Facts are settled like the waters of Babylon, that since the Tinubu led administration assumed office, the state of affairs of the country have gone from bad to worse, leaving a large number of the citizenry in abject and perpetual poverty, penury, hunger, squalor, pain and pangs. We may decide to talk about the scarcity of tomatoes at the early second quarter of this year, where the masses could not afford to buy tomatoes as there was no home grown tomatoes which arose as a result of farmers not being able to go to farm for insecurity sakes or we could talk about the increase in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which caused the hike in prices of commodities and services.
The country is bedevilled with insecurity, broad day light extortion and oppression by government agencies/officials-men in black uniform, banditry and terrorism, high rate of unemployment, increase in educational fees- causing a large number of persons to drop out of school or not even having the privilege to attend the university. The thieves in fully starched and finely ironed flowing agbadas, popularly known as senators, live on fat salaries and allowances, depriving the populace of their National cake, leaving the masses to take home penuries at the end of the month, making the masses unable to feed their children adequately and also send them to a proper school. The immortal words of Obafemi Awolowo comes to mind that; ‘the children of the poor whom you have failed to train will not allow your children have peace.’
Not to lace the mind of the general public with doubts, just like the unordered dance steps of the zanku song, we must call a spade by its real name and not a shovel, we must tell ourselves the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, which is the obvious fact that the Nigerian peoples have been cheated for too long, they have been marginalized for too long, they have been subjugated for too long, they have been shortchanged for too long, and what we have at best is not democracy, what we have is a system that works totally against the happiness of the greater number of people in the country.
Painfully and regrettably, we have a government that turns deaf ear to the cries, pains, sorrows, laments and pleas of the Nigerian peoples. They have continually failed to listen to voice of reasoning and the next available option is to speak to the Nigerian government in the language they understand, which is protest. When the citizens complain through social media, the complaints go to nothing. When civil organisation writes open letter to the government, the letters are treated with a pinch of salt. When concerned individuals speak against the government whims and caprices, the individuals are picked up and arrested. Enough is enough. Since the only language the government understands is protest, the masses have no choice but to speak to the government in that language.
It must be reiterated that, this other language-protest, is not alien and not in contradistinction to the Nigerian laws in whatsoever way, making it a constitutional right and privilege for the Nigerian peoples to call out erring, inept and inefficient public officers and also demand better and good governance, and a society that works for all.
The annoying hobby of arresting and detaining protesters, in order to silence dissenting voices constitutes a clog in the overall advancement of a country that is desirous of practicing a democracy. We cannot say that we are in a democracy when citizens cannot air out their opposing views about government policies, government institutions and government/public office holders. To permit the flow of silencing dissenting voices would only take us back to the gory and obnoxious era of Thomas Hobbes where life was solitary, nasty, brutish and short.
As a people with tottering and bleeding democracy, we must borrow a leaf from those who have trekked the rugged path of democratic renaissance and societal rejuvenation and are now reaping their dividends.
JOSEPH ALIU is a Human Rights Activist, Social Commentator and Legal series Analyst @ogunwatchng.com and can be reached via, 09131704196, 09085773212, aliujoseph085@gmail.com.
