A Sane Dream, A Super Man or The Will of The People? -By Adedeji Oluwaferanmi

As Nigeria awaits the election that will or should ultimately decide who will be at the helm of affairs of the country for the next four years, the masses as we all expect have contrary opinions. There are those who think the man at the top should continue the fantastic work he has been doing, there are those who want Nigeria to go on a sojourn to the past and elect a man who was a Military head of state and there are those who have found some other options that are invisible to most of the people. Every group consists of Nigerians who possess every right to have a say, no questioning that.

I know we don’t live in a transparent society, this is crystal clear. This is the same Nigeria of 2014, the year a certain man used his power as handed to him by his people to free person(s) who plundered the Nation’s wealth. You still remember that “Stealing is not corruption” phrase, don’t you? This is a shamelessly corrupt society and we can’t even pretend like that’s down to one man.

There have been mumblings that the results of the upcoming election can be “doctored” by certain political gangs or scoundrels. This is a thought I’m very unwilling to entertain but I can’t promise not to while writing this piece.

What is the dream of the sane Nigerian? Sanity is relative, yes I agree but this is my writing so I’m sorry you might have to accept my definition of a sane Nigerian. I don’t know what is happening in your head right now but the Nigeria I see today is a “sinking ship”. Like I said earlier, one man cannot be entirely blamed for this extremely depressing position but then one man has supervised the increase in speed with which this ship is sinking or to put in a more fair manner, one man who happens to be the captain of this ship has failed to stop this ship from sinking faster and lower than ever.

The sane Nigerian dreams of a Nigeria that he can sincerely be proud of, a Nigeria whose government will make the overall welfare of the people it’s priority, a Nigeria that has plans for him or her, her family and friends, her fellow Nigerians from all over the country. The sane Nigerian wants a sane society not a boastfully corrupt one, a society wherein he can live in peace and love with others not minding if they don’t speak his language or practise another religion or none. The sane Nigerian is frustrated to be living in a country where he and his brothers and sisters have absolutely no confidence in their own government to secure their lives, properties and future. This ship is sinking but the captain and his friends are dining and wining or slumbering. When the people lose faith in their own government, “anarchy” is approaching if not around already. The sane Nigerian dreams of a Nigeria that will refine her own oil and make the most of the natural resources divinely given to her. The Nigeria you see today is not the Nigeria the sane Nigerian envisages and in his head, he thinks and hopes something is about to change next month. For a sane Nigerian, this is not acceptable.

Who is the super man? Four years ago, Nigeria elected a man who was acting as the super man at the time to be their super man and what does it matter if they chose to because he said he had no shoes? He is the super man! It will be stupid to underrate him and his super powers, he hacked out the former CBN Governor, he removed the fuel subsidy, it’s by the grace of his super powers that his former boss at the Bayelsa state government house is strutting up and down Nigeria today, testifying to his strength is the many closed cases of embezzlement and corruption, the gagging of the Judiciary and the booting out of Justice Salami. This super man has the “elder wand” in his pouch.

Whether his super powers will be enough to help him retain his super powers is debatable but from what we have seen, it’s difficult to bet against this super man putting his powers to full strength to fulfil his heart desires disregarding the debate over his cluelessness and failure to secure the lives of his people. If the man thought he failed the masses, he would not be campaigning for reelection at all. He built some almajiri schools, he has done well enough to continue, this lord doesn’t give a damn what you think. He has an ambition and like basically every human being, he doesn’t want to fail at what he wants for himself. I want to assume he has at least an iota of integrity within him, enough to persuade him to let his people make their own choice. Super man, this favour at least?

I managed to overcome my emotions and admit this is Nigeria, not my personal life, not my immediate or extended family. There’s no way my opinion will be what ultimately matters, there’s no way it should be what ultimately matters. What I think is my business and those who choose to believe me or agree with me can’t be gagged to do so. I’m only just a Nigerian, a common one. Ideally, what should matter should be what the people want not the dream or wish of one individual. People will go out in numbers and cast their votes for who they want. What does it matter if a man’s choice is a comedian, a rogue, an oppressor or an ex convict? A man’s choice is a man’s choice and if the majority want a comedian, fine! Everybody has to accept and respect (grumpily or happily) the will of the people.

If this election fails to be a free and fair one then the devil takes whoever has taken up the responsibility to make sure the wish of the people is not altered but failed to do so. This is a crucial moment for all of us, if this ship keeps sinking many of us will eventually drown.

In a game of chess, there is the king, the queen, the rooks, the bishops, the knights and there are the pawns. Pawns earn little or no respect, pawns get the most easily sacrificed. In this country, the masses are the pawns, those who have been killed in Baga and other communities as a result of the incompetence of a relative minority are pawns, the students who had to remain at home for months because the government won’t be responsible are pawns, the university graduates who can’t get a job to save their own lives are the pawns, the soldiers who have been killed by terrorists as a result of the failure of others are pawns, the workers who are not getting their reward for labour are the pawns, the common man is a pawn.

As you make up your mind to vote for whoever you want to vote for, I want you to remember or realise that not everyone pays the price for the failure of the government, not everyone pays the same price too. Don’t fail to consider the quandary of your country men who have paid the price you haven’t paid. Think about fellow pawns who have been hacked off the chess board…

(If you read this, there’s every chance you are a pawn. Make sure every moment you are still on this chess board counts because nobody knows which pawn will be sacrificed next.)

Adedeji Oluwaferanmi
(Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife)