PROTESTS: DENIAL AND DISAPPEARANCE

While citizens have rights to protest, government must be up to its responsibilities, argues Joshua J. Omojuwa

In a black and white world where nuance is a threat, I understand those who prefer to stay mute where their voice would have provided clarity and balance. Following elections elsewhere, I read how some people decided that those who once invested in their companies were no longer allies because they dared to choose a candidate that was not their preferred candidate. As though, democracy wasn’t intended to also be about the right to choose differently. You take my money as an investor; you also want to decide who I vote for.

Nuance is dead, almost. Will be survived by neo-fascism. Debating has become anachronistic, because to even dare to suggest why a phenomenon is what it is is to approve of its existence. To disagree with something yet understand why it exists is to agree with it. Condemnation first, agreement too. Unthink. Just follow the crowd.

So far, Nigeria has mostly missed it. Years of poor and mediocre governance have come to roost. The political cycle moves faster than the economic cycle, so, it is not impossible that the good outcomes being experienced under an administration were the inputs of a previous one. The same often applies to bad outcomes too.

As expected, people and their followers are quicker to claim responsibility for good results than they would for the bad results that were on the back of their judgments and decisions. “I got A” versus “they gave me F.” You have the capacity to succeed, others have the capacity to fail you. Failure cannot possibly be your fault.

Our schools aren’t worthy of the name, opportunities remain limited, the police are still badly paid, and they remain a menace on our roads, corruption stays rife, no coherent development plan for sports let alone entertainment, primary health care stays elusive, medical tourism? Tick. These are our realities. Denial is not disappearance.

Citizens have the right to protest. It is a right enshrined in the constitution, a human right. Protest is a right we must always, irrespective of political leaning, defend.

There are always fears of protests being hijacked by subversive elements. Recent history suggests that such fears aren’t unfounded. More so when you listen to the rhetoric of some elements of X/twitter users who have been clear that their own intention is to change government. Pretending that these fears are unfounded is exactly that, refusing to see the obvious. Denial is not disappearance.

Considering the high cost of living in Nigeria (as it is and has informed agitations, protests and electoral choices elsewhere), it should not come as a shock to anyone that people want to use protests as an outlet to let their government know how they feel. Most of these Nigerians do not care about a change of government, they just want to see the cost of living come down. It is a valid desire.

The state has a responsibility to protect these citizens and other Nigerians who may not be inclined to join any protests. The security agencies have had more than enough time to prepare for this. They cannot claim to be unaware of the subversive elements desperate for a change of government, who by design will look to hijack the protests, destroy lives and properties and look to make the country ungovernable. We’ve been here before, so there will be no excusing incompetence or negligence.

State governors of select states who have previously been pointed out for destruction by these elements must be at alert. It is their responsibility, as it is that of every government the world over, to protect protesting citizens and those who aren’t protesting. They must, based on experience, intentionally look to fortify security around certain institutions, businesses and places of interest.

As a people, especially considering the foundation of our formation as a country, it is clear enough that we will not always agree. However, we must agree on certain fundamentals to be able to build a union capable of protecting every citizen, a state able to guarantee our individual rights and a country that’d always optimise for the collective progress of the Nigerian people.

A lot has been said about the protests being sponsored by some politicians or that some politicians will jump on it. This fear is the norm. Every government generally assumes that protests are sponsored by politicians, even when there are people in such governments who know that protests do not necessarily need the backing of politicians to happen.

Nuance may be dead, thankfully, self-efficacy isn’t. It informed why Femi Falana, SAN said to Seun Okin on Channels TV that he wasn’t going to join the protest because, “I do not know the organisers. I’m a political person. If I’m going to take part in a programme or an event, I must know what it is about. The people behind it.”

There will also be those who do not care about the details, they just want to be heard. Their rights must be respected and protected from people like this twitter user who said, “we will do what Africa has not done before. We don’t care about the constitution…We will change the leadership. We will change everything that came with the 2023 election…” to virtual applause whilst speaking in a Twitter/X Space.

We cannot all sleep with our heads on the same spot. However, we must protect each other’s right to sleep or be awake. The right to choose, even if differently.

There will be people on the protest grounds who share a lot more with some who won’t be protesting, than they do with those they assume are fellow protesters. Because when people step out to protest, there will be those who just want to cause chaos and then advance their intention amidst the inferno. They exist and they thankfully are quite loud about their objectives. Protesters and non-protesters alike must be protected from their likes. Citizens must retain their rights, government must be up to its responsibilities. Denial is not disappearance.

 Omojuwa is chief  strategist, Alpha Reach/ BGX Publishing