STRIKER: Serving The People By Force

It is painfully amusing watching some agents of the so called “International Community” crying wolf about African countries electoral processes, the mis-governance outcome, and the occasioned regional insecurity challenges. Who are the architects and bankrollers of the insecurity? Have they ever meant well for us and sincerely wish it were different?

From the days of the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah who they overthrew, to Patrice Lumumba, Amilcar Cabral, Thomas Sankara and Steve Biko, who they assassinated, they never ever wanted patriots ready to serve their African people to come to power or stay in power. Their stock in trade is manipulating our economy through debt burden and import dependency, and manipulating our politics such that persons of clear vision and egalitarian commitment like the Avatar, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, will never come to power.

However, are they to blame? In democracy, the bulk must clearly stop on the table of The People, every people inevitably get the kind of government they deserve. Though unfortunately held down in poverty, ignorance and primordial sentiments – cleaving to ethnic and religious affiliations, which are manipulated to divide them – the people, as the Yoruba say, must still endeavour to see while shedding tears; “bi a ba n sukun, a ma riran.” Like Bob Marley said, “how long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?” A people willing to stand aloof while their best are wasted and their most selfish and vile are imposed as rulers over them are no longer victims but accomplishes in their own misfortune. As Bob Marley said, again, “none but ourselves can free our minds.”

One example suffices from the immediate past Federal Government: Buhari is a Northern Muslim and Emefiele is a Southern Christian but they collaborated to occasion the disruption of the entire Nigerian financial system through a policy that they claimed was well intended. Between “good” intention and the harsh outcome, no one pointed out their tribe or religion; and the punishing impact spared no tribe or religion. However, because of cut throat competition to grab power, we – the people – are always reminded of our tribe and religion at EVERY election time, and are stupidly manipulated and primed to wreck havoc.

Meanwhile, the issues of power supply, housing deficit, productivity, currency rate, woeful infrastructure deficit, declined education quality, absent health care institution, astounding and mounting debt burden, endemic corruption, insecurity, and a hundred other miseries are all left out of the discuss!

The simple reason why struggle for public offices (ideally for service to the people) have become do-or-die is that they are not going there to serve the people but themselves, their cliques and their foreign masters. Why? Because government in Nigeria has since become a grand conspiracy to be in control of oil money (Federation Account Allocations) for sharing and stealing, and politics thereby the most lucrative business that is unwittingly killing the growth of all other productive businesses. Why should anyone want to die and be ready to kill others simply because he or she wants to go and make life better for the people? Is that logical? Is being in government the only way of rendering service to the people? No.

The answer to the question “Why should anyone construe or misconstrue any form of judgement whatsoever as a mandate to forcefully take over Local Government Councils?” should now be clear in the minds of the readers.

As things stand today, THE PEOPLE still remain their only true messiah. They should expect none other. They have to wake up; they have to think clearly devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments; they have to FIRST OF ALL DEMAND A CHANGE IN THE OPERATING SYSTEM – as to reflect genuine FEDERALISM; they have to then look over the entire social and political landscape, analyse the character of all those claiming all kinds of political claims; finally, they have to rally themselves into a movement of themselves, by themselves and for themselves as a powerful weapon for demanding the best from the best available political platform.

Their tolerance of anything else but the best must end, peacefully, democratically. It begins from the individual through self-reorientation; continues through togetherness and consensus building within various associations and organisations; and concludes through UNITED VOICE demonstrated by the majority on all forthcoming electoral contests throughout the land.

The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author. It does not represent the editorial position or opinion of OSUN DEFENDER.