Beyond the merits or otherwise of JAMB’s claims against Mmesoma and the prodigious Anambra child’s insistence on her innocence, I want to talk about our values as a nation and how public officials have consistently destroyed and discouraged patriotism towards Nigeria. Nobody seems to care about the Nigerian image, not even the President of Nigeria. Everyone seems to have come to the frightening conclusion that Nigeria is a mere geographical expression which is not worth any emotional attachment, but to get whatever we can of it and move on. More like a weak object to be exploited rather than a Motherland to be cared for and loved.

The past few days have seen the internet got awash with what is seeming to be a fairy tale of how the highest scorer in last year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination suddenly became a fraudster and forger, instead of the excellent student and performer that she truly is. To be honest, I had almost been taken in by the stories of I-shaq Oloyede and was already crying that Nigeria has become a nation where dishonest lifestyle is the new test of intelligence and that’s because those at the top who do the same or worse things never get punished, hence, becoming role models to the younger ones. I prayed that the young child is saved from taking that dishonourable path early enough.

Even if this child is truly guilty as claimed by I-shaq, a responsible public official wouldn’t have chosen the path of publicly shaming her. He should have understood that this is, first and foremost, a child and that if truly the accusation of using a particular software to upload inflated results is true, then it speaks to the inefficiency of the administrators of JAMB who are paid heavily from tax payers money to protect and advance the integrity of our tertiary education.

There is a reason, nations with some reasonable leaders do not easily mention the names of minors even when such minors commit what could be regarded as capital offences. Laws are made to protect the names of children, because it is believed that these children, even if they had done something wrong as a result of exuberance and immaturity, could still become great individuals in life. Nations invest huge resources in reforming children and even adults who lost their paths in life, but in Nigeria, criminals who run various aspects of our lives are happy to use lesser “criminals” who are actually victims of their irresponsibility, to shine, by ensuring that they mete the maximum punishment to them, while terrorists and bandits whom they sponsor are granted amnesty and rewarded for meting maximum destruction on vulnerable members of the society.

When you hear I-shaq Oloyede announcing with relish how his corrupt and inefficient agency is going to set an example with Mmesoma by withdrawing her result and prosecuting her, for a crime they haven’t even heard her own side of the story, you would better understand reasons why many people see Nigeria as not worth any love or sacrifice. Do you think that Mmesoma, after going through this emotional trauma would ever forgive Nigeria, especially, now that she is set to be sponsored abroad for further studies?

I-shaq Oloyede is supposed to see this child and other children writing UTME through the lens he sees his own biological children – to love, to understand and to correct them with kindness – but he rather came out smoking in rage as if he was on a media thug of war with a political opponent. He was spitting fire as if he has caught the leader of Boko Haram or ISWAP, but he was talking about a mere child, whose only crime is to be borne a Nigerian.

Nigeria has agencies that are supposed to promote Nigerianism, but even those who head such agencies do not have any inkling of faith in Nigeria and would pay anything to have their children dislocated from Nigeria and proudly celebrate the fact that their children are enjoying the citizenship of better governed countries of this world. At most, they work in those agencies to milk Nigeria of whatever joy there is in it.

You see, as hellish as North Korea is, there are more North Koreans who genuinely believe in their country than Nigerians who believe in Nigeria. This is because while North Koreans are put through some of the most dehumanising treatments any animal would want to bear, there is always a programme aimed at deceiving them to believe that their sufferings are worth it, because they are for the good of the Motherland. I do not wish for Nigeria to be anywhere near North Korea in the satanic dictatorship they have to endure, but Nigeria must learn to invest in instilling Nigerianism as a culture in Nigerians, if we must have any hopes of surviving in this nation.

MAY NIGERIA PREVAIL!

ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES