The revolution we need

The world, of recent, has witnessed quite a number of revolutions in quick succession. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Greece etc. To a large extent, these revolutionaries have been able to some change and have received praise from different quarters. They have also been a source of inspiration to many in other third-world countries and ideas of revolution keep cropping up in diverse places. Today, a question, based on such an idea, was on the homepage of Nairaland.

Thinking of the level of devastation seen in the countries that have witnessed these revolutions makes me sad. Of a truth, the oppression under which they lived was great; however, everything comes at a cost. Listed below are some of the "costs" of these revolutions:
• Displacement of families, individuals, whole communities etc.
• End to means of livelihood (people could not go about their normal businesses)
• Wanton destruction, devastation, crime, raping, mugging, revenge killings etc.
• Loss of personal earnings (banks go down with the economy, buildings get bombed to the ground, certificates get razed by fire, lost and so on)
• People (civilians / noncombatants) die en masse from attacks, are used as human shields, die in forced migrations in uncomfortable conditions.
• The "future" sought becomes more elusive and greater uncertainty is introduced into an already unpleasant situation by the absence of amenities and unsafe living conditions, in-fighting and civil disturbances that are inevitable follow-up to bloody revolution.

I feel so sorry for those who live (and lived) in these countries.

Coming back home and thinking about Nigeria, I asked myself these questions:
Do we need this in Nigeria?
Do we want this loss of lives and property and the uncountable troubles that follow it (bearing in mind that a lot of inter-tribal bashing/hatred displayed by Nairalanders stem from a civil war fought long before most of these Nairalanders were born)?
If the leadership of Nigeria needs to be removed, who would be the "better" replacement? (This fundamental issue alone is yet to be resolved in the "revolution countries"
Shall all the politicians elected into the houses senate, parliament and representatives be replaced too? Who will replace them?
How can revolutionists ensure that they are not led by "new thieves" after the revolution?

Why don't we retrace our steps rather than toy with the idea of jumping the uncertain chasm?

The revolution we need:
• A revolution that will be sure and all encompassing, without needless loss of lives, reaching every nook and cranny of the nation.
• A revolution that will not be devised by power-hungry people with the sole aim of taking control of the polity for selfish gain.
• A revolution that will ensure that public money is neither stolen and nor spent for personal purposes by people in government, directors of companies and corporations and the local artisans that secure contract from local governments.
• A revolution that ensures that policemen are not able to extort 50 naira from drivers because people refuse to pay them.
• A revolution that will ensure that the products of our educational institutions have real knowledge/expertise in their fields of study (as a result of reduced examination malpractice).
• A revolution that ensures that individuals do not defraud the government/citizenry by not evading tax.
• A revolution that ensures that manufactured food products and drugs are not contaminated/expired because the monitoring agencies work efficiently.
• A revolution that ensures that people are not encouraged to steal public funds to buy chieftaincy titles ( when people refuse to "worship" the rich )
• A revolution in which people will stop selling their votes for bags of rice or garri or paltry sums of money.
• A revolution that reduces how much online and offline fraud could be perpetuated in Nigeria (when Bank managers refuse to collude with "Yahoo boys" and Cybercafé owners decline to look the other way when their customers use the computers for fraudulent activities)
• A revolution that ensures that public facilities/ amenities are treated with the care we would give to our personal properties (so much that people abstain from littering streets, willful damage of water taps and pipes/oil pipes.
• A revolution that makes parents bring up their children responsibly and with proper care and guidance, being such good role models for the kids that they are discouraged from becoming street urchins/hoodlums.
• A revolution in which ritual killings and lawlessness are reduced in the rural and urban areas
• A revolution in which every community has every basic amenity required for the education and empowerment of residents for personal, communal and societal development.
• A revolution in which people in executive positions in government lead and act responsibly with transparency and good intentions and the people in other arms of government are equally responsible and serve as adequate and dependable "check and balance" to the executive.
• A revolution through which Nigeria will be better and all her people will really enjoy being Nigerians.

If this is what we need then IT CANNOT BE REALIZED by the kind of revolution witnessed in the Arab Spring.

It will only happen when everyone is conscious and responsible with his/her actions and position in the society, when we take our own part in making our immediate community a good (or even better) part of Nigeria. This is the kind of revolution Nigeria needs. It is more than enough to rescue the nation and place it on the pathway to real prosperity. Everyone has a role to play.

IT STARTS WITH YOU!

True. This is a revolution worth supporting!

Thanks PointB, u r a true Nigerian.

I wonder why this is not on the front page!

Occupy the senate should start in earnest.

What political system would we put if we overthrew this one? Would Buhari be the president?

selective revolution, how nice

igbo2011:

What political system would we put if we overthrew this one? Would Buhari be the president?

This one will not involve a change of government. The way I see it, it involves pressure groups ensuring that the right policies are implemented at the right time.

grafikii:

selective revolution, how nice

What makes it a selective revolution?

igbo2011:

What political system would we put if we overthrew this one? Would Buhari be the president?

Please re-read my first post, I am not suggesting "an overthrow" like u seem to understand it. I am definitely not suggesting Buhari for president if that is what you think.

PointB:

This one will not involve a change of government. The way I see it, it involves pressure groups ensuring that the right policies are implemented at the right time.

Thank you, however, it will inevitably result in a change of government without unnecessary bloodshed, if a substantial number of Nigerians participate in this kind of revolution.

^^^^

Then keep your revolution. I rather a break-up than unnecessary and unconstitutional change of elected government!

U don't know what you are talking about,if you know the level of decay and corruption and lost of confidence and faith that the people have experience in all institution of state in Nigeria and the private sector,you will realized that anything short of a violent break-up or revolution will not suffice, "To carry-out a revolution by half is to dig your own grave"Robespierre, Go and read the communist manifesto,read about the French, and American revolution, You have just witness the Tunisian,Egyptian and the Libyan revolution, it is still a miracle that the millions of unemployed youths in this country are still silent, watch as the elite continue to steal.

PointB:

^^^^

Then keep your revolution. I rather a break-up than unnecessary and unconstitutional change of elected government!

Hej, PointB, LOL. You could have asked me to clarify what I meant by a change of government. I did not mean an unconstitutional change of government. It is a sure invitation to anarchy. By change of government, I meant a gradual, fair and lawful change in the type of people we choose into government.

ubafrica:

U don't know what you are talking about,if you know the level of decay and corruption and lost of confidence and faith that the people have experience in all institution of state in Nigeria and the private sector,you will realized that anything short of a violent break-up or revolution will not suffice, "To carry-out a revolution by half is to dig your own grave"Robespierre, Go and read the communist manifesto,read about the French, and American revolution, You have just witness the Tunisian,Egyptian and the Libyan revolution, it is still a miracle that the millions of unemployed youths in this country are still silent, watch as the elite continue to steal.

Ubafrica, I know how much corruption has eaten into the fabric of our society. But let's look at the logic u propose - the Robespierre quote. Would a violent removal of the Federal Executive Committee be the full revolution? Would all the governors be removed too? What about the Commissioners and ministers and would Local Government Chairmen make the list? and the Ward Councillors too? What about the corrupt police? The customs, army, navy et al? Wouldn't that be chaos?

Come to think of it, if all these people are replaced (let's imagine that it happens) and there are still citizens that want to pass without studying (cos their uncle knows the VC / rector) or the local bricklayer who steals from the volume of cement you bought for him to build house (cos you ain't looking), would you say the problem is solved. I believe that your answer is NO! Many houses collapsed recently in various parts of Nigeria, would you put that on the leaders? Half baked doctors/engineers/technicians killing people in the course of duty (due to lack of knowledge despite having "certificates", what about that.

The reality is that we Nigerians share in the blame too. It's when the society/followers start dealing with our self that we can produce leaders of the type we need (hence the"change of government" I implied)

Hello Privy,

I googled "which way Nigeria" with nairaland behind it and landed on one of your post from 2010 about Nigeria in the next five years. It's sad that we still have the decadence 10years later in 2020! It's a shame! But we can't give up hope... Seeing your post and your concern for Nigeria gave me hope that there are some people out there seeking ways to bring our country out from this dark chasm it's sinking into.

How will this people connect is still a question I'm ruminating on. But I'm sure that when this likeminds find a way to connect, there will be a positive change in Nigeria

Do respond to my email and let's rub minds!

Privy:
The revolution we need

The world, of recent, has witnessed quite a number of revolutions in quick succession. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Greece etc. To a large extent, these revolutionaries have been able to some change and have received praise from different quarters. They have also been a source of inspiration to many in other third-world countries and ideas of revolution keep cropping up in diverse places. Today, a question, based on such an idea, was on the homepage of Nairaland.

Thinking of the level of devastation seen in the countries that have witnessed these revolutions makes me sad. Of a truth, the oppression under which they lived was great; however, everything comes at a cost. Listed below are some of the "costs" of these revolutions:
• Displacement of families, individuals, whole communities etc.
• End to means of livelihood (people could not go about their normal businesses)
• Wanton destruction, devastation, crime, raping, mugging, revenge killings etc.
• Loss of personal earnings (banks go down with the economy, buildings get bombed to the ground, certificates get razed by fire, lost and so on)
• People (civilians / noncombatants) die en masse from attacks, are used as human shields, die in forced migrations in uncomfortable conditions.
• The "future" sought becomes more elusive and greater uncertainty is introduced into an already unpleasant situation by the absence of amenities and unsafe living conditions, in-fighting and civil disturbances that are inevitable follow-up to bloody revolution.

I feel so sorry for those who live (and lived) in these countries.

Coming back home and thinking about Nigeria, I asked myself these questions:
Do we need this in Nigeria?
Do we want this loss of lives and property and the uncountable troubles that follow it (bearing in mind that a lot of inter-tribal bashing/hatred displayed by Nairalanders stem from a civil war fought long before most of these Nairalanders were born)?
If the leadership of Nigeria needs to be removed, who would be the "better" replacement? (This fundamental issue alone is yet to be resolved in the "revolution countries"
Shall all the politicians elected into the houses senate, parliament and representatives be replaced too? Who will replace them?
How can revolutionists ensure that they are not led by "new thieves" after the revolution?

Why don't we retrace our steps rather than toy with the idea of jumping the uncertain chasm?

The revolution we need:
• A revolution that will be sure and all encompassing, without needless loss of lives, reaching every nook and cranny of the nation.
• A revolution that will not be devised by power-hungry people with the sole aim of taking control of the polity for selfish gain.
• A revolution that will ensure that public money is neither stolen and nor spent for personal purposes by people in government, directors of companies and corporations and the local artisans that secure contract from local governments.
• A revolution that ensures that policemen are not able to extort 50 naira from drivers because people refuse to pay them.
• A revolution that will ensure that the products of our educational institutions have real knowledge/expertise in their fields of study (as a result of reduced examination malpractice).
• A revolution that ensures that individuals do not defraud the government/citizenry by not evading tax.
• A revolution that ensures that manufactured food products and drugs are not contaminated/expired because the monitoring agencies work efficiently.
• A revolution that ensures that people are not encouraged to steal public funds to buy chieftaincy titles ( when people refuse to "worship" the rich )
• A revolution in which people will stop selling their votes for bags of rice or garri or paltry sums of money.
• A revolution that reduces how much online and offline fraud could be perpetuated in Nigeria (when Bank managers refuse to collude with "Yahoo boys" and Cybercafé owners decline to look the other way when their customers use the computers for fraudulent activities)
• A revolution that ensures that public facilities/ amenities are treated with the care we would give to our personal properties (so much that people abstain from littering streets, willful damage of water taps and pipes/oil pipes.
• A revolution that makes parents bring up their children responsibly and with proper care and guidance, being such good role models for the kids that they are discouraged from becoming street urchins/hoodlums.
• A revolution in which ritual killings and lawlessness are reduced in the rural and urban areas
• A revolution in which every community has every basic amenity required for the education and empowerment of residents for personal, communal and societal development.
• A revolution in which people in executive positions in government lead and act responsibly with transparency and good intentions and the people in other arms of government are equally responsible and serve as adequate and dependable "check and balance" to the executive.
• A revolution through which Nigeria will be better and all her people will really enjoy being Nigerians.

If this is what we need then IT CANNOT BE REALIZED by the kind of revolution witnessed in the Arab Spring.

It will only happen when everyone is conscious and responsible with his/her actions and position in the society, when we take our own part in making our immediate community a good (or even better) part of Nigeria. This is the kind of revolution Nigeria needs. It is more than enough to rescue the nation and place it on the pathway to real prosperity. Everyone has a role to play.

IT STARTS WITH YOU!

The politicians are the major problems we have in this country regardless of party. All they want is personal enrichment at the detriment of the masses. Once we get selfless people in place, strengthen our public institutions to prevent corruption, then we are good to go.

Good intention, wrong theory, wrong tool

Hi Ase65,

Thanks for contacting me. I have responded to your mail. I believe you have received an email from me. We can take it from there.

Best regards,

ase65:
Hello Privy,

I googled "which way Nigeria" with nairaland behind it and landed on one of your post from 2010 about Nigeria in the next five years. It's sad that we still have the decadence 10years later in 2020! It's a shame! But we can't give up hope... Seeing your post and your concern for Nigeria gave me hope that there are some people out there seeking ways to bring our country out from this dark chasm it's sinking into.

How will this people connect is still a question I'm ruminating on. But I'm sure that when this likeminds find a way to connect, there will be a positive change in Nigeria

Do respond to my email and let's rub minds!