October 13 2020
Are we witnessing the beginning of a revolution?
On October 1 2020, Nigeria marked 60 years of freedom from British colonial rule. All over Twitter, Nigerians unanimously agreed that the date was nothing worth being celebrated, and that Nigerians in diaspora doing the routine “jollof pride” and “Nigerian parents” rubbish should desist and use the day to bring attention to the issues that plague the country.
It’s been a chaotic two weeks for most young Nigerians, and somehow, a lot of the older population is either oblivious or nonchalant about the current political climate; partly because they have contributed to ideologies that have enabled the government’s crackdown on young people.
Nevertheless, I’m proud. Proud of my generation. We are taking a stand. We have refused to continue the cycle of complacency that plagued our parents’ generation. And we may finally have a chance to witness a better Nigeria.
All of this is uncertain, but we have to try. We deserve a fucking break. I had an argument [or something of the sort] with my mum yesterday, and in the course of our little “discussion”, I mentioned how in the past 19 years I’ve existed for, I haven’t had one day of uninterrupted electricity in this country [disregarding our solar inverter]. And taxes are being paid. We have to fence our houses, live in gated communities, own guard dogs just to have a chance of being safe from harm. And we’re supposed to have a police force that protects us. Unfortunately they happen to be a menace that is now a driving force for protests around the country against state-sponsored police brutality.
Nothing works in Nigeria. It makes me, and millions of other Nigerians, hopeless. But like I said before, we’re taking a stand. And I’m really hopeful that this leads to a revolution for the entire African continent. But we’re going to need all the help we can get. Striking lecturers, disillusioned workers, and even policemen.
The working class needs to rise against the oppression of the ruling class. Everyone needs to be a part of this. Our culture of complacency needs to change.
I admit that the Nigerian problem is one that is not only systemic, but also entrenched deep in our cultural values. You also add European imperialism, and voila, chaos. Nearly irreversible chaos. Values like “respect culture” that place old age above honesty, accountability, and empathy plague the nation and bars young people with good ideas from contributing to national growth. And there’s the poverty problem which benefits the ruling class and ensures that they continue to oppress.
I really don’t know what I was planning to do with this essay, but I just want equal rights for people. Or at least some sort of peace. And I hope the people are finally angry and tired enough to demand for our rights regardless of the challenges we will face from our oppressors.
