What’s with the word Revolution?
What is with the word REVOLUTION that gets many worked up and agitated? Is it the picture of death and anguish it conveys? Is it the stench of blood and scattered limbs it evokes? Can there be a different revolution from the one that evokes such feelings? Is it possible to have a bloodless revolution?
Revolution doesn’t have to be about guns and bloodshed. It can simply be taking a stand to change things for the better. In 2015 there was a revolution of sort in Nigeria. People decided to have the revolution through the ballot box. What was thought to be impossible became a reality. A sitting government was changed! The people got fed up and said enough is enough. People from different parts of Nigeria, different tribes, religion and gender decided it was time to make a change and that change was made.
Unfortunately, the gains by citizens in 2015 was not consolidated upon by the people. They voted and went home. They forgot as citizens they have a role to play in governance. Governance is all about demand and supply. Demand by those who voted and supply from those voted into office. Citizens have to make demands for good governance. Otherwise they get whatever is supplied to them and it is always easier to supply bad governance. It doesn’t require effort. This can be seen in the state of affairs today, a nation where people are disillusioned and hopeless about their situation and the Nation as a whole.
Is Nigeria sustainable the way it is structured? Would the status quo be capable of creating a sustainable environment for Nigeria? Would it be able to contain citizens who have had uninterrupted democracy for 20 years and are increasingly aware of their rights as citizens? I have said it severally that revolution is imminent in Nigeria. What we need to collectively agree upon is whether we want to take responsibility and ensure it is a bloodless revolution or do nothing and wait for a bloody revolution to take its course. In the words of Martin Luther king “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war”
The spate of insecurity increasingly looks like a revolt by some against a system that hasn’t worked for them and have resorted to terrorism, insurgency, kidnappings banditry to take care of their needs without care for who they hurt in the process nor the terror they inflict in the land.
Those who love this Nation and want the best for it must come together and begin to work towards changing the system we have to a system that works for everyone. The Late Mallam Aminu Kano is reported to have said that Nigeria will know no peace until the child of nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody.
Until we have a Nation where good behaviour is rewarded and bad behaviour sanctioned without fear and favour we cannot have peace and that is what we see today. Citizens must take hold of the situation and work towards having a bloodless revolution of changing the systems to the ones that work for everyone and not for a few with connections. That would go a long way to ensure that those who are today broken and at the bottom would not be pushed to the wall to the extent they come after everyone. If that is allowed to happen they would not differentiate between those who were supposed to give good governance and those who are also affected like they are. They will come after everyone and would sadly have access to fellow citizens suffering the effect of bad governance just like them. Those who have been instrumental in giving the bad governance are more protected than the citizens are and can easily jet out of the country leaving behind helpless citizens to deal with the aftermath.
While you are enlightened enough to know exactly who are those specific people or institutions responsible for good governance those who were not fortunate enough to be educated do not. They will look at you and because you have a job, a car and a good looking family will come after you because they believe you are the reason why they are where they are.
Many are unconcerned about what is happening in Nigeria today because they think they are safe. Until all of us are safe none of us is truly safe. The victim card is going around and the way things are in Nigeria today, being a victim is no longer a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN. We are all victims waiting to happen. It is in our own interest to speak up and make demands for good governance. Our silence enables those elected while it emboldens.
Email: aishayesufu@gmail.com
