By Dada Ahmed.
For quite sometimes now, I have learned to wake up not with the urgency of chasing daily bread, but with a heavy heart.To me, the early morning calm only deepens the turbulence in my soul. I have invariably cultivated the culture of sitting quietly, staring through the window into the grey horizon and ruminating,not just about personal struggles, but about what this life has become. This existence, once rich with meaning, now feels stripped of its soul.The recent Yelewata massacre in Benue state still fresh in mind.Where did we go wrong? And more importantly, how do we find our way back?
Human life, once sacred, now seems disposable. Blood flows with disturbing regularity in our cities and villages. The value of life, once held in awe and reverence, has diminished before our eyes. Kidnappings and ritual killings dominate the headlines. Armed robbery now has a rival in abduction-for-ransom, and both coexist with terrifying boldness in a society that once knew peace. It’s no longer just crime,it’s an epidemic of inhumanity.
Today’s fraudsters are no longer hiding,they are celebrated. The so-called “Yahoo boys” are not just stealing from strangers; they are robbing a generation of its moral compass. They wear their crimes like medals, and society, in its desperation and disillusionment, applauds them. Where honest labour once earned respect, now flashy deceit earns applause. What future are we building when scams become symbols of success?
The ordinary masses continue to sink into a sea of poverty. They till the soil, trade in markets, work tirelessly,yet remain shackled by lack. Their sweat feeds the nation, but their tables are empty. The economic divide grows wider, as policies serve the elite and starve the weak. Is it by accident, or by design, that prosperity has become a privilege instead of a right?
Love, once the glue of our humanity, is now a rare currency. We live behind walls,emotional, digital, and physical. Families drift apart, neighbours no longer know each other, and loneliness grows in crowded places. Even faith, once a sanctuary, now competes with fear, doubt, and manipulation. What happened to kindness, to genuine compassion, to the communal spirit that once defined our African identity?
Beyond our borders, the world is no better. Nations wage war in the name of peace, destroying what they claim to protect. Children die in conflicts they never started. Refugees cross deserts and oceans only to meet fences and rejection. We invest more in bombs than in books, in propaganda than in peace. We have mastered destruction but forgotten the meaning of humanity.
So I ask again: how did we arrive here? At what point did we trade vision for vanity, purpose for power? Have we grown too familiar with evil that we no longer feel shame? Or have we surrendered to hopelessness in a world spinning out of moral control?
Yet, even in this bleak landscape, there remains a flicker of hope. The path forward begins with introspection. It starts when families return to teaching values, when leaders lead by conscience and not calculation, when faith returns to the centre of character,not just rituals, but righteous action. A society that reforms its soul can still heal its scars.
We must rebuild,first our minds, then our systems. Let education be about truth, not just certificates. Let governance be about service, not self. Let the youth rediscover honour, and let the elders rekindle the fire of wisdom. Let communities rise above apathy, and let nations rediscover peace through justice.
This is not just an article. It is a call to awakening. Let us pause and reflect. Let us challenge our comfort with evil. Let us rise,not with weapons, but with wisdom.The current conflict between Iran and Israel is of serious concern and one in dire need of resolution for lasting peace.
However,the world may be bleeding, but it is not beyond healing. The future is not lost,it only awaits the boldness of our collective conscience to restore peace to the dark spots of the world.
Ahmed, former Assistant Editor in Chief,News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, publishes The Reporters.
