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Civil Disobedience, The Way To Revolution.

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Civil disobedience is a moral weapon in the fight for justice, but i guess the question in your mind will be, how can “disobedience” ever be moral? Well i guess that depends on ones definition of the word.

In 1919 in India, ten thousand people gathered, to protest the tyranny of British rule, the top gunning British general, Gen. Reginald Dyle, trapped them in a court yard, and ordered his troops to shoot into the crowd for ten minutes. 379 died! Men, women, children, shot down in cold blood. Dyle said he taught them a moral lesson.

Gandhi in his way responded, not with violence, but with an organized campaign of non-cooperation. Government buildings were occupied, streets were blocked by people who refused to rise even when beaten by police. Gandhi was arrested, but the British was soon forced to release him. He called it, a moral victory. The definition of moral, Dyle’s lesson or Gandhi’s victory? You choose!

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You are right to argue that nothing in law that tramples upon RULE OF LAW can be moral. But not when for 54 years of our independence, young Nigerian cannot boast of constant power supply; quality education; good healthcare; good road network; efficient security; stable economy, and not when the rich live on the expense of the poor. An unjust law is no law at all. Which means i can decide to protect myself as well as my right as a citizen, with violence, or civil disobedience. Nigerian leaders should pray Nigerians choose the later.

 

 

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Jeff Okoroafor is a leading member of a new generation of civic advocates for government accountability and democratic change in Nigeria. The Citizen Affairs Initiative is a citizen-driven governance initiative that enhances public awareness on critical issues of service quality in Nigeria. It encourages citizens to proactively seek higher standards from governments and service providers and further establishes new discussions in communities about the standards that citizens should expect and deserve from those they have given their mandates. Jeff is the Managing Director of SetFron Limited, a multimedia development company that is focused on creative and results-driven web, mobile app, and ERP software solutions. He is the co-founder of the African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi), a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation that provides tertiary education scholarship for young people from low-income homes in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the United Nations World Summit Awards. A Strategic Team member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and a member of the National Technical Committee on the Establishment and Management of Missing Persons Database in Nigeria. Jeff holds a Bachelor and Postgraduate diploma degrees in Computer Science, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.

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