Categories: featuredOp-Ed

STRIKER: How Long? Not Long

THIS week Wednesday, a jury in the United States of America pronounced the Guilty Verdict on all counts on Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, a judgment widely applauded as a step forward, in the least, in continuing to address centuries-old questions of racial justice in the States.

How long? Not Long. That is the popular name given to the public speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr on the steps of the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama in March 1965:

“I know you are asking today, ‘How long will it take?’ Somebody’s asking, ‘How long will prejudice blind the visions of men?’I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth crushed to earth will rise again…

“How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.

How long? Not long, because you shall reap what you sow.

How long? Not long…

“Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne, yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own…

“How Long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice…”

It is a message of hope and universal relevance for those who struggle for the triumph of good over evil, especially in Nigeria where anti-democratic forces hide behind Democracy to perpetrate authoritarian rule. How else will an emissary of an elected President in a democracy haughtily come out to publicly dismiss, harass and even threaten constituencies agitating for self-determination!?

Yes, Nigeria will not splinter, God willing, but it will not be due to egotistical posturing by domineering anti-democratic powers-that-be. It will be because the people will wake up in good time to unite for the very historical destiny that, in the first place, brought about the special birth of Nigeria for the sake of Africa.

The message that Nigeria’s unity is sacrosanct and should not be undermined can be passed in many other uplifting and responsible ways than utterly failing to address the basis for secessionist agitations and further fuelling those bases by dictatorial outbursts directed against those who see the present structure of Nigeria as a roadblock to Nigeria’s development and Africa’s redemption.

Recently, John Nwodo led a team of elder statesmen to address and rapport with the leadership of the National Assembly and delivered a soulful and powerful message: a plea for urgent action to restructure Nigeria. Rather than concentrate on how to embrace history as its hero in at unprecedented time of danger, Garba Shehu, on behalf of his masters or not, was boastfully grandstanding in response to a critical national question, as if nations simply do not break up just because of the say-so of their taskmasters.

It is the difference between genuine democrats and authoritarians, the difference between caring statesmen and careless errand boys for hegemony.
Nigeria will definitely survive long enough for Nigerians, the people, to wake up and, willy nilly, restructure the country for the greatness that it is destined.

It is a time for heroism and popular organisations need to wake up to their historic responsibility of holding elected governments accountable to the people, for the delivery of the greatest good to the greatest majority, which in Nigeria today is impossible without a comprehensive restructuring.

Recent Posts

Harsh Economy: Nigerians React As President Tinubu Spotted With Over 60-Vehicle Convoy In Lagos

In a video making waves on social media platforms, Nigerians have reacted with mixed feelings…

11 hours ago

Man Arrested For Insulting President Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, IGP

A popular Nigerian TikToker identified simply as Seaking has been arrested by operatives of the…

17 hours ago

The Longest Prison Sentences Ever Served

Throughout history, some individuals have endured extraordinarily long prison sentences, with their stories reflecting the…

18 hours ago

Families Call For Help As DSS Arrests Lovers In Osun Community

There is growing tension in Modakeke, Osun State, following the alleged arrest of two lovers,…

22 hours ago

Ibadan Stampede: I Regret Not Heeding Spiritual Warning – Woman Who Lost Two Kids

A victim of the stampede that occurred in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, which has claimed…

22 hours ago

Trending Stories In Osun Today

The vibrant Osun State is no stranger to captivating events and headlines that draw attention…

23 hours ago

This website uses cookies.