OBSERVATION: Be A Spectator At Your Own Peril

“One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors” – Plato. I have had interactions with scores of youths in the South-West especially – between 20-35 years old – who have never voted. They mostly have no voters’ cards as they didn’t bother to register; very few that have the cards merely obtained to trade with them during elections. The interesting aspect is that some of them do organise or join the protests against SARS, hunger, and bad governance. Meanwhile, the sacrifice made to register as a voter and voting during elections based on manifestoes of the party and orientation of the candidate is smaller but more rewarding than one million protests against former candidate who has now become the head of the government, running our affairs as he/she pleases.

While we have right to such protests as they are major condiments of civil rule that we mostly label democracy, this head of government could instruct police and other security agencies to get us arrested and criminalise our protests with damning consequences on our life and general wellbeing if he/she is lenient not to summarily get rid of us.  Recent development should suffice. Last Friday, 1st November, 2024, the Inspector General of Police brought to a High Court in Abuja for arraignment 76 #End Bad Governance protesters arrested in Kano State since August 1-10 peaceful protests against hunger and hardship brought about by IMF/World Bank induced neo-liberal policies of subsidy removal from petrol, increase in electricity tariff, floating of Naira amongst other anti-poor policies of APC Tinubu led government that have made life miserable for majority of Nigerians.

The fragile appearances of these protesters who are charged for treason, some of whom are in their early teens, reflect malnourishment and dehumanising condition they must have been subjected for almost 90 days in detention as some actually fainted and had to be revived in the court. Hunger and hardship, products of neo-liberal policies of Tinubu led APC government, must have pushed these children to the streets to protest. While their counterparts are in school, they are languishing in detention for participating in a legitimate protest against hunger they are subjected. This Friday again, 8th November, 2024, trial of Adaramoye Michael Lenin and 10 others will commence for treason and their offense is participating in same peaceful protests against hunger and hardship.

But Tinubu regime is making a bold statement of these trials – protest, which is a democratic right, will not be tolerated by the regime! People should swallow bitter pill of hunger and hardship; endure difficult living condition while the rulers junket around the globe, living ostentatiously life but urging the poor to be hopeful. Even under military dictatorships of Obasanjo/Yar’Adua,  Buhari/Idiagbon, Babangida, Abacha, that prohibited “unlawful assembly” and protests, Nigerians did several protests which eventually culminated into their extermination that ushered in this unbroken civil rule since 1999.

Every political space has its own peculiarity. As far as Nigeria is concerned, active participatory democracy by the poor, especially the youth, who have always been the casualties of conventional politicians neo-liberal policies could be a way forward. Their numerical strength is enough to form their own party or join any of the existing ones, use same vigour to elect leadership and get their own to power as politics has become a legitimate crime with resultant bad governance where the worst in society represent the best and plunge the nation into unprecedented socio-economic disaster.

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The present hardship and woe imposed on us should be a lesson. Apart from conventional politicians, especially those who are in government, everybody is bearing the brunt of hardship which has provoked mental illness, sent many into their early graves and many poised to join them on daily basis. No earned income is enough to meet basic necessities especially foods and other consumables as inflation has risen above the roofs while many small scale businesses have collapsed and millions pushed into poverty, hunger and starvation with no end in sight. You can’t, therefore, afford to continue your nonchalant attitude of leaving politics entirely in the hands of conventional politicians.

No! If you cannot actively participate in political activities for one reason or the other, as everybody cannot be full time politician, try to be a card-carrying and financial member of any political party that has programmes and manifestoes with relatively upright leadership that will be faithful to implementing what the party stands for when it gets to government. And don’t be deceived again that a successful businessman or and politician can lead better and take Nigeria out of the woods. No! They see politics as flourishing business by other means where they crudely accumulate our collective wealth with sole aim of perpetuating themselves at the top directly or through proxy. Hence, they implement policies that will pauperise people, rendering them to become beggars till electoral circle with the slogan, “DiboKosebe”, meaning, vote and collect money enough for a pot of soup.

After voting them again and having a pot of soup, what follows? Superlative hunger and suffering.   Lamenting and agonising won’t change anything; only conscious and concerted efforts will bring the desired change. There is a saying that a stone is broken by the last stroke of a hammer. It does not mean that the first stroke is futile as success is the result of continuous efforts.  Although, the cost and sacrifices may be huge; there is nowhere in history where civilian dictatorship endures forever. However, the struggle for genuine democracy must begin in earnest as the sooner, the better.

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