For some periods now, I have been enjoying my life as a retired political enthusiast/commentator, but somehow, the saying “once a soldier always a soldier” has gotten a new person to validate it stay. It has been totally easy to remain silent on evolving issues but it’s been extremely difficult to choose not to be informed. Even when I made up on my mind not to get involved on anything political, I couldn’t resist the temptation of laying my hands on Nigeria’s news dailies.
To me, working hard to build an enviable and intimidating resume has been seen as a more important task, commenting on reports coming out of Nigeria’s political atmosphere might come afterward but definitely not on my list of priority. But have come to realize something, that sadly, decisions made by our complicated array of ignoramuses will one day affect my personal life positively or otherwise. Even while calls have been made to Nigeria youths to dislodge themselves off political showmanship, recent decisions of some of our leaders are worth poking nose into.
The recent realities in the country if qualified by professionals in the art world will be nothing but a catastrophic mural. Power, in the governance world is a great sword, an important tool of liberation. It becomes worrisome when same tool is now seen as tool to oppress. In such scenario, the oppressed population definitely would have no case, especially if oppressors are in control of legal retaliation process; oppressors determine whether security agencies should respond or not; oppressors are too strong to be challenged in the court of law or obey the rule of law and most annoyingly, oppressors keep getting the needed praise(s) from sycophant Stan base.
Technically, belonging to the minority group in this part of the world is a crime that one day will get its deserved punishment. The Shiite Muslim group seems to be going through this phase at the moment, a very terrible development. The crime of our Shiite Muslim brothers and sisters was organizing a procession that obstructed the convoy of our successful snake farmer turned Chief of Army Staff. After losing a tangible number of followers in last year’s crack down by Nigeria Army, they seems not to have served their deserved punishment. They have thereafter been subjected to numerous blackmails orchestrated by people of the power that belong, not forgetting their readily available supporters.
I’m not actually interested in the hypocritical behaviors of our politicians who will tell you A when they need you and tell you B when you have been used, that, no one can help out. I’m majorly concerned with how we keep on failing to learn from our past mistake(s). It will definitely be a very embarrassing phenomenon if our careless and callous approach to Shiite issue continues and eventually manifests into a bigger mess.
Recent attack on the group by some radical youths without a tangible action from security agencies to inert punishment on the criminals is beyond abysmal. It’s nothing other than a tactical message from government saying “continue, we are solidly behind you”, technically or practically, that’s what the silence on such salient security issue implies. This same levity approach honorably gave the country her major security challenge some years ago, we all can remember how the deadly Boko Haram sect started and what led to what we are battling so hard to resolve now. If care is not taken, in fact, we seems to be nursing a new breed of terrorism already. Am not making case for Shiite Muslim group, but let’s realize we are already pushing them to the wall by our actions, if we as government can’t protect them because they are Shiite then they might end up protecting themselves in their own way. I sincerely hope this wouldn’t occur but my hope is useless if people of authority seems unperturbed.
Even while am not ready to bother myself with the possible international supremacy tussle going on between Saudi Arabia and Iran, banning the set from holding procession negates the freedom the Nigeria constitution made available to all; Freedom of Association. Well, we can twist narrative to suit El Rufai’s action, they are threat to the society bla bla bla…, let’s somehow in our objective mind realize that cutting off head isn’t the cure to headache, we shouldn’t propagate such. Yes, it’s Shiite that’s been oppressed now, I used the word oppressed because the Nigeria Army was indicted in the investigation conducted, don’t be too certain that it can’t be you when pendulum switches, we should rather stand vehemently in support of proper action regardless of the party, region and religion we are affiliated to or better still the politician we chose to deify.
Before we dance to the tune of our politicians, let’s realize it fun seeing a lunatic display if the actor (mentally challenged person) isn’t a relative, it becomes a different scenario if otherwise. These people are drunk in power and need voices to let them realize but if we fail at doing that, the bulk of the repercussion will definitely be ours.
We have sang praise songs for a state governor who went outside the country and found an aesthetically perfect environment but rather than studying the factors that led to such state of things over there, he chose to do copy and paste. His action has left many jobless but since we are not affected, we can keep on praising him, such mentality is disheartening to say the least. If we are in this category, Robert F. Kennedy has something for us to ponder on, I hope we do and act accordingly.
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
May God bless Nigeria and safe us from any impending crisis.
Abiodun Shomoye
@MrShomoye on Twitter.
