Again, we are all Nigerians. No Nigerian is more Nigerian than any other Nigerian in any part of Nigeria.
Historically, the present day South West has always been the hotbed of radicalism in Nigerian. It has produced more activists and conscious citizens than any other part of Nigeria. Protest has held there than any other part of Nigeria. This is for so many reasons and not because Yoruba or southwest people are better than other or worse than others.
Lagos was the capital of Nigeria from 1861 until 1990s. Calabar is the only city that came close in the early period. That’s almost 140 years. Everything from headquarters of media houses and all is cited in Lagos. Lagos is the most popular city of Nigeria. Abuja doesn’t even have as much as the popularity of Rivers or Kano or Ibadan. Ibadan is next to Lagos in terms of this. Hence it is strategic to have the protest in Lagos just as it could be anywhere else. If I am a Nigerian resident in Lagos, I have every right to protest in Lagos and not be cautioned because some people in the East or North have refused to protest there. My human right to protest doesn’t depend on anyone.
And if you feel that the Easterners are targeting ‘your region’ because some of them have refused to protest in the East, maybe you should tell your leaders in the south west to sponsor the bill to call for regional government or independence of Biafra. At least, many of them have said Nigeria doesn’t work for them but you hold them down under ‘one Nigeria’. Oil exploration and degradation of the community happen in the Niger Delta and Eastern states. You didn’t ask why is South West environment not destroyed while the East and South is being destroyed by unregulated oil exploration. But whenever they want to protest in Lagos or Ibadan, you then remember to ask for protection of your region abi?
Moreover, it is even a fallacy to say there’s no protest in the East. There are. There has always been.
There are no gullible Yorubas in the protest. In fact, the ọmọ ọkọ (real Yorubas) would be joining the protest. The Easterners are not the only one suffering nor is it only the northerners.
And just before you throw the ethnic or secession card, I’m not ethnocentric nor tribalistic. I am first a human before been tagged Yoruba. I truly want a single African confederation to work not just Nigeria’s unity, in fact. But my kind of unity, is the unity of the oppressed. Unity in the interest of the masses. I would not sit and watch things go worse and then join your propaganda to discourage protest just because it is a Yoruba man that is in Aso Rock or because protesters decided to stage it where they feel it’s best. The business of the police is to ensure security of protesters. And if you want to talk about the destruction of properties, remember protests are always very peaceful until this same politicians use police or thugs to disrupt it. Endsars destruction in Lagos was sponsored by the Lagos politicians. The pictures of the guys who attacked peaceful protesters littered everywhere and they are known to be associated with the ruling class in Lagos. Same as Edo and everywhere else
So yes, protest will go on. Nigeria is not working for Nigerians. It is only working for the people in power. That must stop regardless of which tribe the president comes from.
Soneye LAS
Leave a Reply