WAKE UP GREAT PEOPLE: THE FUTURE OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY IS IN OUR HANDS! By Itoro Ntia “God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Throughout human history, man has been known and seen to subserviently, subtly, consciously and persistently affirm and accept corruption, slavery, victimization and oppression and invariably loudly denounce and reject freedom, emancipation, justice and progress, only in reward for short term peace, popularity, relevance and meal ticket. In the 19th century America, most of the house-Negro who fed on crumbs from the white masters’ table never saw any reason to demand for freedom because in their assumption and it seems so, they were better than the field negro who was often hungry, maltreated and left to labour under extreme excruciating weather condition. If the field negro bearing the most devastating pains raised his or her voice to demand for freedom, he or she is considered a rebel and terrorist by the master, and a jealousy stricken fellow by the crumb-eater house-negro who still conceived what they have achieved is the best that can ever be available to for a negro. If by grace, often very rare, the house negro divinely realised he deserved better than crumbs, that is, like the master, he or she and kids have the fundamental human rights to be free, work to earn a living, sleep on bed and aspire to whatever level of educational attainment and profession possible, he is seen by parents, kids and siblings as possessed, mad and condemned to death not just by the white master but fellow house Negroes. Back here in mid 20th century Nigeria, during the colonial era, messengers, yard boys and clerks serving whites never believed there was any need to agitate for Independence as long as they too had crumbs from the master’s table; rode around town in the white man’s car and more often bicycle; drank tea from the white man’s house and took home used-toys for their children who also enjoyed missionary education. To them, those privileges and similar ones were the climax of enjoyment that life could give to an African as long as yearns, aspirations and survivals are concern. They see themselves better than others, mostly the so called heathens who can neither speak the Whiteman’s language or know the Whiteman’s God nor walk near the Whiteman’s door; they swore to do everything within their power to keep the status quo constant. And am told most of them on the eve of independence begged that their masters stay or take them along! This very 21st century and in my age, we have a similar situation played by supposed better educated people. To them, the new masters and colonisers better known as the government is always right as long as it sends food to their table, a car to move around and a salary at the end of the month, no matter how meagre compared to the state of the economy and what they rightly deserve. They swore dictators be praised and worshipped with the honour to imposed successors because the person has satisfied their immediate urge. If by chance they benefit from contracts (such as they never applied, deserved, know or will earned the entire sum allotted), have political appointments (that only change their livelihood with no right or privilege to contribute a say to the development of the state)etc they did maim and kill to keep the system moving. In the euphoria of these seemingly devidends of democracy which indeed is a fraud to the enlightened, their eyes automatically refuses to see better options that would have not just benefitted them but also their kith and kins permanently. The great and mighty, young and old enjoying the fraudulent grace, watch idly, silently and shamelessly as the greater masses are denied inalienable rights and inflicted unjustifiable agonies! The main but not only reason behind all these ages of recycled zombism is illiteracy (not the usual traditional definition sha!). There is need we look at literacy beyond reading and writing but invoke also the concepts of meaning and interpretation of what is being read as well as constant research on what still needs to be read. It is only the ability of people to grasp and apply what they read that we can we can safely classify them among literate society, in the light of the attitudes of most of our people, great doubt exist if we could be precisely classified as members of political literate society. The black Americans would certainly not have been enslaved that long if only majority of them went beyond reading to research and interpret the concepts behind inalienable rights of every Americans enshrined in most of the existing documents then, and also invent immediate possible and practical approaches to fight slavery. Our forefathers would not have been colonised that long if only majority of them were able to read and write and know how civilization differs from colonialism and most importantly knew the economic agenda to explore, exploit and plunder charted by the colonialists. They would not have accepted that second-class citizens in their own land for such a long time if only they researched and discovered there is nothing superior about white skin pigment and that servitude is a curse, one’s children must grow to overcome, and also that several other countries have so far freed themselves from the shackles of colonialism. Today again we are enmeshed and debacle by similar problems. A situation where people exalt fellow humans as gods, and worship, adore and give them sole right to determine their collective future and that of their children is appalling to a curious mind. It remains a strange and almost inexplicable fact that an average Akwa Ibom person today and indeed most Nigerians had long abandoned their fate in the hands of politicians where they are tossed to and fro at whim without any form of resistance . The most lamentable aspect is that most of these politicians playing gods for the people seem wanting in character, personality, experience, exposure and all other composure needed to take the people to their deserving destiny. The people, most of whom are plagued with fear of hunger and illiteracy seems not to know their rights, duties and what they deserve or should expect from the government. In their servile, dehumanized and robotic attitude, they became willing tools in the hand of anyone with political power and money to perpetrate perpetual injustice, disharmony, corruption and victimization. I am 100% optimistic that the present Akwa Ibom people would all be educationally, politically and financially emancipated and poverty level drastically reduced sooner than expected if majority of its population (dominantly unemployed youths) take the meaning of literacy beyond reading and writing to research into government programmes and projects and of course implications of government actions and inactions. It is only this participatory awareness that can influence government to only execute relevant projects and also cut excessive cost for some projects. It is a very common knowledge that most of us can count all the projects excuted by the state government but certainly only few can state the amount allotted and utilised and also the monthly allocations coming into the state and as it is we cannot definitely appreciate or probe government effort without this knowledge. This is a call for citizens to demand for transparency and accountability. It remains a perennial puzzle how we got here and have remained in this dark for this long. We the governed and the government to our own woes have become much concerned in the recording of opinions and not facts when it comes to genuine yearnings of the people and government performances. The people are overwhelmed with the mythical illusion that that passivity in the name of loyalty is the sole way out of their dismal situation. They buy wholeheartedly into the pessimist’s assertion that ‘’if you cannot win us, join us’’ and of course head like a herd to the bottomless pit of no redemption. Instead of learning trades or furthering their education for self development and empowerment, it is observed most of our oppressed class chose to permanently fix their seats in tents pitched by their oppressors. They looked up to notorious base of corruption- political parties, political groups, socio-cultural organizations, confraternities and sometimes churches for help, and often these bodies which are mostly oiled by the oppressors, perpetually keep in motion the wheel to crush these victims by moderating their rationality. People seem not to know that Paul’s church yard is not safer than Paul’s church! We the people of Nigeria will have to rescue ourselves by ourselves and not certainly looking up to institutions who depends also on daily breads from the same victimizers. We should try by all means to resist peers who are insensible to the fact that given proper opportunities, education and resources they can be independent but rather sink into that stupid belief that you have to lick a politicians boot to earn a living and that even when you are omitted from a position you rightly deserve, you remain quiet in the face of obvious corrupt practices with the corrupt hope of a political appointment that God will never allow to come. Great people, it would be completely and entirely different story for the people, when we are equipped with the knowledge of who we are, what we deserve and how far we have benefitted or exploited in the present system and scheme of things. That day is nearer than expected, even the oppressors know it so!
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 10:14:39 +0000
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