THE DEATH OF ACTIVISM

THE DEATH OF ACTIVISM

In the early year of 2000 when I was yearning to get admission into Obafemi Awolowo University, two things were cleared in mind - one was to go there in pursuit of intellectualism. The other was to become a social activist. Sincerely, I've dreamed of becoming the Students Union Government President or at least a top hierarchy of the body. 

Every time I read in the newspaper then, or I have people from the academic towers coming around, I'm always keen on knowing about the exploit of union leaders in the various tertiary institutions. Then, there was no social media but their activities were pronounced enough to shake the polity and bring the government to its knees. 

The exploit of Afrika in the great Ife, the 'Ali Must Go' slogan, and incessant arrest of Chief Gani Fawehinmi were too deafening to be ignored. Today, those days are gone for good or maybe for the worse. 

By the time, I finally got admission in 2004 into the Olabisi Onabanjo University, my interest was to finish my first degree as soon as possible having wasted four years at home. It was not until 2008, I remembered my activism passion, so I contested for Sports Director of the National Association of Ifako Ijaiye Students and later the General Secretary of the association. I also nurse the ambition to contest for the President of my Department before I dropped the idea after consultation with some of my inner team. 

In those days, some of my favorite quotes were from Frantz Fanon and Thomas Paine. According to Fanon: "each generation out of its relative obscurity must discover its purpose, fulfil it or betray it". To Thomas Paine, " THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and  the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

Whenever these quotes were quoted and aluta songs sang, students and activists became charged and ready to dare the gods. Yes, the gods of incompetence, the gods of dictatorship, the gods of inequalities, the gods of misrule, the gods of bad governance, the gods of injustice, the gods of exploitation, ... the gods of evil. Those were the good old days when might is not always right, today, everything seems to have fallen apart, and falcons cannot hear the falconners. 

Pardone me if I did not quote the last quite very well. So much has changed in our time. The social media have bequathead laziness in us. The love for money have made us forget the needs to be our brothers keepers. Everyone is for himself and no one is sufficient for himself. In the end, were all victims of the society we're building  for ourselves, and unfortunately, we are planning to handover to the generation yet unborn. 

I'm just imagining, the late Gani Fawehinmi being alive  and in his youthful days being docile with the present government atrocities and rascalities on the increase like this. I'm imagining Wole Soyinka and his likes in their good old days at the University being terrorized by inhuman government policy. Let's go back memory lanes. Can Aba Women tolerate continuous increase in price of fuel without anything to show for it? Will Funmilayo Ransom Kuti being contented by the level of insecurities in the land and government apparent failures? 

The truth is many of unionists of those era are gone, and those alive are either old and have handed over the banton to us; and or they've entered into politics and become the masquarades and gods that are now terrorizing the talakawas  today. 

Those of us that need to rise up have given up the fight when we have hardly started the journey. The nefarious effects is what all of us are suffering from. I don't fear for myself, but I fear for those coming behind, I feared that we've failed them, I feared that some of the 'goodies' we enjoyed today may become a luxury to them. I feared they may not have a country to call their own in the coming years. I feared they may stone some of us for being bad brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts, and even fathers and mothers. I fear! 

Be that as it may, let me say God bless Nigeria, hopefully miracle smiles on us all before it's too late. Maybe we may wake up the sleeping giants within us. Maybe!