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The EndSARS protest will be recorded in the ugly pages of Nigeria’s dark history book. And if not recorded or its recording gets distorted by government who is becoming increasingly notorious for suppressing ugly truths, it will be narrated through oral traditionalso a source of history. Oral tradition, of course, cannot be suppressed to transmit the truths. The protest has established the rate of hunger in this part of the terrestrial planet called Nigeria. This fact can be disputed only by the dumbest lackeys of the present government. These lackeys exhibited the same nauseous behavior during Obasanjo’s and Jonathan’s PDP. It is in their character. Once they become religiously or tribally hypnotized in support of what they term our own in government, what they do is to always whitewash poor performance by fact-twisting. In other words, they neither see nor present facts as facts if the facts do not portray good image of their demigods in power. The fact is: there is hunger in the land!
The President, for the umpteenth time in his October 22, 2020 nation wide broadcast reiterated his vow to lift out hundred million Nigerians out of Poverty. If he makes good his vow, that will be commendable. The vow is however a testimony to the fact that Nigeria symbolizes land of hunger. It is that state of the world populated by hungry people. Recall that the President first made this vow before the country was christened (or rather declared) World Capital of Poverty. Meaning he (the President) knew before the declaration that there was hunger in the land. Nigeria is presently located at the periphery of the periphery of the world economy system. One may ask: why is the country peripherally categorized despite its abundantly endowed natural and human resources? The answer is: bad governance, corruption, kleptomaniac looting which made all the endowments a source of misery and doom.
The EndSARS protest sends a clear message to the government that all is not well with the masses. The peaceful protesters were able to send this message in a clear term. They made five demands. But suddenly, thugs and hoodlums who realized the stupidity of washing the hands with spittle while on the bank of the river took to the streets. They realized it is blameworthy to starve in the midst of plenty. They realized that foods meant for the masses are warehoused by sadistic governors, wicked local government chairmen, and gluttonous politicians. They therefore embarked on looting spree targeted majorly at COVID-19 palliatives meant for them but hoarded by their tormentors which they brought to power through their votes. By this, they are telling the world that they are hungry. All they need is food. Bad governance by bad government has completely blurred their visions of the future. Their basic needs over the years have been reduced to food. They are For Food Only (FFO).
Unfortunately, they overshadowed the peaceful protesters due to their multitudes. Since they are conditioned to see food as their only problem, they never understood the concept of peaceful protest. If they had understood it, they would have joined the protesters by peacefully making their demands which will, of course, include but not limited to food creation, job creation, free education, functional hospitals, good governance, accountability, good roads, freedom of expression, etc.
However, they may not be blamed, for they dont know what they are doing. The government will have to take the blame who made them futureless, thoughtless, and irresponsible citizens by starving them the basic needs of life (especially education and employment).
Our situation in Nigeria is not only pathetic, it is laughable. The viral video clips of what people now referred to as ‘palliathieves’- looters of palliatives-in different states of the federation leaves one confused. Are you to lament or to laugh? If you lament; is it at the wicked government officials who hid palliatives meant for the masses or at the masses who resorted to looting? Can this kind of looting be criminalized considering the fact that these palliatives actually belong to them (the masses)? Are the governors not shameless? Do they know that the world is watching and that Nigeria belongs to the global village? Do they know that our neighbors in the global village are jeering at us?
Though not all governors fail to distribute the palliatives. Governor Zulum of Borno State did not just order distribution of palliatives, he personally participated in the distribution and ensured that they get into the right hands. It was also reported that the governor of Bauchi State distributed it too with nothing left in the warehouse as hoodlums who attempted looting found an empty warehouse. Nigerian state governors through the Nigeria Governors Forum explained that the palliatives discovered by the masses were not actually hoarded. They clarified that they were kept for a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This explanation is plausible but only when there is trust between the government and the governed. However, lack of trust makes the explanation both lame and ridiculous.
As the looting spree cuts across most states of the federation, government should swing into action to curtail it. First and foremost the APC government and the opposition PDP should apologize to the masses. This is not the time to unleash military force on armless protesting masses and looting hoodlums. Fire for fire may be counterproductive at this moment that the country is fragile. My advice to President Buhari, the governors and their respective ministers and commissioners is to go on their knees to say sorry to the deprived masses who constitute the larger chunk of the population. Doing so will calm the frayed nerves and abate the masses’ anger against the government.
The governments should not see this as a sign of weakness. They should rather consider it a show of remorsefulness for the sins they committed against the masses. They should see it as manifestation of patriotism. It pays and it works. It happened in Kogi State and serves as a good precedent. Recall that Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State went on his knees, begged the electorates on behalf of the then unpopular Governor Yahya Bello when he was seeking second term in office. And guess what? The outcome of the election was magical. The latter won the election which he shouldnt have won. The government should take a clue from that.
I fear if appropriate action is not timely taken, the thugs may resort to the pot bellied politicians after looting and exhausting foods in the warehouses. They may think the pot bellies politicians have foods housed in their bellies for looting. Already they have started looting from individual store owners who have nothing to do with the government. This is criminal act; condemnable and must be condemned. It has never been this bad! Worst still, many police stations in the South were already burnt. The policemen who should contain the excesses of these hoodlums have literally become armless and harmless. The government should do the needful before it is too late. The fear of these raging thugs-the ragamuffins-is the beginning of wisdom. Our prayer is that the government get it right.
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
@salahuddeenAbd
