Nigeria's Democracy; A House of Comedy by WAHAB Mubeen Olorunkuse.


 


House Of Comedy


Ignorant of their country, some people can only relate tales of other countries. A foreigner can't teach us about our land, our doctrine and our government. He can only describe what he had heard, but who we are, and what we need, is something we have to search ourselves. A river is never so high that the eyes of a fish are covered.


Heterogeneity has made our journey in a single territory an adventure, revolving round multilingual society, multi-religious and multi-political country, multi-ethnical and multi-cultural Nation. Approximately two hundred million people, more than two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, producing around four hundred languages naturally linked together and share common ties dwell in a house. History can never be forgotten how we recycled after independence into thirty-six states with a federal capital territory at the centre. Co-existing in a territory as a brother and sister using a foreign tongue with a foreign methodology, probably we don't understand it, has revealed our worn-out dresses. 


Democracy, Abraham Lincoln said, is a government of the people, by the people and for the people; government on behalf of the people, representing the people and satisfying the people. Democracy indeed! Democracy is simple in theory but tedious in practical, easy to say but difficult to fulfill. Democracy has been use to oppress and to depress. Democracy has been use to sabotage and malign. Democracy is a deaf, dumb and layman crawling helplessly, both day and night, from dawn till dusk, from dusk till dawn, on shattered roads in the land of "Giant of Africa", Nigeria —like they call themselves.


Nigeria is a house for the Robber but a home for the Robbed. Democracy is meant for the Robber and his relatives while democrazy is meant for the Robbed and his family. Robbery in Nigeria isn't the denotative meaning where the robber can be persecuted. The quality and quantity of robbery determines either you'll be persecuted or not. Steal little, and you'll be persecuted, but, steal as many as possible you'll be praised; only in Nigeria. Robber robs robbed, robbers rob robbed. Robbeds rob robbed for sustainance. Nigeria is a house of comedy! Seventy percentage of Nigerians wake up to listen to heartbroken comics from Newspapers, radio and television. Only in a house of comedy will the people be punish for a "single old man's" self-interest. Only in a house of comedy will you hear "I'm for everybody and I'm for nobody". Only in a house of comedy will a specie of animal cause dichotomy. Only in a house of comedy will you keep getting episodes of episodes from episodes. We all live in a house of comedy.


Ngugi Was Thiong' O said, "our lifes are a battlefield on which is fought a continuous war between the forces that are pledged to confirm our humanity and those determined to dismantle it; those who strive to build a protective wall around it, and those who wish to pull it down, those who seek mould it and those committed to breaking it up; those who aim to open our eyes to make us see the light and look to tomorrow and those who wish to lull us into closing our eyes". In this twenty-first century, democracy matters. A true democracy matters! Nigeria must stand tall to a democratic society where there is a true freedom of expression without persecution, where there is help for the helpless, where there is hope for the hopeless, and where there is a true redefine future for the todays of today, tomorrows of tomorrow, and a check and balance for yesterdays of yesterday and outgoings of today.


© WAHAB Mubeen Olorunkuse

Comments

Unknown said…
The article said it all..... Interesting one.
June 12, 2021 at 12:06 PM
Megaartbloggergist said…
Great one bro, more grease to your elbow
June 12, 2021 at 7:15 PM
Unknown said…
Good articl ase.More wisdom
June 13, 2021 at 4:53 AM
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