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WHEN SHALL WE ARISE, O COMPATRIOTS!
By Aferiokhai Osigbemeh
Algeria’s 82 year old President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, just recently rescinded his planned 5th term of 5 years tenure in office. He has spent 20 years in office. This came about after nationwide mass protests that saw some members of his cabinet resigning and joining the demonstrations protesting his continued stay in office and more than 1000 Judges also joined the protest. Apart from the fact that he has spent 20 years as President, his health challenge, that has made his public appearance absolutely scarce since 2013 when he suffered a stroke and has since seen him confined to a wheelchair, was also a major issue.
The Algerians where not part of the Arab springs in 2011 that saw changes in leadership in Egypt and Tunisia. Citizens have also sighted clampdown on opposition figures and tight control of state resources by family members of Bouteflika as reasons for the nationwide mass protests. The point here is that, the people of Algeria arose in one voice, saying No to ethnicity, religion and all such primordial sentiments to reject a leadership that has grounded the country!
According to an observer of events in Algeria, “The protest movement in Algeria has been led by students in a country where majority of the population is under the age of 30 and youth unemployment has spurred anger against a government seen as out of touch.” According to this observer, “the more I think of Nigeria, the more I think we have come to love our chains of weaponized poverty. A docile Land.” It is clear that citizens of Algeria have had enough! Over the past weekend, 18/03/2019, in continuation of its weeks long protests, seemingly every Algerian took to the streets, including the police and the army. There was no work, no transport, no schools and no business. They want the out of touch and decadent government to go!!
Let us take the clock backwards, a bit. In 2011, Senegalese resisted an attempt by an incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, who was 82 years old, to perpetrate himself in office having complete disregard for the Will of his people through a wave of protests that led to the election of Mackey Sall in 2011. Ironically Macky Sall just got re-elected in 2019 on the same weekend Buhari of Nigeria was said to have been re elected in a disputed 2019 Presidential election. However, while it took the Nigerians 4 days to make an announcement of the election results, the Senegalese had their results announced within 24 hours without any disputes!
In Burkina Faso, the Burkinabes, through mass protests also resisted the attempt by Blaisse Campaore to stay in power through legislative manipulations. South Africans also stood for themselves during the Apartheid era with support from the frontline states; however, they had to stand for themselves first before external help came. The point I am making here is that, even here in Africa, we have cases of people rising up and rejecting self perpetuation in office and oppression through various methods of manipulating state power to remain in office. Even here in Nigeria, during the Abacha Junta, Nigerians from all works of life stood up against that very draconian military dictator! So what is different today?
What has happened to the Nigerians of today? It would seem that a steady decadence and corruption of our youths by our politicians is one reason among many why we have been so politically docile, in terms of reaction to our unfavourable existential conditions. Another I see is, the pathetic nature of our youths, sorry to say, but how do we explain that today a large number of our youths are involved in stealing of female panties and we have not raised a national alarm? Where in the world does this happen?
We just saw above that it is indeed the Algerian youths, students who are leading the protests in their country because of their political awareness and consciousness. How can we mobilize our youths to partake in the re-engineering of the future of their beloved country? How do we re-orientate our youths? Mobilization in Nigeria means settlement, sad as it is, when do we start acting because of our believes in causes? Too many questions need answers for us to move forward.
To find answers to the above questions, I must start with myself. Why can’t I participate in mass protests today? In 2015 Nigerians came out in their millions to join nationwide demonstrations against the Jonathan administration. In Lagos popular artists like Femi Kuti where in Freedom Square dishing out vibes to support and encourage the protesters. Stand up comedians where there to support the protests and word on the streets has it that they were paid. If they were not paid, then that must have been their contribution to support a “worthy” cause! The crowds were fed and given water to starve off hunger and dehydration!!
Again I look at myself in the mirror and ask?? Why can’t there be mass protests today against bad governance, election rigging which is the greatest stealing, because it gives access to state resources for plunderers and this is ongoing, clampdown on our freedoms, Military interference in the election process, incompetence of an executive that is surrounded by a devious Kitchen Cabinet, plus an ailing President who has no hold on affairs of state and has refused to reveal the true nature of his ailment, etc, why?
Again let us all look in the mirror, in the 2015 protests against fuel price increase, Uncle, Prof. Wole Soyinka was there, Pastor Tunde Bakere was there…..Bola Tinubu was in the picture as well as his political ally Babatunde Fashola , Rotimi Ameachi was threatening to form an alternative government etc. So why now the sudden silence in the face of massive oppression and suppression? In the face of miss rule and an autocratic administration that has no clues to our national malaise, where are the pro democrats? Are there no more Wole Soyinkas on this side?
Not quite so, there is hope coming from Kano. Here the people take no prisoners. Regardless of the role they played in 2015 delivering 1.9 million votes to Buhari with all the infant voters and the cold blooded murder of the REC and his family. Kano people have sent a strong message to election rigger and vote thieves.
It would seem the Nigerian Revolution would begin in Kano, According to Chibiko Ikenna, Kano residents stormed the Emir’s Palace seeking justice for Kano polls. “No amount of financial inducement will change our position, they shouted. The people have spoken, Osinbajo and Ganduje share your money but plan to vacate government house come May 29th”. The people of Kano are rallying behind Alhaji Kwakwanso and are bent on protecting their votes even with their blood. Is the revolution going to start from Kano State and spread to the rest of the country? Buhari, INEC and APC must proceed with utmost caution or else they will ignite an already charged atmosphere. “The masses are angry and very hungry and the two are enough for blood to flow” said Chibiko.
Nigerians must copy from the people of Kano who have sent a warning to the oppressing, suppressing and rigging cabals by acting as one and sending a strong message that, it is not going to be business as usual. Fela Anikulakpo Kuti had analysed the psychology of the Nigerian in one of his popular songs, Sorrow, Tears and Blood, where he said “my people self them fear too much, We fear for the things we no see, We fear for the air around us, We fear to fight for freedom, We fear to fight for liberty, We fear to fight for justice, We fear to fight for happiness, We always get reason to fear: We no wan die, We no wan wound, We wan quench, We no wan go, I get one child, mama de for house, papa de for house, I wan build house, I don build house, I no wan quench, I wan enjoy, I no wan go, Ah! So police go slap your face you go talk….Army man go whip your yansh you go de look like donkey…Rhodesia de do dem own our Leaders de yab for nothing…South Africa de do dem own”…Yes, this is the reason why I can’t join the protests just as many Nigerians. Until we reverse this mentality, so long shall we continue to be governed by political impostors and demagogues!
There couldn’t be a better time to take our future into our own hands than today! Now is the time to empower our youths, empowering the oppressed and making it a badge of honour to be arrested for the purpose of fighting for our freedom, bad governments and oppressive regimes!!
Vision In Progress 