"the most powerful weapon on earth is the soul of a people on fire" unknown
When we talk about revolution in Nigeria, most of the times experts
tend to wave it aside with one fell swoop and allude to the some random belief
that it’s citizens are docile and never politically interested in how and who
governs them.
As true as that may look sometimes, the hand of time seems to be
moving towards what looks like backs are against the wall. Civil unrest,
insurgencies, kidnapping, flagrant corruption by public office holders and a
host of other anger generating attitude in the social and public sphere, the
ship of the Nigerian state might just be roving in pestilential waters and
about to berth in the Bermuda triangle according to the famous Patrick Obahiagbon
speech on national TV. Lol
As a student of history and with particular interest in French
and American history, I was forced to dust up my books and study the history of
these countries and might just share my thoughts here. In 1789, the peasant
farmers and locales took their destiny into their hands by staging a revolution
that shook France to its roots. Although
historians disagree on the causes of the Revolution, the following reasons are
commonly adduced:
(1) The increasingly prosperous elite of wealthy
commoners—merchants, manufacturers, and professionals, often called the
bourgeoisie—produced by the 18th century’s economic growth resented its
exclusion from political power and positions of honour;
(2) The peasants were acutely aware of their situation and
were less and less willing to support the anachronistic and burdensome feudal
system;
(3) The philosophes, who advocated social and political
reform, had been read more widely in France than anywhere else;
(4) French participation in the American Revolution had
driven the government to the brink of bankruptcy; and
(5) Crop failures in much of the country in 1788, coming on
top of a long period of economic difficulties, made the population particularly
restless.
The reasons above are close and similar scenarios that can
also be found in Nigeria and with the level of awareness that the social media
creates, the restless and unemployed mammoth numbers of young Nigerians are awaiting
battalion for the revolution to come; the question is not how any longer but
when. When will the revolution come?
If you remember very well, the January 11 2012 rally
generated from fuel subsidy issue and the level of participation was unbelievable.
People came out en masse, millions of Nigerians lending voice to the fight
against the increment of PMS Price (Premium Motor Spirit); a backlash of
subsidy removal. The government underestimated the power of the media and the
people and before we knew it, military were sent to the streets to force people
away. That was possible because unlike Egypt and Tunisia, people matched to the
rally and went back home in the evening. If they had planned to sleep over and
not leave the venue till something was done, it would have been hard for the
military to rein in.
The #bringbackourgirls and #enoughisenough campaign presently
kick started by the people against Boko Haram’s kidnapping of yet to be
identified girls supposedly numbering into 200 have also garnered rallying and
campaigns all over the country; in fact all over the world. The US, UK and
China have sent in troops to help search for the girls abducted but more worrying
are the questions constantly being asked of the weak and will-less government
of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration.
Just as it was easy for insurgent groups to gain foot soldiers
by simply preying on the hungry stomach and angry mentality of the disgruntled youths
both in the South-South and North-East of the country for the past 5 years,
more elements are being more disgruntled and are seeing the need for a change
in a country vastly blessed with resources, both mineral, material and human. Some
have even said that the Boko Haram was primarily set up to make the government
look ineffective and weak so that chaos can be achieved.
However the case might be, the young restless minds are
watching and asking the question; is this the best we can be? Is this where we
should be? Is this the kind of country I would want to have my kids? Do I want
this kind of bleak future that I am presently encountering; do I want the same future
of uncertainties for my kids? What will my kids say about me when I sit back
and do nothing about the malfeasance presently ongoing in my beloved country?
As long as these questions rage in their minds, the courage
to pick up arms and ammunition to fight for what they believe in will become
even more tempting. The ancien régime, (French: “old order”) political and
social system of France prior to the French Revolution where everyone was a
subject of the king of France; where all rights and status flowed from the social
institutions and were divided into three
orders: clergy, nobility, and others quickly became obsolete after the
revolution.
Although we practice a semblance of democracy for now (as
they will want us to believe), like Obahiagbon said, what we really have is
what is called Kakismoboplutocracy (and whatever that means I care less save
for the onomatopoeia-ian joy I derive from how it sounds)
Shalom!
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