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When in the 18th century the likes of Jean Jack Rousseau, Voltaire and Montesquieu rose up against the aristocratic and dictatorship government of King Leo XVI, the French people rose up with them. Men, women and children gave their support to these noble men who had written and stamped their names in the sands of time. Together they rubbished the authoritative system of the government, which gave little or no hope to the ordinary French man.
Similarly, when in the 16th century Tetzel commercialized the Catholic Church, he met with the stiff and stringent opposition of Martin Luther who brought the reformation to the open. Luther did not need to seek the support of a large number of people who were tired of Tetzel’s style of administering the church before he got it. In actual fact the support he got from the people, propelled and spurred him up to see the battle for liberation to the end.
Nigeria like France (at the time) has been very unlucky with its leaders since independence. And like France too Nigeria has over time produced it’s versions of Rousseau and the rest. But unlike the French that supported the ending of aristocracy, Nigerians instead of supporting any move aimed at putting an end to any form of absolute or despotic government, give their full backing to such systems. And this kind of moves gives the leaders the impetus to carry on perpetuating all sorts of cynical governance.
A clear example of this arose when Festus Keyamo, a young and promising lawyer decided to take up the case of chief Bola Ige, the former Attorney General of the federation, who was murdered in cold blood because the Obasanjo government did not see any reason to investigate it. The Nigerian Police Force became furious and took him (Keyamo) up on the case.
Nigerians in their own questionable wisdom folded their arms and watched as the young lawyer was put behind bars. But for the timely intervention of Chief Gani Fawemi (in my own opinion, the best attorney that has ever existed in the history of this country), only the heavens knows what would have become of the young man.
Unbelievably a professor and former noble laureate award winner was quick to show his utter dismay in Keyamo. Parleying so much with the Lagos State government at the time, he described Mr. Keyamo as a ‘small fry’ that should not be allowed to handle the case. Perhaps what our Professor fails to realize is that heaven forbids, it could be his turn. Ironically, the same Professor was at the forefront of the late M.K O Abiola struggle for Nigeria’s liberation from military dictatorship.
In the last election of May 2003, another reputable legal practitioner Mr. Mike Ozekume, who also doubles as human rights activists decided to contest the Edo State gubernatorial elections in a bid to putting an end to the aristocratic government of the incumbent governor Chief Lucky Igbinedion, Mr. Mike got, was the shocker of his life. Rather than the people voting Mr. Mike who has co-championed the cause of Nigeria’s return to democracy with others of his kind, they opted to vote massively for the incumbent governor.
Similarly, when Mr. Gani Fawehinmi who in my own opinion gave Nigeria this so called democracy, decided that it was time for him to go into action by contesting for the presidential sit of the country, he like Mr. Ozekuma did not only get the shocker of his life, but was perplexed by it. After the election, pitying Nigeria and Nigerians he remarked that “Nigerians have opted for another four years of hardship”.
As an agent of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in Lagos whose umbrella Gani contested the election, I can state authoritatively that Nigerians voted massively for the incumbent President Obasanjo. Although there were so many irregularities, Obasanjo no doubt got the support of a large number of Nigerians. If the French people, the Germans and even the Americans have not stood up to fight in order to liberate themselves from the various bondage they were in, Nigerians will not be queuing up from dusk to dawn in their missions to obtain their visas today.
Listening to and watching Nigerians, one would wonder if these people are ready to get to the promised. Nigerians prefer to languish in abject poverty, believing that it will one day be their turn to inflict such psychological trauma on their neighbors. They display all sorts of inhuman characteristics on one another. And when spoken to on the issue, rather than accept this as a problem, the one who voices out is grossly hated.
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Ejiro donald
Enefe Ejiro Donald was born and raised from a humble background. I appreciate and advocate for equity, justice fairness and world peace. I look forward with eagerness to that day when the world will be a better place for all to live in...we can all work it out...the lil contributions from every citizens of the world can help achieve this dream
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Comments
Brendan | Oct 13th, 2008
I agree with your points for the most part. Nigerians have had the opportunities to reform their government and elect new leaders, but they have proven they do not want that. However, there may be underlying causes leading to their decisions. First, many people may not want to see change. They are satisfied with the life they live, they may have job security, they don't want to endure any crisis, etc.... The idea of electing someone(as you mentioned) other than a dictator, may mean a new lifestyle. Secondly, they may be instilled with fear. "What will happen to my possessions, family, etc... if I don't elect this person to office? They may not want to cause any further strive within the country. Lastly, voters may not be accurately informed of other candidates and their platform. Each of these run together, and they are valid reasons for the Nigerian decisions. Addressing your point to the Reformation and Luther, I'd agree with you, mostly. I firmly believe that Luther did not want to cause strive and separation between people. He wanted to address the problems of the Church, get others to see the same view, and then find a solution. While posting his theses I don't think he knew what the future would hold. He just wanted the truth (Jesus Christ) to be known, and he did not want the so called church doing things that were not Biblical, like selling indulgences. I appreciate your article and the opinions you have formed.
Kourtney | Oct 14th, 2008
I do agree on some parts of the article. Yes, Nigerians did have many opportunities to reform their lives and government, but they didn’t have the courage to do that. Do you think Nigerians would have the courage to change? No matter what part of the world, some people don’t have the courage to change or reform their lives for the better. You might be right about “Nigerians prefer to languish in abject poverty, believing that it will one day be their turn to inflict such psychological trauma on their neighbors”, but you really don’t know if that is true. They might look or act in that manner, but they might be thinking of a different way to approach the problems. I think we both agree that Nigerians complain about their problems and don’t do anything about them. Also, you and I don’t know if Nigerians are worth dying for. Part of me thinks that Nigerians are not worth dying for because of their reactions to reform. While the other part of me thinks Nigerians are worth dying for because they’re human beings and they have a life. I don’t know what the answer should be to the question “Are Nigerians Worth Dying For?” I guess it is part of nature, not know the answer to every question you are asked in your lifetime.
Michael McCormick | Oct 14th, 2008
In any situation, change is difficult to produce through a minority. As you presented in your article, Nigerians have been very resistant to government change and reform. Initially, I surmised that this lack of concern came from feelings of fear, but your mention that Nigerians, "when spoken to on the issue, rather than accept this as a problem, the one who voices out is grossly hated." I am saddened to hear this. One should not be ridiculed or punished for having an opinion. You said in your article that "Nigeria like France (at the time) has been very unlucky with its leaders since independence." While this is unfortunate, I would encourage any Nigerian with an idea of reform to step forward and take the chance to lead. Nothing can be accomplished without trying. Here in the United States right now, a minority named Barack Obama has risen to the top of the 2008 Presidential Election on a platform of change and reform. Recently, with the economy sliding into a bear market, more and more people have turned to Mr. Obama in support of his economic policies that would take hold during his administration. Change is possible. Fifty years ago, Barack Obama could not have done what he has done today. Nigerians are worth dying for if they take the initiative to want change. Although some in Nigeria may want change, a majority movement must occur. It would be just as bad to force change upon people, like the United States has pushed democracy in places like Iraq. Maybe with a new President and a new administration, the United States can get her priorities in line by ending pointless conflicts and help out people in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Andrew McCormick | Oct 14th, 2008
I do agree with your idea that Nigeria has been "very unlucky with its leaders since independence", but I don't know if I believe that Nigerians "give their full backing" to absolute and despotic governments. There must be more people opposing corruption and misrule than just Mr. Keyamo and Chief Gani Fawemi.
I think your references to the 18th century are well placed, but again, I doubt that "Nigerians prefer to languish in abject poverty". It may seem this way because the movement toward peace and just government is a minority movement. But take this into consideration: The American Revolution, a fight for America's independence from Great Britain that you loosely reference, was quite the minority movement. About twenty percent of the American population stayed loyal to the British and another large percentage didn’t really care about the movement. Keep this in mind as you consider the situation in Nigeria. And know that Nigerians who actively pursue a better country are definitely worth dying for.
Colin Gould | Oct 16th, 2008
The only part about your essay that I can agree with is the facts you base it upon. Though I respect your opinion, I feel you are being too pessimistic and showing hardly any sympathy or empathy in the conclusions you draw from them. When you pose the question, “Are Nigerians worth dying for?” it seems almost rhetorical; especially when you add in the second half of the question “when even in death such a person is blamed for his actions.” Even though you never directly state your answer, I think I can get the feeling what you think it is. In my opinion, though, the answer should be yes. This is because I believe helping another person to free themselves from tyranny, whether they know they are being kept down or not, is always something you should be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for and, though Nigerians have often squandered opportunities to improve their lives, I don’t think that this justifies our giving up on them and condemning them to a life of hardship. I see many people around me decide, rather than to break the vicious cycles they are in, to sit through the abuse and endure the pain people put them through until it is their turn to be the one inflicting the suffering, just as you say many Nigerians wait, hoping that soon it will be “their turn to inflict such psychological trauma on their neighbors.” Though I only feel pity for people who choose this path and wonder why they do it, I also acknowledge that humans are a product of their environments and that some of these people have never known anything else. Not everyone has the intellect and initiative to see another way to do things and put that in to action. Many don’t even have enough imagination to recognize and support the people who have new ideas for how things should be run. I run up against this problem every day in my attempts to break down the seniority system of our drum line. Do I give up on my classmates for not having enough vision to see that parts should be distributed by skill, not age, though? No, I do not. I keep persisting and hoping that eventually they will recognize that there is another way to do things. After all, not having the vision to get behind a drastic change in society does not make you any less of a person or any less worth helping. To me, it just makes you a person worth pitying and someone who has to be helped by others, as you will never end up helping yourself on your own.
I agree partially with your comparison to the Reformation, though I believe Martin Luther would have persisted with his criticism of the Roman Catholic Church regardless of the support he got, though the support is definitely what made the Reformation a lasting movement.
Zachary James | Oct 16th, 2008
Don’t lose hope for Nigeria and the Nigerian people because, contrary to popular belief, great change usually isn’t the result of a silent majority, but rather the result of a small minority loudly demanding it. That means that not everyone has to be on board for a change of course for the country because it only requires a few. It sounds to me like you have enough people who support change, but they don’t support it strongly enough to risk dying for change for the people who don’t support it. In response to your question “Are Nigerians Worth Dying For?”, the answer is an emphatic “yes” if you believe your cause is just. If you believe in your cause enough, then you would be willing to fight for it even for those who oppose it. Admittedly, it is frustrating when people are opposed to the things that seem best for them, but persistence and hard work will pay off eventually and bring about the needed reforms in the end. The Protestant Reformation wasn’t the first attempt to reform the Church, but it was the first that worked on a large scale. Hopefully, in time, Nigeria can have a movement on an equivalent scale.
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