As a Nigerian-American I find no solace in my unique condition due to forces beyond my control. Residing in the States has turned into a full-blown nightmare under the guidance of a White supremacist dictator who enjoys spewing out racist rhetoric as a hobby.

Unfortunately — the country of my heritage presents an even more harrowing disposition.

I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria because my parents were done pursuing their college education in America and felt that it would be best for their kids to be raised by their culture — surrounded by extended family members who are always more than happy to lend a nurturing hand.

The eighties were a wild era in the most populous country in Africa — and it had everything to do with the cripplingly volatile state of affairs that stemmed from an incomprehensibly corrupt government.

When Nigeria gained its independence back in 1960 — the shift of power didn’t take off on solid ground. The military coups were numerous and violent leading to the demise of several short-lived leaders while playing host to greedy criminals who didn’t give two fucks about making Nigeria great again.

The period of democracy which began in 1979 and ended in 1983 was a time I vaguely remember — although I was forced to memorize President Shehu Shagari’s entire cabinet members. But, as I got older and my interest peaked — thanks to the high-tempo debates that my parents held with friends in our living room — I began to comprehend the complicated web of power that ushered the sudden interruptions that would turn an ordinary afternoon into a makeshift hideout.

Aside from the rampant bribery and corruption that would turn government contracts that were meant to improve infrastructure — into a well of wealth for the heads of state and their henchmen — there was the daunting reality of an undignified quality of life to contend with.

Basic amenities like running water and consistent electricity — were scarce back then and amazingly that hasn’t changed. Those of us who were lucky enough to belong to households that could afford to cushion the blow with the help of generators and the like —felt sorry for the masses who were left in darkness under extremely trying circumstances.

Brave citizens like esteemed journalist Dele Giwa who founded the famed news magazine — Newswatch and writer/environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa joined countless others who were brutally murdered by the Nigerian government — for using their signature trade to speak out against the injustice infecting the daily lives of Nigerians — who despite their plight still manage to garner love and pride for a country that continues to royally fuck them over.

When Boko Haram began their reign of terror in the Northern territory back in 2009 — Nigeria under the rule of President Goodluck Jonathan was critically out of luck. As an American — I was aware of the calamities befalling those who resided in the red zone because my parents lived in Abuja (the capital city of Nigeria) and were in danger of attending church services and not making it out in one piece.

When the Nigerian school girls were kidnapped from their dormitories in the dead of night on April 14, 2014 — the actions of Boko Haram initiated a global outcry that birthed one of the most famous hashtags to date — #BringBackTheGirls.

It also exposed the dark secret of what it means to be Nigerian and to have a government that is virtually useless when it comes to defending and avenging the tragic circumstances that befall citizens — who are helplessly stuck in their never-ending dilemma. All the campaigning for the safe return of the stolen girls was for naught and cost President Jonathan his job.

The current Head of State — Muhammadu Buhari — vowed to do a better job and even used his former lackluster regime — decades ago as an example of his worthiness.

The curious case of the missing school mates will always remain a stark mystery as tales of girls stumbling back from the dead — and the photo op with Presidents of other countries — specifically America continue to provide even more evidence of ritual propaganda.

But nothing alters the fact that Boko Haram continues to be a serious threat, and children who are barely in their teens are being groomed as suicide bombers — while churches and mosques are transformed into great balls of fire and villages are grazed to the ground.

Still, Nigeria thrives — as Instagram is populated with offerings from native fashion houses displaying the latest craze and users are given tours of the behind-the-scenes hustle and bustle of local market places and the insides of grand hotels. Outlets like Vogue and others in the mix — tout the emergence of a star in the city of Lagos — that has remained underground until the tidal wave of trends demanded recognition.

Yet, in the midst of all the good stuff is the deadly abhorrent shit that never left us and is actually currently pummeling against our need to pretend that we come from a decent country with core values that uplift us from the stench of vivid nonchalance.

Nigeria is able to thrive in the disgusting mess that has become an international catastrophe because those in power both home and abroad could care less about the villagers — that are suffocating under the griminess of the floods of oil that are sinking half-drowned huts in the Niger Delta.

Nigeria is able to thrive under the embarrassment and utter callousness of a regime that can turn away from the burden of twenty-six young girls who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea as they tried in vain to escape a fruitless existence — in the country that cares more for its resources than the people that were born to live. The dead girls were as young as fourteen and they were swimming towards the promise of being sexually manipulated for monetary returns.

Nigeria is able to thrive under an attack on our very souls and the spirit of righteousness that we thought we boldly conquered and reinstated when the British left us, but as it turns out the beast of our ancestors has reincarnated into modern day enslavement.

Nigerians along with other West Africans are now being sorted like stacked up loot in Libya as part of a slavery and human trafficking ring that apparently has been ongoing for years — even before madman Muammar Gaddafi’s was captured and killed in 2011.

The details of this insidious operation is beyond devastating as the images of bodies in crowded bonkers at sea with soldiers pointing guns with deadly authority, summon the weightiness of a past that is giving the present a familiar weariness that is destructively overwhelming.

I know why Nigeria is able to watch its own perish without flinching but how can the rest of the world function?

How are privileged world leaders of so-called civilized nations and international agencies like the United Nations able to stomach the gut-wrenching images depicting Black bodies — waiting to be hacked into pieces for the thrill of bartering organs that have been harvested even before hearts stop beating?

Under the urging of the French Ambassador to the UN — Francois Delattre — the “intergovernmental organization” that is tasked with the responsibility of “maintaining international order” is currently reviewing Delatrre’s recommendation of sanctioning the Libyan slave traders.

In the meantime — President Buhari is refusing to govern his country or rescue Nigerians who are trapped in Libya — due to EU’s stringent laws to drastically reduce the number of migrants that successfully cross the Mediterranean Sea and make it to their shores. As a result — Libya which has been classified as a “failed state” thanks to the consequences of an ongoing civil war — is now burdened with the task of shepherding the rapid influx of West Africans that are fleeing their homeland in search of more tangible opportunities.

Nikki Haley — the US ambassador to the UN recently described the sobering scene in great detail:

“To see the pictures of these men being treated like cattle, and to hear the auctioneer describe them as, quote, ‘big strong boys for farm work,’ should shock the conscience of us all.”

As a Nigerian-American with the great fortune of being able to escape the plight of my brothers and sisters that are presently being chained to the decks of slave ships — I am broken-hearted and thoroughly ashamed of the way humanity has betrayed our most instinctual tendencies. The qualities that typically separate us from the category of wild animals have melted away — and we are officially beyond hope.

As we wait for the response from agencies and world powers — Nigeria will continue to thrive in the mess that has spilled onto the global stage. President Buhari like all the others before him — lacks the resources, temperament, passion and overall decorum that is normally assigned to a leader who is astutely committed to the outfit of truth and justice.

The suffering and compartmentalized mayhem that clogs the sweaty pores of Nigerians is a long-standing tradition that evidently will never be thwarted. And no matter how much those of us abroad try to pretty up the ugliness of our homeland with accomplishments and polished excuses — we can’t seamlessly hide our dire predicament —without the promise of being unceremoniously outed.

I won’t protect the sanctity of my heritage any longer.

I’m denouncing the government of Nigeria with every ounce of my being and begging those who can override the inhumane treatment of my compatriots to please do so — without haste.

Our future as humans depends on it.