The title is not mine, but I am not also doing free promo for any international economic exploiter, but as a right activist of almost two decades of street experience, I have come into conclusion that everywhere you go, its blackmail galore!
I came into civil society movement after the annulment of the most freest, fairest and most credible election in the history of Nigeria, the June 12 1993 presidential election, understandably the era were characterised not only with the fighting of military oligarchs but also betrayers, turncoats, moles and sellouts among comrades and pro-democracy activist, at a point the paranoia of that era culminated in the creation of our own moles!
The advent of civilian rule even gave birth to more terrible name calling, the civil society actors were polarised for and against their participation in the new political space, the incurable fighters among them especially those who are rooted in socialist creed considered the new arrangement as new brand of capitalism that will never serve peoples interest and therefore must be jettisoned. They called those who see the new opportunity to further their struggle by other means as traitors and political apologists!
Since then, everywhere you go, instead for non state actors to be respected and celebrated, it is always disrespect and name calling, they even took it upon themselve to create a progressive-conservative blocks in the political space , we are further polarised along party line based on ally and ex while pro democracy politician are now in governments at various level. Therefore anybody with a contrary view must either be a traitor or a paid agents of another politician.
Then came the social media era of mobile activism, I actually thought the namecalling will change and the ego sectarian activism will cease but the new generation activist with new generation tools are not different from their forbears in larger civil society movement. In fact social media street is even worse than street movement, yes, they reach larger audience and have technological opportunity to mobilised beyond our borders, but the ego of todays freedom seeker's is beyond comprehension.
If we are sectarian online and offline, how can we rescue a nation as ailing as ours? how can we fight and win struggle againt missing $20million when some of our men are working for Diezani and are ready to defend her even by labelling others as haramist? invariably we are as divided today even more than we ever can be, because of no rule of engagement for seekers of freedom.
Moreover, thieves in mainstream political leadership never have reason to fight over their bounties, they form confraternity and behaves cult like to the chagrin of a divided but vociferous change agents, how else can we effect a change when the hunters are working in cross purposes and the hunted are united in pilfering? it is basically an exercise in failure and Nigeria will be worse for our collective egocentricism.
If we must safe our nation, we must pursue a united front...
follow me @wahidsaka on twitter
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