#EndSARs 18th April 2023
Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome
Political Science Professor @ Brooklyn College, CUNY |International Migration, African Diaspora, International Relations, Policy Analysis
#SomberTuesday has spilled over to Wednesday!
Contestations on the results of the elections continue. Besides the lawsuits brought by the PDP's Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party's Peter Obi, there are others at the governorship and National Assembly levels. Adamawa State shows us the incumbent, Governor Fintiri of the PDP in a face-off against the APC’s Aishatu “Binani” Dahiru, who, if elected, would have been Nigeria’s first elected female governor. We have had one other female governor, Dame Virginia Etiaba, the Deputy Governor, who got into office in Anambra state, in November 2006, after the impeachment of the governor, Peter Obi, only to vacate the position in February 2007, when a court ruled that the removal was nullified.
The nature of Nigerian politics and neonate democracy are deeply contested. INEC is clearly not fit for purpose. It has failed to function effectively and efficiently an election management body. It has made it justifiable that the integrity of the elections are in question. The ethnic jingoists and their hate speech have escalated the usual tendencies in Nigeria, to present populations that are otherized as interlopers who should never be granted the full rights of citizenship. In addition, contrary to democratic norms, there is hostility toward dissent in some quarters. Nigeria‘s democratization is tortuous and tortured. The deepening of democracy remains a dream deferred. When will electoral integrity be achieved in Nigeria?
We still have a currency scarcity and a moribund economy. Life remains unbearably hard for the masses. We have a cashless economy that is struggling and stumbling, torturing ordinary citizens with many breakdowns and problems. As with most other aspects of life, the masses suffer the worst effects.
Nigeria's youths, are an overwhelming majority, in a country that is one of the youngest in the world. They are justified in being frustrated and angry about our country's political, economic, and social inadequacies and failures. Our leadership remains resolutely patriarchal, oligarchic, and gerontocratic. They have a stranglehold on political power, in contradiction and contravention to the spirit of democracy.
Personal and human insecurity have become intractable challenges, with the resurgence of kidnappings after the elections. Political institutions must be strengthened, infrastructure has to be brought up to par. The twin scourges of unemployment, and underemployment must be tackled to provide decent jobs to Nigerians, and leaders must attend to fulfilling the social contract.
Nigerians deserve democracy and economic development, personal and human security. They deserve a country that shows concern for its citizens’ wellbeing and welfare. Having better lives for the masses and enhancing their capacity to meet basic needs should be given higher priority. The hope for a brighter future should not be available only to the elites.
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It is understandable that #EndSARS youth protesters having participated actively in the elections, have become discouraged, disaffected and even disillusioned. They expressed confidence in the elections as a source of giving voters a voice in determining their political destiny but were subverted. They expressed the desire for good governance, an end to police brutality, extortion, impunity, economic inequality, marginalization, targeting of youths and other minorities, and cessation of political violence but were sidelined.
The 2020 Lekki massacre must never be forgotten. Peacefully demonstrating youths at #LekkiTollGate & other locations were subjected to brutal violence and repression. This was a subversion of democracy. We have to resolve to do better. We should also cease and desist from ethnic jingoism, hate speech, and expressions of animosity and hostility towards our fellow citizens. If we democracy and development, we must understand that each of us must work at it. Otherwise, our country would have a challenging time striving for relevance, and greatness would remain ephemeral as well as elusive.
Howard Zinn’s statement is an apt reminder to Nigerians interested in democracy: “Civil disobedience, that’s not our problem. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while, the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.”
I repeat myself once again: Let the kleptocrats give back our stolen wealth so that we can fix our infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and also offer worthwhile social protection to our people. Let the masses enjoy the full benefits of citizenship in Nigeria. Let the leaders and political class repent and build peace with justice.
This is no time for politics as usual. The people elected should be those trusted to bring justice, equity and human security to the entire country, not expedient, unethical and egocentric individuals determined to dominate for self aggrandizement or sectional gain. We don't need oligarchs' continued domination. We also need a government that puts the interests of majority of citizens first.