By Kayode Emola
In about two weeks’ time, Nigerians will be heading to the polls. However, this is not to elect leaders so much as to reappoint new oppressors for another four, or possibly even eight, years. Yet if we have failed to learn the lessons from the shambolic Muhammadu Buhari administration, then one may feel forced to say that Nigerians are deserving of the oppressors they get.
I understand the civic duty of going to vote, of exercising our right; however, I also know that when something is not working, if we attempt to patch things up and pretend that it is spotless, we are deceiving ourselves. I would go so far as to say that what Nigeria needs at present is not another general election, but a firm commitment to hold a Sovereign National Conference. Anything short of that would be a disaster.
It is worth recalling that it took the three constituent parts of Nigeria two years, from 1957 to 1959, to determine what type of relationship they wanted, before conducting elections to establish the first national government. Since this was truncated in 1966, serious damage has been inflicted on the people living in Nigeria, and we have been doing no more than merely patching the wounds and calling it progress
It is no wonder that the country is the way it is today. Even the present constitution was not written by the people themselves, but by a set of cowards who dictated what the people must have from behind the barrel of a gun. It has been over two decades since we were forced into a constitution that we did not sign up for. We’re still told we have no right to decide how we want to live, yet many people cannot see a problem with this.
Yet the greatest burden of culpability must lie, not with those who forced us into this mess in the first place, but with those still clamouring for regionalism, federalism, or constitutionalism. It seems to me that the solution must be for the major and minor ethnic nationalities to sit down for a series of conferences, first within their nationalities, and then a unified Sovereign National Conference where everyone has the opportunity to decide how they want to live. This is a far better approach than holding elections every four years to vote for politicians who do not have the interests of their electorate at heart.
In truth, Nigeria’s break up is inevitable. However, the manner in which it is conducted will have a lasting effect on the emerging nations and their subsequent relations with one another. A peaceful dissolution where everyone separates to build their own ethnic nation is likely to produce cordial relations. If it happens violently, with the loss of many innocent lives, then it may take years or even decades for the emerging nations to entertain emissaries from one another, let alone trust each other.
One might have expected our oppressors, the political elite, to learn history’s recurring lesson that nothing lasts forever. Even countries and empires that enjoyed relative peace eventually broke up, let alone chaotic and violence-ridden countries, to which Nigeria bears the greater resemblance. Those hoping for the best in Nigeria are naively entering a storm hoping for a smooth ride. Our people need to open their eyes to the sobering reality of the situation.
The scarcity of the redesigned naira note is crippling the economy and disproportionately affecting the South. Many of us in southern Nigeria are too deferential to authority, obedient even if instructed to plunge ourselves into the deep blue sea. We need to stop simply trying to adjust to the pain being inflicted upon us, and instead start mapping out a way of escape for ourselves.
The level of poverty in Nigeria, beyond that of anywhere else in the world, is a disgrace, not just to the rulers of Nigeria, but also to its gullible citizens who are too timid to fight for their rights. We are afraid to fight for freedom, convincing ourselves that we are satisfied salivating after the crumbs being fed to the dogs. We have vast depths of human and natural resources, yet we cannot use it to our own advantage. We wait for a messiah to come and save us rather than be the messiah ourselves to save the situation.
I can continue to preach on and on, but that will not change anything until our people are ready to change. The best advice I can offer would be to stop, reflect and redevelop a strategy for moving forward. Committing Nigerians to another election will not solve the multitude of problems abounding in the country. With the breakdown of law and order across many states in southern Nigeria, there is no way anyone can convince me that the 2023 election will go ahead as planned, or that the situation will remain peaceful in the aftermath. The events occurring on 25 February 2023 and thereafter should be a matter of concern for everyone, but especially our Yoruba people.
This is not the time for endless talk, it is the time for continuous action and the action must begin with us. We must acknowledge the truth that the game is up, and so this is not the time to sit on the fence, but the time to take definitive action. Our only chance of success is if we rise up in unison and fight for our liberation.
