The Revolution that Will Certainly Be!
In the wake of the truncation and brutal abortion of what should be regarded as Nigeria's brightest opportunity to shake off the recurrent liabilities dishonest, ultra corrupt, purblind and inept leadership had yoked on them since independence, by the conspiratorial treachery of the same government and its pseudo labour leaders collaborators, the urgency to shake off the
malignant tumour a compromised labour has constituted in the fight for the freedom of Nigerian people has arisen. The groundswell of civil society angst that fueled the last revolt against governmental insensitivity was reprehensibly compromised and the entire action ended as huge anti climax with the Nigerian masses being burdened with a huge additional fuel tax of N32!
Nigerian masses, who have invested tremendous faith in the labour leaders to drive the botched protest, were shell shocked at the sheer demonstration of plain cant by the labour leaders as they connived with an unfeeling government to rob the Nigerian people of their finest opportunity to square even with the devastating leadership that has led Nigeria's astronomic decline in the midst of astounding plenty. The deployment of soldiers by a clueless and brainless government merely complements a deep-layered conspiracy to ensure Nigerians are made to bear the brunt of the elastic greed and rapine slouch of their leaders, in the guise of fuel subsidy removal. It is very certain that not even all the armed forces of the world will still the rising temper of Nigerians as they grapple with the unending blight of official stealing and insensate corruption' of the genre that birthed the present effort by Jonathan and his merry making government and their cabal cronies to mint the blood of Nigerians for the satiation of their greed.
With the painful development and with the loudly expressed shock at the bizarre compromise that attended the latest imposition, Nigerians have bemoaned the treacherous disposition of pseudo labour leaders to the plight of Nigerian masses, the great necessity arises to divorce labour leaders and their interests from the popular agitations of the Nigerian people, which will certainly be called to question sooner than later by the increasing tendency of the present government to add to our collective burden and levy hardship on the people so that its members will have enough cash to steal, as has been the case with such unpopular policies in the past. It is almost predictable that a government that has no known wits will certainly stir the hornets' nest very soon, as the elephantine greed of its members knock and the fight that will end it all is bound to happen very soon.
I counsel that the civil society, quickly put the disappointment and general low spirit occasioned by the present sell out of labour leaders to forge a strong, united and unbreakable bulwark against the rising penchant of the present government and governments in the future to ride rough shod over the people. I counsel that Nigerians dwell less on the predictable disposition the labour leaders have exhibited and develop a viable alternative to the government of the day. I counsel that the Nigerian civil society avoid the kind of booby traps compromised labour leaders consistently lay on the paths of the people's determination to resist bad governance by developing template of resistance that is outside the traditional foxy intent of recurrent labour leaders to trade away with the people's interests. Labour leaders have over time, shown that they can never be trusted to advance the interests of the masses beyond their restricted narrow interests so they matter not in the recently kindled interests of Nigerians to rid themselves of vandals and locusts that have devised means of milking them to compliment the huge commonwealth they have impudently stolen to impoverish the masses and grow their illicit barns.
Nigerians need no soothsayer to predict that with the kind of government we have on ground, we have merely postponed the evil day and the sure-to -come battle will require a more stellar command that is not susceptible to the known antics Nigerian labour leaders have employed to cash in on the angst of the people to further the individual interests of the pseudo labour leaders that have purported to lead the people's popular struggles. With the possible exception of Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, Nigerian labour leaders have demonstrated a worrying inclination to seize the people's moment and engage in demeaning trading, like the one the present labour leaders did with their government collaborators that led to the anti-climatic manner a people's best opportunity to right the mounting woes sadistic and ethically rusty governments have piled on the people, was aborted. This should offer great opportunity to Nigerian masses as they grapple with the unending intrigues successive governments have deployed to stymie their growth and progress in a land that has become a haven of dashed hopes, aborted dreams, and stifled opportunities. Labour and its opaque leaders should not be found near any future engagement where the people's interests are at stake.
The last popular uprising against a wicked and greed-inspired government has taught Nigerians lessons about the limitless opportunities in resisting bad governance, tyranny and the kind of insipid thinking that provoked the last imposition of annoying fuel price increment on hapless Nigerians battling the vicissitudes of mass poverty and deprivation. Nigerians should not allow the great insight the resistance against this latest act of government extortion provided Nigerians to the effect that the troublers of Nigeria are running their very last course and the recent events that shaped international politics are very possible in Nigeria. Woe betides the oafish leader, still trapped in the lurid desire to stuff his pocket, who scorns Nigerians with the snide retort that, 'it is not possible in Nigeria'. Not even all the armoured tanks in the world will save him from the angst of raped, dehumanized and robbed Nigerians who are living victims to the cabals that have led them since independence.
The civil society should retreat to the drawing board and draw handsomely from the lessons of the aborted march against misrule, with a view to side-stepping the questionable role of labour leaders and take the leadership of the people's action to the people. They should draw from the shameful sell out labour leaders always offer to people's struggle and ensure Nigerians don't suffer such volte face in future struggles, especially against unpopular governments, as the one Nigeria is saddled with today. The Nigerians civil society from every land and clime should form a broad coalition to take on their roguish leaders and restore power to Nigerian people. In doing this, they should make good use of the lessons from the botched fuel subsidy protest like the strong determination of our people to effect change from the roguish way he is ruled, the predictable sell out of labour leaders and especially from the deployment of the military to force down a criminal policy on Nigerians. These are veritable lessons that should drive the fire next time, as Nigerians wait on the doorsteps of an ensuing history.
Peter Claver Oparah.
Ikeja, Lagos.
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