By Ernest Osogbue
It was very inspiring many years ago to see the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi raise his hands in defiance, as he thumbed his nose at the military authorities before being bundled into a Black Maria en route to Gashua. The same awe followed Fela Anikulapo Kuti, despite multiple arrests and detentions, as he dished out one rebellious hit song after another, to the chagrin, and in mockery of the military. There was also his younger brother Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, who despite being the President of the Nigerian Medical Association NMA, at one time, refused to kowtow to the establishment. There was Olisa Agbakoba of the CLO (who is thankfully still with us), and his never say die attitude and calm eloquence. The list goes on, and as a young adult, the spirit of these men had instilled in me the necessary impetus to always fight for justice, albeit, with aggression.
As I grew older however and did studies on how societies are transformed, my understanding of protests began to take a more intellectual tone. Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against aggressive protests. I believe that in the fight for justice, aggression has its place. I have also come to understand that there must be a template of actions to be taken after protests. It is needless to protest for the sake of protest, without designing an alternative position.
Two issues have therefore moderated my approach to protests in recent times; the violence that necessarily accompanies an aggressive protest, which sometimes leads to injuries and loss of innocent lives, and secondly, the fact that protesters must necessarily proffer a better solution to the problem. By this token therefore, I have limited myself to intellectual protests, which implies the advancing of alternatives to previous ways of doing things.
This means that those in leadership positions must put the citizens, and the development of the country ahead of their personal comfort. It also demands that citizens must be patriotic and put the development and survival of the country before themselves. They must reject any excuse to encourage, be the accomplice of, or be the proxy, directly or indirectly, to those in authority, in their attempt to loot our commonwealth.
It has been observed that despite the loud clamor for change in our country, citizens have remained complicit in the poor service delivery that has bedeviled our society. Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) as a guest on Politics Today a Channels television program, some time ago, made bold to say that the jumbo salaries and allowances of senators was being earned on behalf of the people. Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central) echoed the same sentiments on Radiolink, a Radio Nigeria network program recently. Not too long ago, Nigerians were shocked to discover that the respected Professor Pat Utomi, an ardent critic of the APC, and the leader of several opposition movements against the government, had been romancing the Ogun State government under Senator Ibikunle Amosun for a juicy contract.
While there is nothing wrong with the professor seeking legitimate business dealings, it lends credence to the fact that Nigerians only criticize those in power by day, while romancing them by night. From available information, senators and other politicians in authority are responsible for the hospital bills, payment of school fees, and the house rents of many constituents. I remember watching on television, when Senator Uche Ekwunife (PDP) formerly representing Anambra Central Constituency, doled out sewing machines, water pumps, laptops, and other household gadgets to constituents in open celebration some years ago.
It has become a norm in Nigerian politics, for both elected and appointed officials of government to “settle” vested interests. The term settle is not ordinary. It is an open secret that any Senator, or a member of the House, who fails to provide “stomach infrastructures” to his constituents or fails to pay political patronage to certain individuals, is guaranteed not to return by the next election. The same fate equally awaits any appointed official who is not open handed.
It is obvious therefore, that Nigerians only pay lip service to the fight against corruption. In one form or the other, the majority of our people encourage, and are complicit, or are proxies to corrupt practices. A friend once jokingly said that corruption is actually the grease that lubricates the wheels of the Nigerian system, and that without corruption Nigeria would collapse. According to him, from the Local Government Ward to the Presidency, one form or the other of corruption is at play.
As I shuddered to imagine that the above assessment of my country is true, the activities of Martins Otse, aka Verydarkblackman or VDM, came to my attention. Having studied some societies that transformed from being corrupt to being procedural, it is my opinion that the people have a duty to compel those in authority to change. Nigerians grumble about the executive, the legislative and judicial arms of government, and how rather than make life better for citizens, they are making it worse. The same Nigerians turn around behind closed doors to romance those they criticize for a share in the proceeds of corruption. It has become evident therefore, that for change to happen, we need to adopt the VDM example.
The successful prosecution of Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration by the EFCC, proves that no government official steals alone. Along the line, there are proxies and accomplices, who aid and abet for a share of the spoils. I do not know much about VDM, but I see that he has been calling out wrongdoings. The recent issues with the Bobrisky recording, has equally brought him to national prominence. While not everyone would approve of his tactics, it is obvious however, that he is calling out bad behavior, and bringing to light what people do when they believe no one is watching.
For our country to improve and become that nation for which we all dream therefore, we all need to adopt the VDM approach. Let us all determine not to aid and abet corruption. Let us determine not to be an accomplice in the looting of our commonwealth. Let us determine to reject and shun the tainted gifts of blood money, and most importantly, let us determine to expose bad behavior. If we all agree to this creed, and practice the same, the Nigeria we desire will manifest sooner than later.
