Depressive Decisions, Suppressive Situations, Repercussive Reactions

 

Since it was first declared ahead of its birth by a plethora of voices on social media, the #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria scheduled for this day, 1^st August 2024, had cut the image of a Kenya-like or Bangladesh-kind-of social unrest. Nigerians are tired, not particularly of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, but of every depressive decision ever made by successive Nigerian governments, which have brought about suppressive situations of living but does not warrant repercussive reactions of its victims.

Yes, I support all patriotic and proactive moves by security agencies against violence that could erupt during the protest because of possible hijack of this well-intentioned exercise by hoodlums as recorded during the 2020 EndSARS palaver. However, I am not on the side of those who simply wish away an opportunity to deepen government-governed engagement because they probably benefit immensely form the status quo. They are reminded that through such a tool that must be peacefully deployed today, citizen participation in socio-economic happenings is reinforced. The alliance of say-no-to-open-demonstrations that was formed by emergency sympathizers of government should better be less worried about a prior announced public expression of pent-up frustration, which #EndBadGovernance represents, than possible future unannounced social rumbles in reaction to several more depressive socio-economic policies of government.

The activism and democratic credentials of President Tinubu that date back to the pre-1999 era when Nigeria returned to democratic rule are moral justifications for frustrated Nigerians to participate in today’s hunger protest. Jagaban, as he is fondly called by his political associates, led and participated in several public demonstrations in times past and that alone fuels the loud omen of determination and courage among would-be-protesters. The more a sect of President Tinubu’s ruling minority pontificated against and punctured the idea of a nationwide protest to reverse the current widespread economic hardship, the less the Nigerian majority cared about the unruly privilege and power that most of these persons tangentially seek to protect. Without destruction of lives and properties, peaceful demonstrations expressing sincere hues & cries of the populace shouldn’t be suppressed, particularly in a democratic space. Or, If I may ask, haven’t the cumulative decisions (and indecisions) of government suppressed the humanity in us enough?

Whenever I think of depressive decisions of those in authority, I irritably remember the following.

· clueless naira redesign that leaves us with two denominations of five hundred notes in circulation,

· careless expenditure running into billions of dollars on several failed attempts at revamping our old refineries leading to perpetuated importation of refined petroleum products by an oil-rich country,

· tactless refusal to budget for petroleum subsidy past June 2023 in the absence of functional local refineries,

· needless habit of procuring exotic cars (SUVs & their likes), bountiful allowances, retinue of political aides as well as security details for 469 Nigerians draped in lawmaking garments within a dual (Senate and House of Representatives) legislature, several Ministers & Special Advisers, Heads of countless Federal Agencies  as well as their public office-occupying counterparts (both in executive & legislative positions) attached to 36 States & Federal Capital Territory administrations, not forgetting the litany of same at the 774 Local Government Areas,

· senseless federal structure that places about 53% of the federation’s revenue in the hands of an Abuja-based tier of government geographically & administratively distant from her 220 million population,

· powerless subnational governments that have little control over security architecture,

· pointless conversions of Federal & State civil service structures to unsustainable employment machines with little productivity but humongous wage bills, and

· mindless culture of impunity that perpetually refuses to punish acts of financial corruption among political and bureaucratic members of the elite class.

Whenever I ruminate over the suppressive situations in which Nigerian citizens wallow, I gratingly ponder the following.

· overpricing of the annual tenancy/let of a 3-bedroom flat at N500,000 in not-very-commercial and low brow cities across different States in Nigeria ( two examples are known to me in recent months),

· overbearing conditions of expending N1,000,000 to buy £500 (as a relative bought on 19^th June 2024),

· overstretching power of picking a unit of sliced bread for N1,800 and crate of eggs for N4,800 (as I did in Abuja on 21^st July 2024),

· overburdening effects of purchasing one litre of gasoline/petrol at N830 either for the house or a small-scale business outfit (as my wife bought yesterday 29^th July 2024), and

· overwhelming reality of N92.17 per 1 Kwh of vended power/energy unit (as I bought yesterday 31^st July 2024 for my house in Akure).

Whenever I consider the repercussive reactions of justifiably angry Nigerians towards these decisions and situations however, I sadly consider the consequences of the 2020 #EndSARS protest highlighted among the following.

·       burning of people’s properties by criminals-cum-arsonists,

·       maiming of innocent lives by clandestine bloodsuckers,

·       looting of hard-earned private & commercial goods by plunderers pretending to be protesters,

·       unfolding of unintended objectives of the protest, on the contrary, and

·       bungling of intended goals of the protest, instead.

As a substitute to civil protests characterised by complaints-bearing placards between our over-worked but poorly rewarded hands, our frustrated & famished voices yelling SOS, and our foot-dragging legs marching on poorly constructed & ill-maintained roads, some “animals who are more equal than the others” with their huge stakes would rather have some jackboots repress our non-violent expressions. The deft machination of such interested parties to get our knees on the floor, five fingers across our lips, tails in between our legs and tears rolling down our eyes today will not come to fruition. 

Then again, I plead that protesters abstain from repercussive reactions in expressing our collective frustration over years of depressive decisions and suppressive situations foisted on the whimpering majority who have little or nothing to preserve, by a whimsical minority who have everything to protect.

Dr. Adetolu Ademujimi is a Medical Doctor, Health Finance Specialist, Author, Reformer, Coach, Public Policy expert and Social entrepreneur who can be reached in Abuja via adetoluademujimi@gmail.com