When we campaigned and voted for “Change,” one of our hopes was that at
last we would be able to take a break from protesting. During the prior
years, Nigerians had to protest for every single right. I called it a
“Junglocracy” in my article back then, “Junglocracy: For All We Want We
Protest
<http://saharareporters.com/
All we want, all we ask for, or rather all we beg for is a sensitive
government. A government that acts before problems arise. A government that
if it misses preventing crisis then acts immediately they arise to abate
them. Is this too much to ask for?
We have not yet settled from our recent #NoBankingDay protest against
illegal excessive cabal-bank charges only found in Nigeria and nowhere else
in the world; than we have to embark again in protests to Save Agatu from
the terror of above-the-law Fulani marauders.
There are likewise several ongoing urgent protests that the government has
failed to act on. The Biafra crisis is an undeniable matter that begs for
government response. No serious country will ignore protests and an
agitation of no less than a million of its citizens. Can we deny that the
protests we have seen in the East and abroad do not number up to and over
one million aggrieved? Should our government not respond to that and at
least officially address our fellow countrymen and upon wise counsel,
embark on a referendum to determine the legitimacy of the demand? If really
and truly millions do not want to be a part of your nation, can you force
them? If you do so, they will continue to embarrass you and will
potentially terrorize you.
The #missing705 is still left hanging with no government response. Everyday
Nigerians and other of the world’s compassionate citizens protest for the
government to initiate an investigation into the whereabouts of over 705
Nigerians and the Islamic movement leader, Sheikh Zakzaky. Do we have to
always protest for our basic rights to get our government to act? How about
a proactive government that immediately investigates how many were killed,
if and where they were mass buried, how many are hospitalized and who is
responsible, while ensuring all parties including the military agents are
suspended from duty till the conclusion of the investigation. Must we live
with this level of insensitivity and protest for every basic human right?
Do we know that without a doctor certifying the victims dead before they
were mass buried, we more than likely buried many alive who could have bene
revived? These are the reasons why we expect and pray for a government
whose heart is touched by God, who will act urgently on urgent matters.
What is disturbing is that when the “national emergencies” affects member
of the administration, then we see the swift unleashing of the State
agencies. For instance when the life of the Chief of army was allegedly put
at risk, we saw an immediate and extrajudicial deployment and unleashing of
force in what has been called, “honor killings.” Not a day before that did
the government realize that the “Islamic movement” was as accused, being
above the law and disturbing ordinary Nigerians in Kaduna. But when
hundreds are killed and displaced in Agatu, the same military who then
called themselves the “defenders of Nigeria’s democracy,” are nowhere to be
found.
The same has been observed when other administrators are under attack or
being “blackmailed.” We see an immediate unleashing of Nigeria’s top
security capabilities and all accused immediately arrested. But in
searching for the sponsors of Boko Haram, we must protest first. In
demanding the police come and intervene in Agatu and arrest all culprits
and liberate the affected communities to then be compensated by the
government, we must first carry placards and tweet and retweet. Our
Senators are busy buying themselves flashy cars and our executives are too
busy flying around the world and painting themselves as infallible angels
and us as criminals to care.
Can we get some sensitivity please or do we have to wait another three
years for that?
Dr. Peregrino Brimah @EveryNigerian
