The Unsettling Truth: Prioritizing Common Interests over Human Rights – Lessons from Khashoggi, Ukraine-Russia, and Israel-Palestine

When terrible things happen, and the West and its leaders behave like the ostrich, they have some needs and interests to protect. For example, in 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based journalist, disappeared from public radar after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Sadly, such a towering figure in journalism was never seen coming out of the embassy alive. At that time, the former President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened that his government would unravel what happened to Khashoggi and be ruthless with anyone culpable in his disappearance.

When the truth eventually came to light that the very authority that should have protected Jamal Khashoggi from vampires killed him right inside the consulate, Donald Trump backtracked and never uttered any meaningful word because he was not ready to trade the arms deal he had with Saudi Arabia in 2017 running into billions of dollars annually with any human rights activism. So, America chose money over human life.

Fast track that to the current Ukraine-Russian and the Israel-Palestinian wars, and see how world leaders are double-speaking, then you would appreciate the fact that what the West and the rest of the world have to live for is “common interest.” While we are busy playing the religious cards and slamming Israel or Palestine, the Western leaders are getting behind those that matter to their economic well-being.

So, for all those whipping war sentiments and craving for the disintegration of Nigeria, they would be shocked to note that the West would permanently shut its doors against Nigerians because they have no common interest anymore in Nigeria and would be happy for us to be in shreds so that no African country could be this big or great again. They are done with our crude oil and are pursuing alternative energy sources outside Nigeria.

Nigerians should learn from the occurrences in the world to radically begin to depend on its strength and numerical advantage. It should start looking inward with the many young innovators dotting the entire landscape. If we can deal with corruption, self-inflicted insecurity, and political posturing that has destroyed any integrity left of us, beginning to rebuild our ethics and educational institutions, in less than two decades, these same guys looking at us as nobodies would beg to come to Nigeria. Wetin I sabi sef!

Grace and peace!!!