JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
On Democracy Day, the President rose to tell Nigerians the story of 27 uninterrupted years of democracy. He talked about how we now have ballots instead of bullets, and courtrooms instead of coups. He also reminded us of the great democratic heroes and martyrs. He said, rightly, that the heroes of June 12 ensured political freedom. He argued, quite convincingly, that the overarching mandate of the current generation is economic freedom. “Democracy must be felt in people’s quality of life,” he declared.
For us at the Omo Oduduwa Collective, that line should have opened a new chapter of hope and possibility. But as the conversation moved from homage to statistics, the gap between poetry and reality widened. We believe that June 12 is a day meant not only to commemorate democracy, but also to celebrate good governance and symbolize true hope for many Nigerians, beyond the rhetoric.
The President spoke about restoring fiscal stability and increasing the federation’s revenue. Unfortunately, this reality only exists in government spreadsheets, highlighting the significant gap between growth and inclusive development. The reality on Nigerian streets is one of deepening multidimensional vulnerabilities and eroding purchasing capabilities; an inevitable result of the dissociative exposure of poor Nigerians to the whims of brutal and captive market forces. This is accompanied by the complete eradication of the middle class and a wide income disparity between poor and rich. We firmly believe that reforms should not disproportionately deform the poor, while capitalists, politicians and their minions occupy a privileged position in the seemingly run Ponzi scheme, happily enjoying ostentatious opulence. Increasing income without a corresponding improvement in people’s well-being is little more than abstract accounting.
On security, President Tinubu cites Arege, Borno and the “precision target” with the United States, France and other European allies. However, it is difficult to establish a precise target when kidnappers still operate openly in the North East, Oyo forests, Lagos-Ibadan expressway and along the Benin-Ore road among numerous other parts of the country. If a retired military general, Rabe Abubakar, who was the chief spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, could be kidnapped, held captive for about two weeks and then killed as is, that tells us that no Nigerian is safe. The man spoke for the army at the height of the Boko Haram war. He knew the system, the intelligence, the protocols. Yet he was caught, held for 14 days and then killed. When those who guard the gates can no longer protect their lives, it means that the gates have collapsed. The conflicting accounts of how he died and the government’s absence of any coherent explanation of how his body was recovered from his kidnappers reinforce the public’s justified suspicion that powerful people within the government are complicit, in one way or another, in the worsening security situation across the country. For us at the Omo Oduduwa Collective, the recent assassinations of two major generals, one serving and the other retired, are proof that Nigeria’s security crisis is no longer due to lack of money or equipment. It is about the failure of leadership, strategy and the absence of the necessary political will. If the Nigerian state cannot protect its highest ranking field officers, what hope do ordinary citizens have? This is not just a tragedy, but a national humiliation that highlights the hollowness of the “largest defense budget ever” and the “precision target.” You cannot spend N5.41 trillion and lose a general to the same criminals you believe are on the run.
The Omo Oduduwa collective lauds the ongoing constitutional efforts to create the State Police. It is a process that should have started on the first day of this government in office. However, it is better late than never. A constitutional framework for the State Police is the first real political step that corresponds to the President’s poem on improving security. We recognize as historic the passage of the constitutional amendment on the State Police by the House of Representatives. We ask the Senate to accelerate its competition for possible consent from the president.
Finally, the political space. “Criticize me, you don’t agree with me,” the President told the press and civil society. We welcome these words. The words, however, must correspond to the conduct. Over the past three years, protesters have been arrested and progressive individuals calling for good governance have been mistreated. More recently, the attack on Omoyele Sowore, a journalist and activist, highlights the contradiction at the heart of the discourse. You cannot invite criticism on Democracy Day and allow violence against critics on other days. When the state looks away while its agents tear gas or beat activists and ordinary citizens who rightfully express their dissatisfaction with their worsening conditions, it tells every Nigerian that dissent is tolerated only until it becomes inconvenient. This is no longer democracy.
We join the government in honoring the heroes of June 12th. We also affirm that their sacrifices have given citizens the right to speak. And we will speak clearly. The celebration of Democracy Day is necessary, but it must not become an annual ritual made up of large numbers and great promises. For all Nigerians, democracy must be felt where life happens: in your pocket, at the market, on the farm without fear, in the factory with light and at the polls without intimidation. This must also be felt in the safety of those who speak truth to power. If Sowore can be attacked, a general can be killed and a retired army spokesperson can be kidnapped and killed, then none of us are safe.
Let the labors of our past heroes not be in vain; and let us not let the struggles and anguish of our people today be ignored.
Signed:
Professor Akinyemi Onigbinde (Convener)
Dr Adeolu Oyekan (Group Administrator)
Kazeem Olasupo (Honorary Secretary)
Senator Babafemi Ojudu
Del Farotimi
Doctor Olasunkanmi Olapeju
Samuel Arinloye Adebisi
Kayode Ogundamisi
