ENCYCLOPEDIC epistemological investigation has failed to unravel why Nigerians remain lethargically phlegmatic in the face of gruesome leadership amnesia, poverty, corruption and oppression. It is indeed a riddle wrapped in a mystery laced with a conundrum inside an enigma. We were once mockingly described as the happiest people on earth because of our crass inability to protest, speak out and do something about our situation. We are like the comrades of Ulysses in Greek mythology who loved their brutish and salvish condition.

In the days of yore, when Nigeria was fighting for her independence, and just after independence, Nigerians in multidimensional format stood up for their rights, the Nigeria Youth Movement (NYM) took the bull by the horn in fighting against all forms of oppression, against Nigerians. The universities, student associations, youth groups and students unions spoke in revolutionary and avant gardistic tones. The Nigerian Railway Workers, Electric Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) rose up against the colonial masters and their Nigeria collaborators.

But today, Nigerians display parenthetical placidity and gross cowardice in the face of starvation and scorching poverty. How can a country that has earned over 500 billion pounds from oil alone still continue to wallow in the straits of horrendous backwardness.

The NURTW, NANS, PENGASSAN, NUPENG by extension, NLC, NUJ, NUT, ASUU etc, have in their conspiracy of cowardly strikes and silence become part of the bandwagon of the corrupt, and their sometimes kid-glove strives impresses nobody.

In late Bola Ige’s anecdotal portrayal, they have become part of the leprous finger in one hand in their conniving, conspiratorial and collaborative zeitgeist in the frightening cocoon of proverbial corruption and oppression of the people.

But history has shown that wherever people are oppressed there must be a revolt and resistance. In the 14th and 15th centuries, rivalry between the kingdoms of France and England became the dominant political feature of North Western Europe. From 1337 until 1453 the two states fought out an irregular succession of wars. At issue was the English king’s claim to the French crown, as well as control of lands the English kings held in France. This conflict is known as the Hundred Years War.

Nigeria needs a Jerry Rawlings-like cleaning of the political Augean stable. All Nigerian leaders from 1960 till date should have all their properties returned back to the nation and to Nigerians from whom they were stolen. They should be probed and all their overseas accounts reverted to Nigeria. We have historical templates to borrow from in Brazil when President Fernado Collor de Mello was overwhelmed by the people’s power in 1992, in Ukraine (the velvet revolution), in Georgia (the rose revolution), in Yugoslavia, in Iran and in Czechoslovakia (the velvet revolution) etc. But Nigerians must rise to change the political status quo. The great Chinese leader, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung (1893-1976) posited that, “A revolution is not the same as inviting people to dinner or writting an essay, or painting pictures ... A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.”

Nigerians must realise that we cannot take our dignified position in the comity of nations if we do not inject change into our polity and politbureau. We will be dancing our macabre dance of death in circuitous circle making movements without momentum looking like the chicken with its head cut off but pretending to be alive. The submission that we are a nation of over 250 linguistic groups and great diversity can no longer be used to stop our long overdue change in this country. It is not a battle between Yorubas, Hausa/Fulani, Igbos or Efik, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Edos, Idoma or Isoko or even against themselves. It is a battle between the oppressors and the oppressed, between the concourse and circle of kleptomaniacs masquerading as leaders and the starved and abused Nigerian people.

We must rise over 49 years of independence in Nigeria where nothing works. It will be murderous, suicidal to allow the status quo to remain like this. The essayist William Beveridge (1877 – 1963) posited that “The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers or of races, but the happiness of the common man.” The Nigerian leadership has refused over the years to heed these sagacious admonitions. Nigerians must rise up and take their destinies in their own hands, otherwise these money guzzling politicians will continue to have a strangulating hold over our destinies.

The essayiest Jacob Brono (1908–1974) said “we have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye. The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.” Nigerians must act now. The system and its apparatchiks have made it irredeemably and gangrenously putrid. There is no hindrance except our cowardice, fear and love of money. But Nigeria’s greatness and the future of our children is greater than fear and money. The trouble with this country is that there are too many politicians who believe, with a conviction based on precedence, that they can fool all of the people all of the time. We must tell them things have got to change.

We can only get out of this Armageddon-like socio-economic, political and leadership regressionalism if Nigerians decide to take their destines in their own hands. We cannot continue like this. Our timorous doggerel of sardonicism over our future as Nigerians must stop. Let us deracinate ourselves of political lameducking and quadrate this idea of national renaissance with all the seriousness it deserves. Every reformation must have its victims. You can’t expect the fatted calf to have the enthusiasm of the angels over the prodigals return. It is clear that man’s capacity of justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes revolutions necessary. This is only a wake up call, time and the elements will fine tune logistic and strategy to effect the change.

Finally, we take solace in the eternal refrain of the Greek philosopher, George Mangakis “The man dies and fails in all who keeps silent in the face of oppression, anguish, harrowing poverty and neglect ... The man lives who in the face of angush, oppression and poverty stages a revolution.” The legendary South African leader, Nelson Mandela admonished us thus in his book. The Long Road To Freedom that “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the shadow of death again and again before we get to the mountain of our desires.”

Gbinije writes from Warri

Comments (2)

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Mr
written by voba, March 17, 2010

Well Said, but as the saying goes, who will bell the cat. You can not sit at home/work at your desk and expect others to take up arms. There is no crime in starting an organisation and head the "revolution".

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revolution
written by lene200900, March 17, 2010

Revolution is the answer to Nigeria problem now, just as Rawlings did for Ghana that is all we need now to do in Nigeria. I totally agree with the writer. Nigerians should rise up and take thier destiny.

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