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Voice of Emancipation: Defending the Real Victims
Throughout history, there have been many marginalised, victimised and oppressed subsections of society, from the slave trade, to the marginalisation of women, to the belief that children have no worth until they come of age. Yet in all of these, whenever the oppressed have sought to gain equal standing with their oppressors, those in a position of privilege declare themselves to be victimised by the request.
Take, for example, the response to the Black Lives Matter movement. This movement, whilst having been in existence for nearly a decade, really came to the forefront of society’s collective consciousness in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA. People began to raise the banner for a proactive change in mindset, such that black people and other minority ethnic groups should receive equitable treatment comparable to the white predominators. However, almost simultaneously, a counter-campaign arose, advocating “All Lives Matter”.
This campaign was propagated nearly exclusively by those who already enjoy privilege within society: predominantly white and largely male. Despite having a societal advantage in terms of colour and gender from their birth, when those disadvantaged tried to say, “Hey, I matter too,” the All Lives Matter advocates felt so threatened that they had to try to bring the spotlight back to themselves.
This trend, recurring cyclically through history, has not passed Nigeria by. Indeed, we recently saw Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the former Governor of Lagos State, decrying his unjust treatment in his political party trying to outsmart him in the recently-concluded presidential primaries. After a considerable amount of maneuvering, Tinubu emerged as the flagbearer, insisting that it is the turn of the Yoruba tribe to provide the next president of Nigeria. He went a stage further, pronouncing that, should a Yoruba be appointed president, as he contends is their due, then he is the worthiest to take that position.
I have no personal problem with Tinubu’s ambition toward becoming the president of Nigeria. But when I look at his campaign for the presidential candidacy, to me it would appear that Tinubu was playing the victim card in order to strengthen his position to be the eventual flagbearer. However, if one was to critically assess the situation honestly, the real victims are the ordinary Yoruba people, suffering under the oppression of a contemptuous Nigeria as a whole, and by other large ethnic groups within the country.
The politicians in Nigeria know how to manipulate the emotions of our people when elections arrive. But once the election is over, they don the mantle of overlords who are unconcerned with the problems of the common people. Governance ought to be a selfless service to humanity, where those who must aspire to become leaders must possess a clear vision of their plans for the coming generation/s, not merely limited to this present one.
In 2015, I implored friends and families to open their eyes to the truth that further elections in Nigeria will never bring about the developments and quality of life that we all hope for. Alas, most people cannot see beyond the political assertion that our only option is to choose which of two evils to instate. I argued that there ought to be another way of doing things, that if the present way does not serve for our benefit, then we need to pause, reaffirm what we want and assess how best to achieve it, before enacting further elections.
My narrative wasn’t a popular one; the prevailing view being, let Buhari be president, after eight years it would be the turn of the Yoruba and we can do whatever we want. This to me presents as entirely absurd: how can the progress of an entire race be placed on hold for eight years? Yet our elders and leaders see no incongruity in that. Suppose that even if a Yoruba did become president of Nigeria for eight years, what happens in the following eight years when a Yoruba is not in power? These are legitimate questions, but our elders and leaders championing a Yoruba presidency fail to provide answers.
I will not engage in the self-deception that maybe something good will come out of it; a rotten tree can never produce any fruit that is not itself rotten. Nigeria is bankrupt already, a failed nation waiting for its burial. When Lugard amalgamated the country, he tried with all he had to justify his work by demonstrating that the new country was able to live within its means. However, the reality today is that Nigeria is borrowing more than half of its income required to run the economy. This situation is dire in the extreme, not just for this generation but for the generations as yet unborn. And yet, rather than our elders to raise an alarm, they are watching impotently and burying their heads in the sand.
It is superfluous to state that a Yoruba presidency means nothing for the Yoruba people. After all, Fashola, the Minister of Works, is a Yoruba man as is other Yoruba ministers, but this has not resulted in the roads in Yorubaland to be even a passable standard. As such, it may be that having a Yoruba presidency will be worse than bad for the Yoruba people: it may even, God forbid, spell doom for us. The best outcome – indeed, the only survivable outcome – for the Yoruba people is to gain our independence. Only then will we be able to decide how we want to govern ourselves, and not have to sacrifice eight or even 16 years, just to gain a presidency that ultimately confers no benefit to the people.
When Awolowo was Premier of Yorubaland, his reign brought about the golden years of development for the Yoruba people that are unrivalled even ’til today. However, when he ventured into Nigerian politics, not only did he not bring any further development to Yorubaland, he engendered an environment in which Yorubaland began to diminish until reaching the pitiable situation in which we see it today.
I want every Yoruba person to understand that WE are the real victims. This time around, the campaign should be about how to get out of this disadvantageous mess in which we find ourselves being melded into Nigeria; not how a Yoruba person can become president. My personal feeling is that I would rather the presidency be handed to a northerner even worse than Buhari: at least then people’s eyes will truly be opened to the calamitous situation in which we have found ourselves. This is not the time to be clamouring for a Yoruba presidency, but rather a Yoruba independent nation. That, I believe, should be our ultimate priority and demand at this critical moment.
If we think a Yoruba presidency will bring us any closer to achieving an independent Yoruba nation, I must ask us to think again. A Yoruba president will be not for the Yoruba people alone but for the entirety of Nigeria. Their allegiance will be to Nigeria in its current incarnation, and they will bear the Yoruba people no heed, not caring if the entire Yoruba race goes to ruin. We have seen the Northerners handle the insecurity in the north with kid gloves, to the point that today it is beyond their control. Those Yoruba elders who are still campaigning for a Yoruba presidency need to rethink their stand and ask themselves some critical and likely disquieting questions:
In the next 20 years, will the Yoruba people be better off outside Nigeria or inside Nigeria with a Yoruba presidency? If the answer is the former, then why do we invest our efforts in advocating for continuing this road of self-destruction, rather than striving for an independent Yoruba nation? If anyone thinks a Yoruba presidency will bring progress and prosperity to the Yoruba people, I believe they will be in for a rude shock.
My perspective is this: the campaign for an independent Yoruba nation draws nearer by the day and its emergence will be seen sooner rather than later. Those who still remain on the fence will be better off making their minds fast on the direction they want the Yoruba to take. We must see beyond the narrative that political aspirants would seek to perpetuate, that they are the victims; instead that it is the people who will bear the brunt if further misrule is permitted in Nigeria. This time around, we must realise the truth of the situation and act so that we may divert the course of our trajectory and obviate the impending cataclysm.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara has extended an olive branch to lawmakers loyal to his rival, Nyesome Wike.
The governor invited the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly members to a peace meeting, following the Supreme Court’s judgement on the state’s political unrest.
The invitation was made through a letter from Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to the State Government, to Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
The meeting is scheduled for Monday at 10 am at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The agenda includes addressing lingering issues, presenting the 2025 state budget, and discussing payment of lawmakers’ allowances.
The letter read: “I hereby write in furtherance of His Excellency’s promise stated in my letter dated 5th March 2025 to notify you that His Excellency has received the Supreme Court Judgment, and has therefore directed me to invite you and your colleagues -the Honourable members of Rivers State House of Assembly, to a meeting to discuss:-
“Provision of a befitting space for the Assembly’s sittings. Payment of all outstanding remuneration or allowances of the Honourable members. Presentation of Budget and sundry matters;
“Any other matter(s), as may be necessary, to chart the way forward in the best interest of the State. Sequel to the above, I hereby humbly invite the Rt. Hon. Speaker, and all the Rivers State House of Assembly members to a meeting with the Governor as follows.”
The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has extended the closing date for receiving applications for various vacancies in the Federal Civil Service to Monday, March 17 2025, to allow more eligible candidates to participate in the exercise.
The announcement, according to a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Mr. Taiwon Hassan, supersedes the previous announcements in various national media on Monday, January 27, 2025 including FCSC website: www.fedcivilservice.gov.ng, where the deadline was pegged at Monday, March 10, 2025.
Qualified Nigerians are urged to avail themselves of the extension opportunity and apply for the vacancies of their choice.
The Commission assures applicants of merit-driven and transparent recruitment.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
The importance of timing cannot be overemphasized. Timing is everything in life. It is critical to one’s success. You can lose your money and get it back in many folds. You can even lose your health and get it back all things being equal, but when you lose time, you can hardly get it back again.
The importance of timing can be seen in crops. Every crop has a season, a good farmer won’t plant maize when it’s time for oranges, nor will he plant pears when it’s the season for mangoes.
Time is very instrumental to the success and failure of anyone. Imagine having a meeting or interview at 9:00am and you arrive at 10:10am, it will take the grace of God to be interviewed. As an employee, apart from one not being able to diligently do his job, one of the fastest ways for an employee to lose his job is by being late to work.
When I was in New York Law School studying Taxation law, I did a course titled, the Problem of Timing. During the semester, I learnt about cash and accrued income. Let me do some academic exercise here. In cash income, just like the name entails, one is paid in cash as soon as the work is completed. It’s just like going to the market to make a purchase. One can either pay directly with cash or with debit or credit card. But Accrued income refers to revenue a company has earned by providing goods or services, but for which payment has not yet been received, one will have to do the work first before getting paid. This is applicable when one works in either a public or private organization where one is paid either weekly, bi-weekly or at the end of the month depending on the stipulated mode of payment.
It’s important to note that before the money is paid either in cash or accrued, one would have earned it. It’s just like one learning g before earning, and one will have to update to upgrade. These are just the practical principles that will work with life.
In the same way, in life there’s a seed time and harvest time. It’s a universal principle of life. Whether as a parent, entrepreneur, student or employee. As a parent, if you don’t train your kids very well, they will grow up to reflect the opposite of what you desire. As an entrepreneur when you invest in your business, you will get the reward in due time. As a student, if you take your studies seriously, your grades will improve, and as an employee, you stand to get promotions and opportunities when you add value to your work. In summary, one will have to put in the work before recognition comes on.
To understand how seedtime and harvest work, imagine where parents tend to like one child more than others just because they see potential in him, or he’s smart, hardworking or even creative. They fail to understand that every child is different and as such their timing can be different. Some kinds take time to develop.
I personally believe there’s something so unique about each individual which God has deposited in everyone of us. It’s just a matter of time for it to manifest. Your timing of manifestation is different from your siblings and colleagues.
Personally, I didn’t mature fast with my contemporaries. Overtime, I have seen much improvement in my personal and professional life. Maybe because I have added value to my work with the assistance of mentors and good friends, or God had to humble my colleagues and mentors . Why do I say this? During my formative years, I had little or nothing to show for it. I was looking at my contemporaries as mentor and seeing my mentors as small gods whose feat is unattainable, but now, the reverse seems to be case as I have developed capacity some of my colleagues are yet to attain, while I have even surpassed the achievement of my some of my mentors in some quarters.
In all these, they are all surprised how it happened. Some are yet to comprehend or articulate the feat. It’s just like watching a film where everyone slept and woke up to see the game and tides have changed. The secret behind it is the seed time and harvest time. I was probably learning the trade while in the wilderness, and when the training season matured and ripe enough to be harvested, I became attractive to almost everyone who loved the seed I was producing.
There are litany of examples of people, who have been in the wilderness during the seed planting season. Let’s take a case study of Joseph in the Bible, his journey to stardom took a little twist. Despite the travails he experienced in the hands of his siblings who sold him, his experience while in the jail, and with Portiphar’s wife, who tried to seduce him; they were all set ups for success. The moral here is Joseph seed time and harvest time was quite different, it wasn’t a smooth journey. Ordinarily, one would have cursed his siblings or his friends who were with him in prison and forgot him after they were released. But at the end of time, everything worked out for his favor. Joseph’s seed days were his dark days while in the wilderness.
Another inspiring story of note was that of Pastor Ibukun Awosika, the former board Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria. She once shared a pathetic story during her formative years of being in business. According to her, she sojourned for about 15 years. She cried because lines were not adding up for her and she wouldn’t do what her contemporaries were doing to get opportunities. At a point in her business, it appeared like she was in a race of own life because everything seemed to be against her, but at the appropriate time, lines began to fall in place for her. Appointments, business opportunities, favours and goodwill began to fall in place for her. Again, she had a fair share of seed time.
An interesting question I would like to ask you is, what’s your seed time? Have you ever been in the wilderness when you appeared to be fixed? It’s unfortunate many people are not willing to pass through the storms or experience seeds and harvest time. Amidst all these, one must do some work before they get opportunities. However, before such opportunities will come up, one will have to plant the seed.
In conclusion, seed time and harvest time is critical in the journey of life. Take a seat and determine what seed you would like to sow and what you’ll like to harvest.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
