When do we do a Libya?

Right, I promised to write on a regular basis, but, well, I have to be sober most nights to do it, don’t I?

Before going into my piece, let me apologize first. I did promise myself that If I ever start a blog It definitely won’t be political, but here I am, my very second real piece, breaking that rule. This I just couldn’t resist. I really think my fallibility is justified.

This past year, at least 3 African nations have rebelled and ousted their rulers. With the exception of Ivory Coast, these nations are better than Nigeria economically. Yes, they are. Our brothers often travel to Egypt and Libya in search for greener pastures despite the strict one religion culture they practice there (well, maybe Egypt does have some Coptic Christians, but you still get the general drift), braving the hazards of crossing the huge Sahara while trying to smuggle themselves into the country illegally.

Yet, they rebelled, for reasons lighter than what we face in this country of ours.

Granted, they may have been fuelled or incited by some unscrupulous foreign powers, and they also rebelled against rulers who were iron – fisted and had clung to power for donkey years, with some of the rebels never having known any better or any other ruler. These differences are but minor dissimilarities.

No. we do not have a despotic ruler to oust from power. Neither are we being hauled off to jail in the middle of the night for speaking out against the government. No, too, our women are not being oppressed and seen as child bearing tools only; they are actually given a percentage in leadership positions. So, maybe we are not a Libya, or an Egypt, or even an Ivory Coast?

No. we are not. We are Nigeria, with our problems so myriad that we have lost track of what to complain about. We have taken our rot as the norm.

What we have is a system. An unacceptable way of life that has become acceptable, a way: the Nigerian way. I can tell you categorically, that even with my best of intentions, if I am voted into power, I will be powerless to do anything owing to the sort of established practice we have here.

Big admission? It’s justified. How many of our present ministers have occupied different ministerial positions in the past? I’ll tell you: most of them. Despite their obvious failure, these men are re-cycled again and again in and around the executive positions in the country, creating a situation of “the powers that be” that we are powerless to prevent.

The calculation is simple. If I served the past two administrations and was ineffectual as minister of two different ministries or sectors, what is the probability that if I am appointed a minister in another administration I will do better?

The great Fela summed it all up when he sang that his hit (which I grew up to meet) in which he said suffering and smiling is the nature of Nigerians (or words to that effect. I don’t claim to be an avid Fela follower). However, he couldn’t have been more correct in summing up the Nigerian spirit.

A few days ago, I sat for an examination as a youth corps member, a professional exam if you call it that. The number of ‘corpers’ who sat for the same exam was very high. Normally, it could be seen as encouraging that Nigerian youths are trying to obtain professional certificates to better themselves, and ultimately, the economy. However, the underlying and more practical reason for this is more disturbing- having a first degree is no longer enough to get a job in the country. Most applicants now feel the need to obtain certificates – any certificate, in a bid to gain any possible advantage over their mates, reason being that there just are too many applicants for extremely few jobs. Therefore, one, including yours truly, has to make sure he isn’t left behind. Why, for heaven’s sake do we keep trying to work around the disgrace of a country that we have, instead of trying to cure the ills of our ailing nation?

Walk on the streets to any newspaper vendor on any given morning and you will find men of all ages converging and reading the dailies. The young men amongst them will be devouring the sport papers and the older ones, the news dailies. Then listen to the arguments and/or discussions that will ensue in their midst. These are the ones that gripe. That’s all we ever do - gripe in our comfort zones and timidly swallow all the junk we are handed down, while accepting that the high level of corruption and greed in our society has come to stay.

Now I must make it clear here that I am not in any way advocating violence or revolution – the needless waste of human life never appeals to me and it’s the only reason why I do not rejoice at the freedom the North Africans have been able to carve for themselves. I am only lamenting the ‘bend over and take it in the ass’ attitude of Nigerians (if you pardon my French). I am a bit hypocritical here because I simply have no idea what to do to change the status quo, but then I wonder, Isn’t there something we can do? Can we not overhaul this system?

Alex Ibru died last week, Ojukwu , mere days ago. This year has the highest number of senior citizens dying more than any I remember in previous years (I may be wrong), however, the old guard is slowly but surely dying. The mantle is surely falling upon us, the younger folks, the baton being passed upon us (and note that I use the term younger in a very loose way), but nothing will change if the system of the old guard is also passed on. The status quo will remain the same and we will keep sliding down the path of self-destruction, unless we do something to change it.

Since we cannot fight or rebel, I just have to ask, is there any peaceful way we can do a Libya?

Use the rod

“Oya… commot am, Commot everything….. Mama Gbubemi flog am well well, im wan tief blackberry.. as u no get boyfriend wey go buy am for you we go help you advertise wetin you get make boy come carry go… foolish girl”

“See – she dey cover her breasts” Slaps her visciously on the face and she promptly removes her hands from her body, opening it all for all to see. “ehen.. na so we want am.”

The above scenario is not made up. It is fast becoming a norm in this country of ours – The beating and stripping naked of Girls for any offence committed. I say any offence because; even though it is mostly due to stealing, there have been a few other instances where the girl in question did not steal. She might have insulted a boy in or around her higher institution premises, or is indebted to another girl.

Before delving into the possible causes of this deplorable act, let us look at the act itself.

What exactly is it supposed to teach the girl? Is it supposed to help the girl? Wont the girl in question be scarred for life and posses a deep seated hatred for anyone who falls into the category of her assailants?  Then, has the purpose been achieved?

What exactly does this say about our society? How and when did we degenerate into using jungle justice as our first, second and last potions for discipline and correction? I was discussing this with a friend of mine some weeks back and he gave the standard answer of trying to teach the girls a lesson, and I hit him below the belt by playing the only trump card I could ever hope to own in this sort of situation – I asked him what his reaction would be if it happened to his sister and his response was that she wouldn’t steal, (sidestepping the question) but I persisted and he could not find any answer to the question.

Some ten, fifteen years back, Lagosians decided that the best punishment for thieves was to burn them alive, after beating them. I really cannot say if it has reduced the crime rate or prevented men from stealing, but one thing I can say is that there is the possibility that it has made the average armed robber in Lagos more ruthless because there is the certainty that if the same people they are robbing do catch them, it is the end of the road for them, I can also say with all certainty that it has reduced the people who burn them to ghouls. Some of you may dispute this, however, what then will you call yourself if you delight in ending another human’s life so ruthlessly? Who empowered you with the right to decide that this person has outlived his usefulness in this life? Most succinctly, who appointed you judge and executioner?

That, however, is not the original thrust of this blog post. I cannot say exactly when we transferred this viciousness to the female folk, It, nonetheless, is becoming alarmingly common place in our society. It is out rightly worrisome.

A second example is a particular video I was shown of two girls who came visiting a university of Benin Student and, being lesbians, did their do in the middle of the night. Come morning though, their room being adjoining to a guy’s, the young man brought other guys who were neighbours, and they proceeded to beat the girls terribly and force them to repeat the very acts they were doing the previous night in the privacy of their room, except they now had to do it in public and while being mercilessly flogged and videoed.

You get to ask yourself this question. Was the young man who instigated this act really angry that he heard their cries of pleasure the previous night, or was he just sexually frustrated? What exactly gave him the right to ‘discipline’ these girls?

Now, I am in no way supporting lesbianism, or saying what the girls did were right, however, isn’t there another way we could actually point out to these girls the folly of their ways and get them to change instead of beating them?

It is easy to say It will teach them a lesson not to ever steal again, or make them change their sexuality, But seriously, will it? Will the lesbian girl not hate the men who beat the hell out of her for doing what she liked doing, or will the thieving girl lose all hope and trust in the mother figure that disgraced her so heartlessly? What exactly are we doing to their psyche? A bigger fear is that, are we not hardening these girls?

That you might know

It isn’t everyday one gets a chance to venture into something that represents, for one’s self, a heady challenge.

Having shaped my views and perceptions by the Internet at large, and specifically, by the blogosphere, I have then decided to take up the daunting and perhaps near – impossible task of writing a blog.

Yes, yes, I know what you are probably thinking….. that having spent too much time on the Internet reading other peoples’ thoughts, he now feels qualified enough to feed us his own spiel… well, If you are thinking that, then we have started on the right foot… we’ve agreed on one thing at least.

In my mocking self pity, I forgot to say a bit about what this blog will be centered upon.

The blog will be candid about most things affecting Nigerian youths, our society and our relationships with each other. Since I am the furthest thing from being an authority on any of these topics, I shall be inviting some guest contributors to contribute and share their ideas. Your comments will be as well appreciated.

Right, that’s about it for now. Expect more by the ‘morrow.