutional, not episodic. Plaques and occasional speeches are insufficient. Real memory requires three pillars: TRUTHFUL EDUCATION, TRANSPARENT ARCHIVES and CIVIC RITUALS that bind people across ethnicity and region. Our schools must teach the hard chapters honestly and not only triumphs but THE BETRAYALS, THE CORRUPTION SCANDALS, THE PROTEST MOVEMENTS and THE POLICY MISTAKES. National archives must be accessible; public records preserved and digitized; commissions set up to investigate and publish findings on major national failures. Finally, CIVIC RITUALS (memorial days, inclusive commemorations of struggle, and public dialogue) will stitch individual memory into national consciousness. Without these pillars, memory remains a private act rather than a public defence. (On curriculum and archival reform: see international best practice and calls from civil-society scholars.)
Of course, memory alone is not a magic cure. It is useful only insofar as it leads to accountability and reform. Remembering the Civil War without addressing the economic and political grievances that fuelled it is a hollow exercise. Honouring June 12 without institutional safeguards for electoral integrity is symbolic theatre. Therefore, memory must feed mechanisms of justice: judicial independence, anti-corruption agencies that work, robust investigative journalism and empowered parliaments that exercise meaningful oversight. Where memory prompts policy changes (land reform, fiscal transparency, inclusive governance) it becomes a true weapon of collective defence.
Voices from Nigeria’s intellectual tradition demand no less. Wole Soyinka has repeatedly insisted that nations must “CONFRONT HISTORY HONESTLY”, a call that is both MORAL and STRATEGIC. Honest confrontation means naming perpetrators, acknowledging errors and creating institutional constraints that prevent recurrence. It also means cultivating a civic culture where criticism is not criminalized but welcomed as necessary oxygen for democracy. These are not soft ideals; they are practical steps proven in democracies that have moved from trauma to stability.
There is also resistance. ELITES BENEFIT WHEN THE PAST IS BLURRED. For them, selective memory is a shield. They confect myths of inevitability (that corruption is the price of unity, that emergency decrees are love letters to stability) hoping citizens will forget the alternatives. Combatting this requires an active civil society and media that refuse co-option. Independent journalism, civic education programs and grassroots truth-telling gatherings must be supported. Funding channels that promote investigative reporting and community-based history projects are investments that pay dividends in accountability. Recent reporting and investigations have already exposed the consequences of policy amnesia; food crises compounded by poor planning, infrastructure projects announced without follow-through, fiscal policies that punish the poor. These reports must be amplified, protected and acted upon.
Finally, memory is a democratic practice. It invites ordinary citizens into the national conversation and makes them custodians of truth. The young, who form a majority of Nigeria’s population, must be handed accessible narratives; not SACCHARINE PATRIOTISM, but GRITTY STORIES of how institutions failed and how citizens fought back. When young people inherit a robust, critical memory, they will be less likely to accept cynical elites and easier to mobilize for honest reform. When elders pass down TRUTHFUL, PLURALISTIC HISTORIES rather than PAROCHIAL MYTHS, the nation’s shield grows stronger.
History is knocking. Will Nigeria lift the shield or continue marching blind into repetition? The answer depends on whether we choose to remember with courage and act with conviction. Memory without action is nostalgia; action without memory is recklessness (together and through honest education, open archives, public commemoration and accountable institutions) Nigeria can turn memory into a lasting defence. The choice is ours. If we embrace it, the next generation may finally inherit more than rhetoric: a nation that remembers, reforms and rises.
– George Omagbemi Sylvester
society
Four Times Primate Ayodele Warned About Resurfacing Of Covid-19 In Nigeria (VIDEOS)
Four Times Primate Ayodele Warned About Resurfacing Of Covid-19 In Nigeria (VIDEOS)
Nigerians have been gripped by fear since the report of the COVID-19 variant in Cross River.
The Cross River State Ministry of Health has begun profiling and tracing individuals in the state who have been in contact with a Chinese national admitted after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Not many people expected this to happen in Nigeria, because since 2020 when the global pandemic happened, there hasn’t been a single case of the virus in the country until yesterday, about five years later.
However, despite the fact that Nigeria was declared Covid-19 free, popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele, warned about three times that he foresees the virus coming back to Nigeria.
In his first prophecy regarding it, he warned that Nigerians should not pray to see Lassa fever and Covid-19 coming back in some areas.
“Let’s pray so that we don’t see Lassa Fever again. Let’s pray so that Covid will not come back in some areas”
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This wasn’t given attention by many because it felt Nigeria has been immune to the virus. Everyone went about their business as usual, and in the midst of all that, Primate Ayodele warned intensely again.
“Let’s watch this for the World Health Organization, I see airborne disease, Covid in another dimension that can cause cough, cold, air disease, it’s a warning and that’s what the Lord said.”
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This time, he specifically called out the World Health Organization about re-occurrence of Covid; and gave directions regarding how it would happen. He also emphasized that it was what the Lord said, but how many people actually listen?
Again, during a church service, Primate Ayodele warned that Covid is coming and will happen in a different way compared to the previous one. He made it known that the way of contacting it will be different from the previous one.
“Also, Covid is coming, but the way it’s going to come will be different from the way we experienced it that time. The process of contacting it will be different from the previous one.”
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Likewise, in his annual prophecy book titled Warnings to the Nations, Primate Ayodele warned that another round of COVID is coming. This book was released in July 2025.
“Another round of COVID will come up, and another disease epidemic. I foresee that a lot of money will be spent, and they will face some challenges in getting things right. The workers of this Body will be attacked, and there will be changes in leadership” (Page 36)
All of these have fulfilled the prophecies of Primate Ayodele. Beyond the prophecy fulfilment, this is a call to relevant authorities to always listen when God is warning them about anything through his prophet.
society
Nigerian Prophet Begs Federal Government to Stop Killing of Christians, Backs Tinubu’s Second Term
Nigerian Prophet Begs Federal Government to Stop Killing of Christians, Backs Tinubu’s Second Term
Abuja – Rev Prophet Dr Hungbenu Michael Olusegun, Founder of Celestrial Deliverance Church of Christ in Zhidu Village, Abuja, has made an emotional appeal to the Federal Government to stop the killing of Christians across Nigeria while also throwing his weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office.
Speaking from his Abuja headquarters, the Prophet declared that leadership is a continuum and that Nigeria’s ongoing reforms require stability and time to bear fruit. He said, “Politics has nothing to do with religion. The ballot box is not the altar. Whether you are from the East, the North, the West, or the Yoruba community, we are one people under God.”
Rev Prophet Dr Hungbenu Michael Olusegun used the opportunity to make a special appeal to the Federal Government, saying, “I beg the Federal Government, in the name of God and for the sake of humanity: Please help stop the killing of Christians across this nation. From the villages to the cities, too much innocent blood has been shed. Targeted attacks on Christian communities must stop. We plead for stronger protection, justice for victims, and lasting peace.” He acknowledged the pain of insecurity, especially the killing of Christians and farmers across the Middle Belt and Northern Nigeria, but also noted verifiable security gains under President Tinubu including over 3,000 hostages rescued from bandits and terrorists in the last 12 months, deployment of new attack helicopters and surveillance drones to flashpoints, and a reduction in oil theft from over 400,000 barrels per day to under 200,000 barrels per day.
He said, “The issue is security, and security is everybody’s business. We cannot build a nation if our people are not safe. But we must also acknowledge progress.” He added that a second term would allow the administration to consolidate its security architecture rather than restarting with new leadership.
On economic reforms, Rev Prophet Dr Hungbenu Michael Olusegun argued that President Tinubu’s first term has witnessed the most audacious economic reforms in Nigeria’s recent history, including fuel subsidy removal saving the nation over ₦400 billion monthly, a unified exchange rate attracting over $2 billion in foreign portfolio inflows, the Student Loans Act benefiting over 100,000 students, and local government autonomy. He argued that no major economy in the world has successfully reversed course after landmark reforms within a single term, adding that abandoning the reform agenda now would plunge Nigeria back into uncertainty.
Rev Prophet Dr Hungbenu Michael Olusegun stressed that President Tinubu’s emergence broke a dangerous cycle, noting that Tinubu is the first Southern Muslim to lead Nigeria since 1993, balancing power after eight years of a Northern President. He pointed out that under Tinubu, the South holds the presidency of the Senate but the Speaker of the House is from the North-West. He urged, “Let the East join hands with the West. Let the North embrace the South. Let the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and all 250 plus tribes say: ‘Nigeria first.’”
Drawing comparisons to global examples such as India’s Narendra Modi, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, and Indonesia’s Joko Widodo, the Prophet argued that second terms deliver long-term prosperity. He said, “Nigeria is not an exception. If we change leadership every four years, we will remain a building site forever.”
Rev Prophet Dr Hungbenu Michael Olusegun closed with a prayer and a charge: “Nigeria will only rise when we rise above division. I am not speaking as Ogu, Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa. I speak as a Nigerian, and as a minister of the gospel of peace. God bless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” He urged all Nigerians to pray for the nation, support security agencies, and give President Tinubu the opportunity to complete what he has started. The press release was issued on 20th April 2026 from his church in Zhidu Village behind Piwoyi Village off Lugbe Airport Road, FCT Abuja.
society
₦100 Million Bribe Offer Rejected As Police STS Operatives Expose Criminal Syndicate
₦100 Million Bribe Offer Rejected As Police STS Operatives Expose Criminal Syndicate
The Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Nigeria Police Force has recorded a major breakthrough in its sustained crackdown on the vandalisation of critical national infrastructure, with the arrest of two notorious suspects and the recovery of railway materials valued at over ₦400,000,000.
Acting on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM, to decisively tackle acts of economic sabotage, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department – Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), under the leadership of ACP Victor Ogbeide Godfrey, executed a swift, intelligence-driven operation that led to the arrest of Chisom Goodnews (32) and Ahmed Adamu (22) on April 9, 2026, in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.
The suspects were intercepted while transporting vandalised railway infrastructure in a calculated attempt to evade detection. Recovered from them was a trailer truck with registration number KRB 355 SX, conveying railway tracks and sleepers weighing approximately 60 tonnes, cleverly concealed under sacks of groundnut shells. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects are part of a well-coordinated syndicate responsible for the illegal removal and transportation of railway materials from Bauchi State to Ilorin, Kwara State, representing a significant threat to Nigeria’s transportation infrastructure.
Speaking on the operation, ACP Victor Ogbeide Godfrey revealed that in a desperate bid to compromise the officers and frustrate the arrest, the suspects offered a staggering sum of ₦100 million as a bribe to allow them passage with the illicit cargo. The offer was, however, outrightly rejected by the operatives, who remained resolute in the discharge of their duties. This firm stance underscores the Nigeria Police Force’s renewed commitment to professionalism, integrity, and its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.
Further investigations are ongoing to apprehend the intended receiver of the stolen materials in Ilorin, as well as other members of the syndicate, while efforts are being intensified to recover additional exhibits linked to the criminal network.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has reiterated the Force’s unwavering resolve to bring all perpetrators of economic sabotage to justice, warning that acts of vandalisation of public assets will not be tolerated. He assured that all individuals found culpable will be made to face the full weight of the law.
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