By Adamu Hamza Marree Talum
Indeed since when I was in the primary school,
I was hearing the common definition of Democracy. It was the time when I didn't
know what even Democracy is all about. When I come to an age, I begin to
decipher the word Democracy and relate it to its ancestral definition as the
government of the people, by the people and also for the people.
Similarly, if the above Definition truly
means democracy in Nigeria, the concept has been abused or it has pragmatic
implecature where the meaning has been misconceived among us by giving it
different interpretations.
Moreover, Going by the definition of
Democracy, the hoipollois are always placed at the cardinal point of decision.
In a situation where the masses that worked hard to bring the government into
living come up with their pleas for returning the subsidies but the government
which was brought by the same masses dilly-dallying on the streets crying on
hardship and demanding for the returns of all subsidies, still this same
government that was brought by these sad faces remain adamant to listen to
their request, what then democracy is to Nigerians?
In addition, I think we mistaken democracy
with autocracy because the right of masses are fully trampled and deprived if
they cannot make their demands and government should listen to them. Today is
the ninth day of protest, still the president who was brought into power
particularly by the same northerners that are acrimoniously rallying on the
street for the subsidy to return but same president who was brought by same
northerners that insisted on the Muslim-Muslim Ticket refused to listen to
their clamor. Indeed, the meaning of democracy to us is otherwise.
The masses at one side are caught between
the anvil and the hammer. They prefer either to die by hunger or by bullets as
many Facebook video clips expressing. The issue of hunger in the doesn't
suppose to be taken lightly by the government. There are many house I know that
endure more than a week without cooking common food recognize as Towon-Masara
or Tuwon-shikafa in the north. Tell me, what is such person not going to do to
get what to eat?
Graduates are being proliferated and no
work to do. Even the social investment programs enjoyed in the previous
administrations are quashed. The government remains stagnant and much money are
being to buy presidential jet, ship and so forth. Besides, masses are seeing it
and you expect them to keep quiet while they are hungry! The government is
expected to give this a second thought, please.
Sincerely speaking, when I heard that the
government has guaranteed Nigerians a peaceful protest, I was as if to laugh. A
person in the state of sorrow and psychological turmoil you ordered to make
peaceful protest!. The question is, are the masses living in peace? Where is
the peace with a person that sleep with empty stomach?
The government should have made a quick
response to the state quagmire that millions Nigerians are facing first before
it starts its " I assure you" promises. It remains a languages that I
have been hearing it among our politicians before I grow up to this stage.
The worst of all was the unnecessary
shooting of the protesters that led to the death of many. A day or two ago, I
have seen Nigeria Army saying that one of its personals inadvertently shot the
protesters. If a trained army will give such flimsy excuse, what is the
difference between him and the corrupt protesters that went ahead to steel
people's properties in the shop? Actually, we certainly know that there is
hunger in the nation and even the president has testified this in his recent
speech which teased the psychological anger of the protesters that perhaps made
them unfortunately carried the flag of Russia during their protests.
Besides, the recent statement of the
Nigeria's Senate president is completely undemocratic and doesn't contain an
iota of responsibility to openly state that people will be protesting while
they would be in the other side eating. This statement has unmeasurably
escalated the protest. The Senate president as someone who was democratically
elected, I can say he doesn't have a respect for his people, let alone
Nigerians. If he could look at the sorrowful faces of his people that made him
what he is today and tell them such vicious statement, what respect does he
have for Nigerians? Then, how does this relate to the definition of Democracy
as the government of the people, by the people and also for the people? In
Nigeria, it should be reframed to be defined as the government of the elites,
by the elites and also for the elites.
We all know that to lift a flag for another
country in one's county demanding for altercation is a treason but the question
is, how does this government of one's country work for the betterment of its
citizenry? Wallahi, if many officials in the government will know the state of
common people in the village, Wallahi I believe they cannot sleep. Many
commoners hardly get one Square meal in two days. Some masses resort to eating
leaves to survive. Some are even transported to various riverine villages to
get leaves to be eating. Tell me please,
in such scenario, will you tell a person in such situations to be patience
or to pray? What attentions do people in such situations have to even perform
some of the rites? Actually, measures are expected to be taken from the side of
the government not just words of mouth.
It is true that to lift a flag of another
country in one's country may constitutionally labeled as treason but I have in
several occasions seen Biafarans lifting their flags and banners but the
Nigeria's Chief of Defense, Mr. Christopher Musa has not said that was a
treason as he was claiming. In many occasions, banners and flags of other
countries were lifted in Nigeria but no-one talked of this grievous perspective
till Christopher Musa. The bandits are challenging them in Zamfara, the
Boko-Haram are daring them in Borno, to crowd it all, Bello Turji is
challenging them in the bush but they spurred on the street protesters and even
shooting innocent of them but claiming that it was a mistake. This is our own
perspective of democracy. It is only Mr. Christopher Musa, a trained Nigeria's
army officer that speaks for the presidency when he was caught in the media
saying that the administration was not given much time to attain the protesters
need. This statement doesn't suppose to come from a civil servant. It is a
political statement that is known among politicians.
Now a lot of havocs are being are a result
of sorry to say, a poor governance where masses are taken slim position. Take a
look at minimum wage, in less than a week both the upper and the lower
legislative chamber increased theirs but the public servants are yet to be
implemented or the government refused to pay attention to it, until the ten day
protest was proposed. Now, only God knows when the minimum wage of #70,000 will
be implemented to Nigeria's public servants.
Imagine, a rich country in like Nigeria, a
level L8 civil servant's salary in the state government cannot buy him a half
bag of a maize or rice and the government wallow in its thought that such a
public servant remains punctual in his primary assignment. I cannot correlate
this, actually! Still, this country insists that democracy is the government of
the people, by the people and also for the people. How will relate this
definition of Democracy and our system of democracy. One person in the previous
government was alleged of plundering more than 80trillion while a degree-holder
public servant is paid #47,000. Can you imagine the foundation to peacelessness
built to the citizenry?.
Killings is being recorded everyday in
Zamfara axes and no remedy was made but a trained army would declare that he
shot the protesters by mistake. Such mistakes are expected to be made in
Zamfara with bandits not protesters. Sometimes, when you read a news in
Nigeria, it only increases anger and tension, seriously.
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