A Personal #MyNaijaStory
By Usmango
In January 2012, my father was killed by Boko Haram in Kano.
He didn't die in the blast itself. He survived the Friday evening explosions, only for the trauma—the relentless fear, the anxiety, the loss—to become a poison in his veins. It spiked his blood pressure, overwhelmed his heart, and stole him from us days later. Terrorism didn't just kill him instantly; it tortured him slowly until he broke.
My story is not unique. It is the story of Nigeria.
We have all lost someone. A father, a sister, a friend. We have all watched the news with dread. We have all felt the silent, creeping fear that paralyzes communities and destroys lives from the inside out.
We often ask: Why does this continue? Why can't our government stop it?
The painful truth is that insecurity is a business. The very funds meant to protect us—the billions of Naira in opaque "security votes"—are often stolen, mismanaged, or diverted. This corruption leaves our soldiers underpaid and underequipped, and it creates a perverse incentive for violence to continue so the money can keep flowing.
The bomb that indirectly killed my father was purchased with a weapon paid for by our own stolen money.
We cannot bring back the loved ones we have lost. But we can honour them by fighting for a future where no other family has to suffer this pain.
This is why I am adding my voice to the #PassThePROACTIVEBill campaign.
This bill is a direct strike at the financial heart of this crisis. It demands:
· Total transparency for every naira spent on security.
· Independent audits of all security contracts.
· Consequences for those who steal from our safety.
It won't bring my father back, but it can prevent your father, your mother, your child from becoming a statistic.
I am not just sharing my grief. I am issuing a call.
Honour my father's memory. Honour all those we have lost. Please, sign the #PassThePROACTIVEBill petition.
It takes less than a minute. Let’s demand that our leaders stop the corruption that fuels the violence that destroys our families.
👉 Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/end-secret-security-votes
#MyNaijaStory #PassThePROACTIVEBill #FixNaijaTop3