Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do except hear.
King Jordan, first deaf President of Gallaudet University, 1988.
Bythetimeyoureadthisarticle, atleasttwoprotests would have been underway in response to pervasive hunger and hardship nationwide.
Ironically, those protesting against the Federal Government issued the first threat and threw all governments – FG and states into a panic.
Efforts to dissuade the organisers proved abortive. All the well-fed people in positions of power – the Presidency, the National Assembly, Governors, Ministers, Traditional Rulers, Religious leaders, leaders of the Organised Private Sector, leading journalists and public opinion moulders – have been called to Aso Rock for deliberations with Tinubu.
The meetings, most probably, have included excellent lunches featuring the best food money can buy in Nigeria today.
Again, most probably, our “leaders” have departed with “fuel money” paid either directly or transferred into designated accounts.
In exchange, they have expressed gratitude by calling on the organisers of the planned protest to forget the entire idea because “Tinubu has the best interest of Nigeria at heart”, “the protest might be high-jacked by hoodlums and become violent”, “protesters should embracedialogue”,“offerconstructivecriticisminsteadof fomenting trouble which will destroy all the good work Tinubu has been doing” and, “remember that Tinubu inherited an economy totally ruined by his successor.”
“Love, and business and family and religion and art and patriotism are nothing but shadows of words when a man is starving.”
O Henry, 1862-1910, Vanguard Book Of Quotations, P 232.
To listen to and read all the statements from Nigerian leaders, one would come away with the impression thattheirviewsrepresentthefeelingsof theirpeople. In reality, nothingcanbefurther fromthetruth. Thefactis; no traditional ruler or religious leader, well-fed can now claimtospeakformillionsof hisfollowersnowstarving to death every day.
Leaders of the Arewa Consultatitive Forum, ACF, Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, IECF, ASUU, SANU etc – had told their followers not to join the protest – for various reasons informed by crude self-interest.
If you take a look at the short list again, something very familiar would hit you.
The same groups, under different leaderships, backed out of the protests against Abacha in 1994. They sent their “First elevens” to Abacha’s Constitutional Conference, CONFAB; which only real leaders of the South West boycotted. I called the CONFAB “A Ship of Fools” – which it turned out to be.
Now, as then, the leaders went in droves to Aso Rock to express solidarity with Abacha and to advise the protesters– including me– toembracedialogue, toengagein constructivecriticism. History hasalready recorded that what the protesters wanted was good governance – not worthless dialogue.
“Banditsoccupy102Zamfaracommunities; shutdown farming.”
Report, July 30, 2024.
One thing is certain; irrespective of who joins or remains on the sidelines, pervasive hunger, allied with insecurity, scarcity of everything and rising inflation, will remain the dominant factors in the Nigerian economy for more than two years.
Low crude oil production andexport has emergedas the major limiting variable impeding economic developmentandprogress; andinducingmoreborrowingby the Federal Government.
There is no sign that high level corruption has abated; and governments, at all levels, have done very little to curb waste.
Consequently, hunger will remain a problem for some years. This is a fact that Nigerians, like Biblical Egyptians, must be prepared to live with.
This calamity might last seven years – no matter whether protests hold or not. Those loudly proclaiming participation, as well as those disclaiming will all suffer.
Neither the leaders of the protest nor those opposed to it can stop millions of stomach from grumbling; and anger from erupting frequently as a result.
My Advice To Both Sides
“Who takes advice shall never fare the worse.” Geoffrey Chaucer, 1342-1400.
Rightnow, theprotestersand their supporters, aswell as governments and their praise-singers are like two groups of deaf people shouting at each other.
I cannot remember any advice, given on this page, whichthegovernmentsandopponents, involvedindesperate combat have followed. I also cannot recollect any instance when the choices made by those in power had not created a worse problem later on. But, giving advice is part of the responsibilities of an opinion maker.
Wehavetheluxury, likespectatorsinatournament, of seeing more than the players. Furthermore, some of ushave beenonthebeat forso long, wecaneasilyspotrecurrenterrorsof judgmentwhichinevitablyarecounter-productive. Palliatives provide the perfect example.
Among the lucky recipients of palliatives early in the year in Lagos was Mrs X – mother of twins and three other kids. No father. For days after collecting her share, Tinubu was God. She was full of praises for and maledictions for anybody who spoke ill of Emilokan. Today, the rice have long been exhausted and she has since joined the rest of us.
On the eve of the strike, she was heard loud and clear, supporting the protest. The truth is; palliatives, as currently conceived, are totally useless.
The stomach is a rascal; it forgets by evening time how well it was fed at breakfast time. The only solution istoshortenthetimebetweennowand whenNigerians will feed twice a day again.
First, the protesters would be best advised to limit the programme to two or three days. Beyond that, only the well-fed will be able to continue.
They need to do this because there is very little governmentscando inthe short-term tobringdown prices of food significantly. Zamfara’s sad situation is not an isolated case. Several thousand rural farming communities, particularly in the North, have ceased farming on account of banditry.
Communities on the borders of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi have been under siege for years. The same is true of Borno, Niger, Plateau and Benue states.
Thereisa direct correlationbetweenscarcity of food and scarcity of farmers everywhere. FG can’t perform magic.
Second, the FGshould stopreceiving all thefree-loaders called traditional rulers and religious leaders. Instead, Tinubu should address the Nigerian people; lay thefactsbeforethemandpresentanachievablerecovery programme. Among other things, he should let Nigerians realise that the FG owns only land in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Given the Land Use Decree of 1978, which vests all lands in state governments, food production is actually a matter for state governments to manage.
Most Southern states had out-sourced this responsibility to the North and foreigners producing rice, wheat, maize for our consumption. Commissioners of Agriculture in virtually all Southern states are “Ghost Commissioners”.
None of them is held to any specific target of food output – which should form the basis for evaluation of his/her performance.
The sooner we turn the heat on state governors, the better for us. They own the land; they should produce the food.
Urban Food Warriors To The Rescue
“An activist is not the person who says the room is dirty. A real activist is the person who cleans up the room.” Gamaliel Onosode, 1933-2015.
Permitmetojointheprotestmyownwaybyoffering one solution which I strongly believe will provide relief in the short-run and permanently.
Rightnow, thequickestwaytoincreasefoodproduction incrementally is to start with about 100,000 Urban FoodWarriorsandincreasethenumberyuntilwereach about fivemillion. Unlike ruralcommunities, no bandits can come to our backyards and balconies and uproot tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, vegetables. Wecanproduce more food quickly; and there is a template for execution of the idea.
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