It is the subterranean anthem of the ongoing “Days of Rage,” that President Bola Tinubu be toppled via anarchy or a military coup.
The protesters incited to mayhem as a rite of riddance of our immeasurable miseries, demand a swift reversal of Nigeria’s economic hardships among a list of farcical demands.
Thus, on the eighth day of the “1o Days of Rage,” the protest flounders for lack of ethical bent and ideological juice. The most visible achievements of the protesters, so far, manifest in mindless looting, armed robbery, destruction of public facilities and avoidable deaths.
Some of the protesters have called for a military coup by the Nigerian Armed Forces. Some have called for the invasion and conquest of the country by the Russian military. Amid the chaos, certain opposition figures and self-styled activists egg the demonstrators on, inciting them to grind Nigeria to a halt.
Whatever the slant of disillusionment triggered by prevalent economic hardships, we must acknowledge that the incumbent administration has set out to tackle them with the right policies.
Of course, the job isn’t half done. Yet as President Tinubu serves the second year of his tenure, many accuse him of failure already and threaten to burn Nigeria to rubble. In truth, they seek to cut our noses to spite our faces. They are pawns on the leash of dubious demagogues, scheming to barge onto the corridors of power through the trapdoor of anarchy or a military coup. Nigerians will do well to reject them and their doomsday plot.
Now that I have incited your wrath, what colour is your indignation? Is it “onion brown, hell-red, or currency-green? What’s the price tag? For you won’t be fulfilling that sublime quality of Nigerianness, if your choler isn’t partisan or paid for.
Amid prevalent hardships and disillusionment, Nigeria stands on the precipice of upheaval, driven by an undercurrent of anguish and simmering dissent. Dubbed the “Days of Rage,” the ongoing protest ostensibly aims to topple the edifices of bad governance, yet it is imperative to unveil the theatrics behind this spectacle.
How telling it is that those who orchestrated this movement absconded from the nation’s shores before the first chants of defiance echoed in the streets. This grand act of cowardice reveals a bitter truth: the masses, in their fervour, are but marionettes, manipulated by puppeteers who retreat into the shadows at the first hint of danger.
As the banners of revolt flutter, it is sobering to recognise the tragic irony of the lives lost in these fervent clashes. These souls have been sacrificed upon the altar of avarice, their blood the ink with which political actors and self-styled activists rewrite and renegotiate their access to power and privilege. The architects of this turmoil, far from the frontlines, exploit the threat of anarchy as a bargaining chip in the corridors of power. Among their ranks, a prominent journalist—an intellectual thug—laments in private that he can no longer endure the hardships of political opposition. His confession reveals the hollow core of this supposed revolution, driven not by ideals but by personal gain and opportunism.
Nigeria’s leadership must heed this chaos as a deafening cry for attention, a tragic testament that it often takes the spectre of anarchy to force the government to acknowledge the plight of its people. Yet, it is equally crucial to understand that the citizenry’s scepticism towards promises of peace and dialogue is deeply rooted in a history of unfulfilled assurances. To earn the trust of the populace, leaders must demonstrate tangible sacrifices, slashing the exorbitant salaries and allowances of public officials by half or even abolishing them entirely until the nation’s fortunes improve.
Those who clamour for violent street protests must pause to consider the harrowing lessons of the Arab Spring. While these uprisings toppled despots, they failed to instil lasting ideological or revolutionary changes. The aftermath has been a relentless litany of chaos and anarchy, with the torchbearers of rebellion swiftly fading into oblivion. In a nation as ethnically and religiously volatile as Nigeria, the descent into an Arab Spring-style upheaval would unleash a maelstrom far more catastrophic. A true revolution, the kind that transforms a nation, lies not in bloodshed but in the collective power of the ballot.
Change must also blossom within the psyche of the Nigerian citizen. To eradicate bad governance, one must also eradicate bad citizenship. The loud proclamations of rights must be matched by a steadfast adherence to responsibilities. Nigerians must interrogate their governors about the expenditure of federal allocations and the misuse of state funds. In an era where more resources are being funnelled to state and local governments, the scrutiny of their utilization must intensify.
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It is a grotesque misallocation when states like Cross River allegedly budget N1.47 billion for luxury vehicles for House of Assembly members or when Zamfara reportedly plans to spend N19.3 billion on kitchen equipment and a mere N6.1 billion on public schools amid severe economic hardships. Although the Zamfara government subsequently denied the report, the populace must question such priorities, demanding transparency and accountability from public officers. The fixation on federal governance must give way to a rigorous evaluation of state and local officials. The cost of governance must be slashed, with resources redirected towards practical, people-centred policies in housing, industry, and agriculture.
For instance, it is a stark misjudgment for Kogi State to allocate 25 per cent of its N400 billion budget to the government house, an entity that generates no revenue. If the protesters were truly driven by patriotism and integrity, they would direct their ire towards state governors who have mismanaged over N570 billion intended for livelihood support. President Bola Tinubu’s recent disbursement of these funds, meant to alleviate the hardships of vulnerable citizens, underscores the need for vigilant monitoring and accountability at every level.
Yet, the sad reality persists: public officers connive with representatives to divert aid meant for the people. In Taraba, palliative rice allocated to local councils has been hoarded and sold to those it was meant to help. In Katsina, the DSS recovered 2,000 bags of rice out of the 20 trucks donated by the federal government, diverted by corrupt officials. This betrayal underscores the need for a failsafe mechanism to ensure aid reaches its intended recipients.
President Tinubu must understand that highlighting remedial measures is not enough. A pragmatic, fail-safe system for monitoring and evaluating implementation is crucial to prevent sabotage by corrupt elements.
It’s about time he pruned his team to the patriotic and courageous few required to implement a radical and progressive overhaul of the country’s economy and social institutions. But he can’t achieve this without politically literate youths and the electorate.
President Tinubu must constructively engage with the youths, and avoid the selective distribution of access, contracts and appointments to children and stooges of the political class.
Tinubu’s policies are expected to trigger the re-emergence of spirited and upwardly mobile middle- and working-class divides. Failure to achieve this will render greater segments of the youths as primary fodder for the goons, militias, and thugs deployed by anarchists like the masterminds of the “Days of Rage.”
The revolution Nigeria needs is not one of chaos and anarchy but one of civic responsibility and vigilant oversight. Only through such a transformation, rooted in accountability and driven by a collective will for genuine progress, can the nation transcend its current woes and stride boldly into a brighter, more equitable future.
