CONCEPT OF PATRIOTISM; THE MYTHS AND DECEPTIONS

GINA WEEKEND COLUMN,
By: Habibu Gente
Date: Monday , 02, October ,   2017

Sorry for the late post. This article is longer than usual,but it worth your read.
Happy independence day Nigerians
 The ideology of "patriotism", how usefully it served as a valuable tool for the politicians to achieve their purpose of domination----- win the heart of their electorates. Patriotism is an attachment to a homeland . This attachment can be viewed in terms of different features relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or historical aspects. It encompasses a set of concepts closely related to those of nationalism.An excess of patriotism in the defense of a nation is called chauvinism ; another related term is jingoism .
This concept has been used often by world governments, leaders in modern democracy to invest a false love in the hearts of their followers. So they fall in love with their countries unconsciously. And without a alternative door to dissolute the love attachment, any attempt to get divorce would be an act of unpatriotic which could, either be a treasonable felony or treason to the country depend on various countries' law regarding the offence. But what  is certain in every countries' legal systems is, the act is treated as a crime. Thus all the legal systems in the world ( especially those modern countries practicing capitalism, liberal democracy) frowned at the act and the victims of it,  do not receive any fairness when facing trials in the court of law. It means that the alleged victim of such a crime, usually have narrow or none option for bail, conditional bail, or even pardon. Brought to mind was the recent victim of the act in Nigeria ----- the former National Security Adviser to former president Goodluck Johnathan-- Col Dasuki who was alleged to have converted the suppose billions of dollars to buy Arms to combat Bokoharam menace in the North East Nigeria into his own pocket, he is currently rotting in jail for some time. Many human rights activist lawyers and none lawyers alike, were put in the state of confusion as to why he was thrown in jail despite numerous cries on his behalf to grant him bail. Although he was charged with offences bordering on corruption, the federal government has left no one in doubt that his trial is political. All the offences against him are bailable. After pleading not guilty, he was accordingly granted bails by three different high courts and the ECOWAS Community Court but the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has refused to obey the court orders. Even the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu who was charged with treasonable felony, an offence That is not ordinarily bailable was allowed to go on bail. No bewilderment , Dasuki's offence  was measured in loyalty point view and the law has compelled the society to see such actions through the lens of concept of patriotism. But where the Federal government attitude appeared vague, was why Nnamdi Kanu's offence wasn't view through the same lens as Dasuki's. The legality or otherwise of the two binary cases, I will reserve that to my senior learned colleagues to deliberate.
In most modern countries  today, the concept of patriotism is used to force many soldiers into a battle field to fight with their lives. Some die, sustained injuries that often lead to disability, or became paralysed and yet the family that lost their beloved husband, child, brother or father were only asked to be proud and not to grieve over their lost. Because their deceased at least did not die in vain, as he they die as heroes. Funny enough,  the only compensation for their lost would be some tiny velvet or statue of them erected with a sign of patriotism. Such velvets or erected statue would be in a public areas for the families to see, and to them it would be some consolation the aggrieved families would be compensated with.