Facebook, The France Flag And Nigerians - David Alonge

Barely 24hrs after the ill-fated incidence in the city of Paris by the vicious terrorist group, ISIS, that throw the Francophone lords into moment of mourning, Facebook – the number one social media platform – launched a campaign on the incident that claimed over 120 souls. It allows users of the social platform to mourn with the French citizens by changing their Profile with reflection of France National flag.

Many Nigerians expressed disapproval of Mark Zuckerberg media, claiming that over 18,000 casualties have been recorded in Nigeria over the last 6 years of insurgency which Facebook have been indifferent about but predispose to promote a campaign for France over 120 lives claimed. Articles and comments were broadcast to condemn those who supported the campaign and Facebook. Some of my friends even frowned at me for joining the ‘racist’ social media campaign citing that the platform had never raised a campaign against any Nigeria attacks in the past, why am I so gullible to support that of France.

Do I need to inform Nigerians that souls were lost in the attack? Do I have to remind my social critics that an injustice to one is an injustice to all? Do I need to tell my fellow Nigerians that condemning my act is also racism to me and the whites? Maybe I need to inform my country people that we are the problem of our problems. Do Nigerians need to be informed that while we don’t placed value on our own life, we shouldn’t expect others outside the shore to place value on us. Remember the former president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s action on the 15th of April, 2014, a day after Nyanya bomb explosion in Abuja. Needless to talk on the days it took our dearest former president to react to the adoption of over 200 Chiboks girls in Borno despite countless clarion calls from well meaning Nigerians. Do we remember that it took the SAME international community and social media to call our then President into action?

When we refuse to value our lives but expect the international community to value us. France President, Francois Hollande, in his reaction immediately summoned security chiefs to an emergency meeting to quickly act on the lethal incident, address it citizens through a press conference and assured them of war against terrorist groups. The Whites place values on ONE life of their citizen. Not in Nigeria that the President was captured dancing a day after we lost hundreds of souls in Nyanya bomb explosion; arrested the indigenous agitators of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign before the international community waded in.

The black police will murder a citizen and all we would do is to sweep it under the carpet; our hospitals value cash deposit more than saving human lives in critical conditions; our citizens prefer to gossip around a dying soul instead of saving the soul and Our leader can go all length in sacrificing human life to retain their egocentric post. Why would the international community do what we failed to do to ourselves for us?

The Facebook failure to recognize the Nigerians ordeals was because we have letdown our people in present of the international community. The time is now when every life Nigerian must be treated with care if we want the international community to respect us. We need to stand for ourselves before they stand for us. Without this, Facebook and the international community will continue to look down on us.