Nigerian democracy, let hoodlums contend...IN Nigeria’s current democracy, hoodlums hold sway. Wherever you go, East, West, North and South-South, you feel their presence. If you travel by air, they are always there to accost you at the airport.s. God save you if you are a water freak, because you will be at the mercy of sea pirates who have since intensified their  activities. On land, needless saying that you stand to face tripple tragedy from, one,  armed robbers, who illegally handle arms and go anytime for the kill, two, police officers, supposedly placed at strategic places on the highway to protect the citizenry, but who themselves are legalised robbers; truth is the fact that most of them were hoodlums who were opportuned to get recruited into the force. Thirdly, by those who have constituted themselves into road maintenance company. They obstruct road users at every bad portion of the highway, always requesting for monetary compensation for unsolicited works on the potholes. The common abode of Nigerian hoodlums are below the flyovers, empty kiosks, vehicle parks and bus stops. Like dogs, they ululate at passersby to register their presence.

In every state across the country, they are either directly in the corridor of power or control every power that be. In fact, in Nigeria, power evolves from the urchins. It’s like ‘Democracy: Let hoodlums contend.

To pave their way to power, they help their sponsors in maiming and sometimes by outrightly killing their opponents. The recent mayham resulting from the power struggle in Oyo State before the inception of the present government is a case in point. While in power, they consolidate their relevance through gangsterism, constantly creating nauseating tragedy.

The belligerent posture and the rude awakening of hoodlums, especially from the North, have put a crease on the president’s personality. Himself, a product of the  crisis from the Niger Delta creek, had no choice but to submit recently to the senseless demand of the contending hoodlums, whose method of warfare appears to be more sophisticated than that of the militants who had genuine causes to fight. I am still ruminating on the possibility of the president initiating a dialogue with the faceless gang who has become more powerful than their governors and richer than what amnesty could cater for.

In fact, the  exacerbated activities of hoodlums across the country have permanently placed them in a position of authority, as every successive government has no moral power to quench their insurgency each time it rears its head; not when they rely on them to get to power. Like the legitimate government, their tentacles are spread across the country. You have the road transport workers, who are fierceful in nature and change their governments forcefully. Their weapons, unlike those of the aforementioned gangs are usually picked from the residue of those used at every election. It is only in Nigeria that it pays to be a leader of hoodlums. They are richer than legitimate workers and are honoured like kings.

Their source of income is usually unquestionable.

After every election, the hoodlums revert to their old profession, stealing and harassing common Nigerians at bus stops, garages and sometimes at market places.

One funny thing about hoodlums is that their leaders hip envolves through violence and is usually sustained by same until such a time  they deem it fit to upturn it , again through violence. The fate of hoodlums, their leader and the lifespan of his tenure is also in Nigeria predicated on his relationship with the government in power. His removal is made easy if he falls outside the favour of government in power, just as he could stay as long as he desires, undermining the statutory specification of his tenure, as long as it favours the power that be.

Hoodlums in Nigeria dine and wine with government in power. They dictate the scope of government’s development programmes and call the shots when necessary. When government fails to listen, they resort to violence, killing innocent souls. By that, they tell whoever cares to listen that government can only be retained through them. They boast openly that heads were severed to put government in place and that they were always also ready to sustain such government,  or derail same through  violence. Not even the police have the powers to stop them. In their presence they brandish their matchets and shoot their guns.

During electioneering, police complement the illegal security the hoodlums mount around the political aspirants while they most times watch helplessly as they maim and kill one another. What the police do mostly is to whisk the aspirant away from every trouble spot, leaving the hoodlums to disturb the peace of the innocents as long as they want. At the end, they contend with the press over how many innocent souls got killed, reducing the number to safe face. How come so many could have been recorded killed when the law enforcement agents were informed of the event and were available at the scene of the gory incident? So, if the press records 30 deaths, they announce 3 and make it look as if the zero was a mistake.

After the disturbance in Kano some years back, when General Ibrahim Babangida ordered a mop-up of illegal weapons held by some hoodlums and re-registration of those legally acquired during which many weapons were recovered, no conscious effort has been made again to repeat such to save the nation now placed under siege by hoodlums.

Today, hoodlums have penetrated all strata of Nigerian society through their leaders who have been made rich enough by politicians to dictate to government in power. They live above the law and kill with impunity. They are highly paid to carry out nefarious activities. Their leaders go to national events in convoy with police always responsive to their arrogant disposition.

To save Nigeria from the 2015 predictions of possible disintegration, the case of these hoodlums who have constituted themselves into ethnic nationalists must be addressed, otherwise, we may just be waiting for the time bomb to explode.

Osunde is on the staff of the Nigerian Tribune

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