August 1st Protest: Why I am in Support
By Elempe Dele
The August 1st Protest planned nationwide is a reaction of Nigerians to their conditions of existence, and I am fully in support of it for the singular act that when the people are silent on matters that menace their existence, authorities are strengthened through complacency. A people should never allow those who rule over them to go to sleep while they wallow in penury.
However, I wish to want the protesters never to allow hoodlums to hijack the meaningful endeavour as to arrogate upon themselves the will to destroy private and government properties anywhere in the country. As of today, we have dire need for infrastructures, and personal businesses are suffering. We all saw what happened in Kenya recently. Going to destroy them will amount to blinding our own eyes in rage.
The sabre rattling should be limited to requests and demands. I am very sure these will be more effective than the will or actions of destruction, which will pique the protesters against security agencies. No nation will allow for the willful destruction of its properties and those of its citizens.
The protesters must be focused on the goals of the protest. Their demands can be delayed, but I know with the feelings in government quarter, the destination will be reached. Let us keep pressing forward in these genuine demands like Oliver Twist famed for asking for more. Nothing is too small for the citizens that have been below the poverty line for a long while now.
Nigerians are under harsh conditions, and are being treated badly by those they elect to man over their affairs in government. They are like orphans being abused.
One, Nigerians are faced with Social Injustice and Acute Poverty. This is the harsh reality we pass through daily. Two, elected officials are often criminally-minded and corrupt. They steal from our commonwealth. Three, there is insecurity in the land: From food insecurity to insecurity of life and properties. Four, the people need infrastructural development and cost efficient energy supply for businesses to strive. These and others are issues governments must address as fast as possible.
My only point of departure is this; if the protesters focus their attention on the Federal Government, FG, alone, the whole story of our wretched life will never really change. Our protest will be a waste of time.
There are three tiers of government. The FG, State and Local Government Council, LGC. These three tiers have responsibilities to the people under the constitution. The Federal Account Allocation Committee has disclosed that the three tiers of government shared a total sum of N1.35 trillion in June. While the FG received a total sum of N459.776bn, the States received N461.979bn, the Local Government Council got N337.019bn.
The people must therefore legitimately demand for accountability not only from the FG, but from their respective states and LGCs, which are not immune from widespread corruption. It is an inferior demand and weakness to form mob indulges by demanding everything from the FG while we allow the other tiers to be exploratory. I estimate this as unsound discrimination that has some political undertones. Our motives must be genuine. We must not loose focus from the tiers that are closer to us. Which tiers are to build schools, employ teachers, construct internal roads, clear and sweep the streets, give loans to farmers and small scale businesses?
We are mostly vulnerable to political vulgarity that are meant to manipulate and steal our minds – mind theft. Those who are in this political pastimes do it for the purpose of gaslighting the people away from their realities. We must define the responsibilities of LGCs and States, not just the FG. You cannot be searching for water in a far-flung ocean when there is a tunnel near you.
The protest, in my suspicious mind, might not succeed if we are diabetic in our focused attention. We must have a clear idea what exactly we need and where to go and get it. There should be seedlings, agriculture extension workers, tractors for hire, functional markets, rural and hinterland farms link roads in LGCs, and states must play their parts in deliberately taking the people out of penury with genuine and immediate interventions, not through highflying highfalutin propaganda of projects that will not impact on the people directly.
