By Michael Egbejumi-David<\/b><\/p>\n
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These are terrible times in Egypt.\u00a0 Things couldn\u2019t be worse.\u00a0 So it must have come as a consolation of some sorts when news floated up there that some empathetic souls congregated in the vibrant city of Kano to protest in their behalf.<\/p>\n
Yes, I kid you not.\u00a0 With all of the problems currently bedevilling poor dear Nigeria, a few Nigerians, after having filled their stomachs with tuwo, pounded yam and pure water, inflicted themselves on the busy streets of Kano, asking that someone somewhere reinstate deposed Mr Morsi as the President of Egypt.<\/p>\n
The protesters gathered themselves together in what they called a mass rally in front of the Kofa Mata mosque.\u00a0 The average age of the people protesting and carrying over sized placards is no more than 9 years old.\u00a0 Most of them were shoeless.\u00a0 They huddled together glumly, staring uncomprehendingly into the cameras.\u00a0 I can bet the farm that most of those youngsters cannot spell \u2018Egypt\u2019 or point to where the country is on any map.\u00a0 You have to wonder where their parents were.<\/p>\n
The children protesters weren\u2019t content in merely asking for Mr Morsi to be reinstated.\u00a0 They also called for the immediate trial of the military leaders that gave Morsi the heave-ho.\u00a0 They asked that the military leaders be tried at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.<\/p>\n
Very impressive.\u00a0 I was surprised they did not demand for the death penalty.\u00a0 However, their leader, one Sheik Mujahid proclaimed in a chest thumping fashion that, \u201cMorsi MUST return to his position as President.\u201d\u00a0 But so far, Mr Mujahid hasn\u2019t revealed what he would do if the Egyptian leaders and people ignore him.<\/p>\n
For me, this one is a veritable head-scratcher.\u00a0 First of all, Nigeria has no business lecturing anybody about the restoration of democratic rule or the termination of military regimes as we did absolutely nothing about that here.\u00a0 Military Heads of State came and went in Nigeria as they pleased.\u00a0 They either fought and overthrew themselves, or they keeled-over in office.\u00a0 Other times, they simply passed the baton in an inelegant manner from one General to another after they have chopped so much, a greedy bone lodged dangerously and indelicately in an oesophagus or two.\u00a0 Throughout that long and sad period, I don\u2019t recall seeing children or even adults protesters on the streets of Kano asking for democracy.<\/p>\n
Could it be because of religion?\u00a0 But there have been other leaders who were Muslims who have been sent packing in other climes – especially recently, and I don\u2019t think there was anyone in Kano or elsewhere in Nigeria who sweated too much or missed a meal because of those.\u00a0 So why now?\u00a0 Why Egypt?<\/p>\n
The Kano protesters cried out that they believe in \u201cfairness and the promotion of democratic ideals.\u201d\u00a0 But Boko Haram has been promoting its own brand of democratic ideals in some parts of northern Nigeria, including Kano.\u00a0 Police stations are routinely sacked, properties are regularly bombed, and human beings are frequently slaughtered in Kano and elsewhere.\u00a0 Officially, deaths caused by Boko Haram stands at 3,600 lives.\u00a0 And Boko Haram is, in part, calling for the termination of a democratic government here in Nigeria, yet I never heard a peep from any protesters down there.<\/p>\n
Some people think that democracy is achieved simply by the conduct of elections.\u00a0 It is not.\u00a0 In fact, elections are only the beginning of a true democratic journey.\u00a0 Adolf Hitler was elected in Germany; look at what his election wrought on the German people and on the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
Democracy includes the maintenance and the nurturing of effective State structures and organs in an efficient and fair manner.\u00a0 Democracy involves listening to your people and acting in everyone\u2019s behalf.\u00a0 That is, the leadership must be accountable to the people, and human rights must be respected.<\/p>\n
Morsi came into office after a very hard fought battle and a very costly struggle by the Egyptian people.\u00a0 Early into his tenure, Morsi appropriated the powers of the judiciary because he didn\u2019t want to be challenged as he unfurled his policies.\u00a0 One year into his presidency, everything around Morsi has crashed.\u00a0 The Egyptian economy flat-lined.\u00a0 Public services declined.\u00a0 The country went bankrupt.\u00a0 As at the end of June, the stock market has hit an eleven-month low.\u00a0 Fuel and gas shortage suddenly became the norm.\u00a0 In a country that boasts a high number of intellectuals, a huge middle class and a secular, liberal elite, unemployment ran unchecked until it eventually got out of hand.\u00a0 NEPA invaded Egypt and there were daily blackouts.\u00a0 To make matters worse, Morsi showed not even the tiniest ability or inclination to address those types of issues.\u00a0 Rather, the man clobbered together an Islamist constitution and started to ram it down the throat of every Egyptian \u2013 Muslim or not.<\/p>\n
As hunger invaded Egypt again after more than two millennia, Morsi simply occupied himself with trying to islamise his country.\u00a0 There was even one unelected cleric, I think he was the head of his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, already being addressed as Supreme Leader, \u00e0 la Iran.\u00a0 Religious intolerance and abhorrence were introduced under Morsi.\u00a0 It was under his watch that even intra-Muslim hatred took hold.\u00a0 Dislike for the Shiite Muslims by the Sunnis grew and things began to take on the colouration of life in Iraq, Pakistan and other such places.\u00a0 After one year of this, most Egyptians have had enough.<\/p>\n
The average Egyptian just wanted food, a good job and to be left alone in peace.\u00a0 Morsi wasn\u2019t able to deliver any of these.\u00a0 Instead, and predictably, the man declared war on the media and on critical voices.\u00a0 Before anyone knew what time it was, people were being physically intimidated, being tortured, and being hauled off to jail for \u2018insulting the President,\u2019 for \u2018insulting Islam,\u2019 for \u2018reporting false news,\u2019 etc, etc.\u00a0 Things got so bad so quickly that most Egyptians became quite horrified by the \u2018Brotherisation\u2019 of their country.<\/p>\n
Truth is, Morsi\u2019s was a government crying out to be deposed in a liberal-leaning Egypt.\u00a0 The man was frostily incompetent and was taking Egypt in a direction most of his countrymen didn\u2019t care for.\u00a0 So I\u2019m bemused at the Kano protesters, their sponsors, and their motivation.\u00a0 Really I am.\u00a0 What do they care what type of government leads Egypt?\u00a0 How does that impact their lives here in Nigeria?<\/p>\n
Is it that a crippled Egyptian economy translates to the availability of cheaper child brides for some of our big men?\u00a0 I mean, the only recent link I could see between Nigeria and Egypt is that we have a daughter-in-law from there courtesy of Sani Yerima, that midwife of made-in-Nigeria Sharia.<\/p>\n
I truly cannot remember when Egyptians – or anyone else for that matter – hit their streets in protest because of political events in Nigeria.\u00a0 But here, we have Sani\u2019s wife age-mates being used as cannon fodder in Kano.\u00a0 Why?<\/p>\n
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