June 25th, 2012
NewsRescue[Op-ed] When I Log In to my Facebook page and post messages that speak truth to power on sociopolitical issues concerning Nigeria, some may feel like “I should keep quiet and who am I to speak that way” while some may feel like “Yes! you are a potent, peaceful revolutionary in the making”.
The point I am trying to emphasize is: I am not better than the next person silently working change without the Facebook “hoopla” like I do; Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and Mrs. Rosa Parks both had different roles in the revolution that led to the desegregation of buses in some parts of the United States of America, though Dr. Martin Luther King Junior had more popularity, Mrs. Rosa Park’s role in that revolution was not less important.
My family and friends that nurtured me in Lagos State, Nigeria know since I started talking as a child, till I grew older, and felt the natural pressure to conform to Nigerian societal norms of not uttering “certain socially incorrect statements”, I had the urge to rebel against that premise, because “my mouth can be compared to a basket” and that is not a phenomenon I can explain because it is part of my DNA, but the greater challenge for me is not to speak like a drunk man because I can, but to speak in a way that encourages justice, love, and peace among people.
In conclusion, the people that choose to devote their energy solely towards praying for Nigeria, advisers of Nigerian leaders that encourage them to do the right thing by the Nigerian people, the hardworking small and large business Men and Women in Nigeria, Wise and Noble elders in diverse communities across Nigeria, and so on and so forth are as relevant as people like me, Seun Kuti, Chinedu C. Ekeke, Shehu Sani, Omoyele Sowore, and a lot of other people that speak fearlessly in diverse public domains about the injustice that Men and Women saddled with the responsibility of governing Nigeria choose to do against the people of Nigeria.
What is not acceptable is not to do anything because that is suicidal against Nigeria.