Virtually all of the major and advanced societies/economies went through upheavals and revolutions as they advanced through history.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. How does a country expect real, and true change by recycling a crop of corrupt and tyrannical political leaders or retaining the same ineffective political structure? It makes sense to totally remove obstacles in your way when racing towards a goal.

In order for any change to occur in Nigeria our political class must COMPLETELY be replaced. Our political structure must be THOROUGHLY revamped. The same people who have dragged us down decades ago still yield utmost influence behind the scenes (if they are still alive). Don't be deceived by how they have reinvented themselves over the years.

I say YES. Nigeria needs a revolution. If this will also involve regionalism or separation also so be it. As long as it turns out for good.

Do you disagree? If so, why do you believe that change is inevitable using the leaders we have and the same processes that we employed over the years?

Some people will say that this will be violent and will admonish me for asking others to go and die or be injured.


But...not all revolutions are outrightly bloody or violent.

Even if this turns out to be bloody or violent, consider that many Nigerians are already dying day in and day out over stupid, senseless and preventable reasons. Nigeria is a living, breathing death box.

Won't it make better sense then to die for a just cause...a livable, enjoyable country or resulting group of countries that future generations will also appreciate?

What exactly is a revolution supposed to accomplish, and what are the guarantees it would accomplish it?

It's very easy to shout 'revolution'. But WHAT will you be transforming into? Who will lead the transformation? How will he/she be selected? What will be your economic ideology - capitalist/neo liberal/free market, or socialist/communist, or even a theocracy or some other concoction? What about your political system? Which will you choose? Presidential? Parliamentary? Or a new indigenously innovated system? How will you decide which system to employ? Who will be consulted? How extensive will be your consultations? How will you handle dissidents and opponents? How will you guarantee accountability? What specific measures will be taken to do so?

There are so many considerations to ponder before shouting revolution!

Or you'll simply end up in the same place you started!

(Case in point, Egypt).

Double post.

I didn't quite get from a your post whether a revolution is needed or not. Obviously alternatives and plans have to be underway but the first question to answer is whether this change is necessary in the first place.

Otherwise...I take your equivocation to mean that we should continue to wallow in our misery until our leaders have a miraculous change of heart.

Which would be a vote for NO.

If so, any other opinions?

ROSSIKE: What exactly is a revolution supposed to accomplish, and what are the guarantees it would accomplish it?

It's very easy to shout 'revolution'. But WHAT will you be transforming into? Who will lead the transformation? How will he be selected? What will be your economic ideology - capitalist, socialist, or some other concoction? What about your political system? Which will you choose? Presidential? Parliamentary? Or a new indigenously innovated system? How will you decide which system to employ? Who will be consulted? How extensive wil be your consultations? How will you handle dissidents and opponents?

There are so many considerations to ponder before shouting revolution!

OP, remove the "r" from your "revolution", then you have your answer.

yes they need it

litgirl22: I didn't quite get from a your post whether a revolution is needed or not. Obviously alternatives and plans have to be underway but the first question to answer is whether this change is necessary in the first place.

I'm afraid you're wrong. You FIRST need to decide on the questions I raised BEFORE deciding if a revolution is necessary. You don't decide on the revolution first and then don your thinking cap afterwards.

How can you say you want a revolution when you haven't the slightest clue what you'll replace the current system with?

Otherwise...I take your equivocation to mean that we should continue to wallow in our misery until our leaders have a miraculous change of heart.

Maybe you need to understand that development is an incremental process. Rarely is it a matter of fiat.

HNosegbe: OP, remove the "r" from your "revolution", then you have your answer.

Would this evolution will be obtained by any other means?

If so, please state them.

Nigeria needs more than a revolution... The country needs a bloody earthquake that would swallow up all the corrupt elites in the country and a massive thunder strike that would bring-forth the people back to consciousness...

Anything short of the Chinese revolution and a Mao Zedong to rule afterwards would be absolutely useless!!

In other words....hopefully our leaders and their offsprings have a gradual change of heart, a feat virtually never occuring in human history.

A vote for NO then. Thanks!

ROSSIKE:

I'm afraid you;re wrong. You FIRST need to decide on the questions I raised BEFORE deciding if a revolution is necessary. You don't decide on the revolution first and then don your thinking cap afterwards.




Maybe you need to understand that development is an incremental process. Rarely is it a matter of fiat.

litgirl22: In other words....hopefully our leaders and their offsprings have a gradual change of heart, a feat virtually never occuring in human history.

A vote for NO then. Thanks!

There IS development going on in this country. It may not be fast enough for you, but there is movement in many key areas.

Revolution in more corruption,bankrupcy,bureaucracy redtape,boko haramism,millitantcy,embezzlement of public fund,ethnic rival,and religion conflict n turbulance; as well as wrong or bad leaders, are all d revolution dat still continues dat prayers and dry fastin for 21days nor even pope visitation of aso rock for seven days can't cure or soots dis menance:

Nigeria needs a revolution but I do not think it is possible for 3 reasons

1. Nigeria is not a nation, the masses do not share common beliefs or aspirations so there will always be disagreements between people. A revolution will probably turn into a civil war.

2. Culturally nigerians in general see their political leaders as either good or bad chiefs. This means that the people view their leaders are being wicked for enriching themselves at the expense of the people, but not as simple thieves which they are. The people will rather beg for crumbs off the tables of their chiefs and pray that one day God blesses them with a kind hearted chief. I hope u know it is an abomination to kill one's chief?

3. Nigerians have an innate ability to endure suffering. A situation that will break a normal man seems just like any other day to the average Nigerian.

litgirl22:

Would this evolution will be obtained by any other means?

If so, please state them.

Nigeria will change when a sufficient number of relatively enlightened people like you and me stop ranting on online forums, join the political process and begin to drive change from the political terrain.

Forget about a revolution. Revolutions are often acts of emotion, without proper planning or coordination or even a thought as to how the post-revolutionary state will be organized.

If the kind of revolution you preach occurs in this country, Egypt, Libya and Syria put together will be a drop in the ocean.

How is the country gradually developing?

A considerable amount of encouragement from the government towards an indigenous industrial revolution?

Improved security?

Improved welfare for the less able citizens?

Improved educational standards?

Considerable reduction in poverty rate?

Improved environmental standards all over the country?

Improved universal healthcare?

Improved standards of living for rural residents?

Or are we just being deceived by street flowers, cleared roads and shopping malls in 1 or 2 cities?

ROSSIKE:

There IS development going on in this country. It may not be fast enough for you, but there is movement in many key areas.

^^^^^^^
You know for all the well-documented problems you keep mentioning, you haven't proposed a clear, actionable proposal that won't ensure the collapse of the country.

Nigeria is not even a nation in the true sense. We don't even have a common sense of nationhood, unlike all the other countries that have staged successful revolutions. Someone mentioned China... Do you know how many thousand years of documented history China has? How many wars, how many empires, how long it took to fuse competing warring tribes into one nation?

And you expect a group of people fused together into one country in a British business transaction less than a 100 years ago to become developed overnight? No way, my dear.

Nigeria is too chaotic for a revolution.

Too many different groups with different ideas of what the outcome should be ala Libya.

A revolution would have to be agreeable across significant stratas of society to work; with different tribal interests and all. It's a no no in Nigeria.

The Arab spring only succeeded in deposing the government but with no unanimous plan, it all soon fell apart like a pack of domino.

litgirl22: How is the country gradually developing?

A considerable amount of encouragement from the government towards an indigenous industrial revolution?

Improved security?

Improved welfare for the less able citizens?

Improved educational standards?

Considerable reduction in poverty rate?

Improved environmental standards all over the country?

Improved universal healthcare?

Improved standards of living for rural residents?

Or are we just being deceived by street flowers, cleared roads and shopping malls in 1 or 2 cities?

Do not mind rossike, he has no idea what he is talking about. Nigeria has been in a constant state of decline for the last 30 years. The only reason a sane person should plan on living here is to make easy money. If there is a hell on earth, this certainly is it. Only a miracle can save this nation. common food, we have to import powdered milk. Our locally produced rice is full of stones. Our currency is constantly being depreciated. Ajakuta steel has been left barren for more than my life time and someone has the gusts to say Nigeria is developing? I guess I should think of becoming a naturalized ghanian.

People keep saying things like the bolded...but how is this so called gradual drive for change effective when we mix and cordially justle with the same people tearing our country apart? what advanced nation ever did this?

Of course I know that a revolution with no well planned basis leads to nowhere.

Just staging a revolution is not sufficient.

But that is not the question...the question and major topic of this thread is: Is it necessary?

I think that it IS necessary seeing as the virtually ALL the countries that came out stronger were involved in this on some level.

Establish the need, then design the elements that will feed it before it starts and in the aftermath.

HNosegbe:

Nigeria will change when a sufficient number of relatively enlightened people like you and me stop ranting on online forums, join the political process and begin to drive change from the political terrain.

Forget about a revolution. Revolutions are often acts of emotion, without proper planning or coordination or even a thought as to how the post-revolutionary state will be organized.

If the kind of revolution you preach occurs in this country, Egypt, Libya and Syria put together will be a drop in the ocean.

If you read my first post you would have noted that I took into account the possibility of a split or return to regionalism in this process.

Goodness! Many of the very, very, VERY basic needs that are not being met in Nigeria can be put into place using common sense, funded by money that was stolen from us by those in power.

For Nigeria's dismal level I don't even think that forging a preliminary or initial aftermath plan is that big of an issue!

HNosegbe: ^^^^^^^
You know for all the well-documented problems you keep mentioning, you haven't proposed a clear, actionable proposal that won't ensure the collapse of the country.

Nigeria is not even a nation in the true sense. We don't even have a common sense of nationhood, unlike all the other countries that have staged successful revolutions. Someone mentioned China... Do you know how many thousand years of documented history China has? How many wars, how many empires, how long it took to fuse competing warring tribes into one nation?

And you expect a group of people fused together into one country in a British business transaction less than a 100 years ago to become developed overnight? No way, my dear.

Do you think that it is possible combine a division of this country along ethnic lines with this process, and do it as peacefully as possible?

trillville: Nigeria needs a revolution but I do not think it is possible for 3 reasons

1. Nigeria is not a nation, the masses do not share common beliefs or aspirations so there will always be disagreements between people. A revolution will probably turn into a civil war.

2. Culturally nigerians in general see their political leaders as either good or bad chiefs. This means that the people view their leaders are being wicked for enriching themselves at the expense of the people, but not as simple thieves which they are. The people will rather beg for crumbs off the tables of their chiefs and pray that one day God blesses them with a kind hearted chief. I hope u know it is an abomination to kill one's chief?

3. Nigerians have an innate ability to endure suffering. A situation that will break a normal man seems just like any other day to the average Nigerian.

litgirl22: People keep saying things like the bolded...but how is this so called gradual drive for change effective when we mix and cordially justle with the same people tearing our country apart? what advanced nation ever did this?

Of course I know that a revolution with no well planned basis leads to nowhere.

Just staging a revolution is not sufficient.

But that is not the question...the question and major topic of this thread is: Is it necessary?

I think that it IS necessary seeing as the virtually ALL the countries that came out stronger were involved in this on some level.

Establish the need, then design the elements that will feed it before it starts and in the aftermath.

Understand this: The kind of revolution you advocate CANNOT work here. Nigeria doesn't even have a national identity. We are too tribalistic, selfish and myopic to even stage a revolution successfully. How many Nigerians can stay on the streets for days on end, protesting peacefully for a worthwhile goal? Is anyone willing to pay the price?

A revolution sounds good in theory. But take a critical look at the psyche of the average Nigerian and the peculiar circumstances in which we find ourselves, then you'll realize that a revolution cannot work here.

Our best hope is gradual, incremental change starting from the political system. When we get our politics right, a lot of things will go right elsewhere.

litgirl22: If you read my first post you would have noted that I took into account the possibility of a split or return to regionalism in this process.

Goodness! Many of the very, very, VERY basic needs that are not being met in Nigeria can be put into place using common sense, funded by money that was stolen from us by those in power.

For Nigeria's dismal level I don't even think that forging a preliminary or initial aftermath plan is that big of an issue!

Well I guess that's an area where we both disagree, so...

Nonsense! Revolution ko, thiefolution ni!

If the Op is not a child, he would have seen that for the arab countries that recently had a revolution, besides the fact that they all can now democratically elect their leaders, nothing really has changed. Some of them are worse off economically and security wise. Even Syria (that used to be a very stable and prosperrous country), is still in turmoil in the name of revolution.

Well, in the case of those arab countries, the attempted revolution may be justified on the ground of dictators that have held sway in such countries for decades. For Nigeria and other countries practicing democracy with periodic elections, there is ABSOLUTELY NO reason to contemplate revolution. Any person or group of persons that is advocating revolution in Nigeria is an enemy of Nigeria, a mischief maker or people seeking cheap publicity

I also don't think that a civil war is inevitable with this change in Nigeria, by the way.

I have to go in a few. I'll be back to expound more on how I think we might prevent it.

Litgirl, I hope you know that the 1966 military coup was intended as a revolution?

With the way things are going here...do you honestly think that political change will be occuring sooner or later, and that our current structure will allow such a change freely?

Anyway I will visit this thread later With more of my thoughts.

Sincere 9gerian: Nonsense! Revolution ko, thiefolution ni!

If the Op is not a child, he would have seen that for the arab countries that recently had a revolution, besides the fact that they all can now democratically elect their leaders, nothing really has changed. Some of them are worse off economically and security wise. Even Syria (that used to be a very stable and prosperrous country), is still in turmoil in the name of revolution.

Well, in the case of those arab countries, the attempted revolution may be justified on the ground of dictators that have held sway in such countries for decades. For Nigeria and other countries practicing democracy with periodic elections, there is ABSOLUTELY NO reason to contemplate revolution. Any person or group of persons that is advocating revolution in Nigeria is an enemy of Nigeria, a mischief maker or people seeking cheap publicity

If anyone thinks he can do things better than those at the helm of affairs, he should start by doing things better at his present level. If increasing number of Nigerians start doing things better and taking care of our own little corner, the country as a whole will start getting better.

I believe Nigeria will continue to get better incrementally. If there had been a coup or revolution after OBJ conducted the worst election in history of mankind in 2007, we wouldn't have seen a Goodluck Presidency, A Prof Jega in INEC, an Oshiomhole, a Fashola, a better 2011 elections,etc As far I'm concerned, while others see Nigeria as 53yrs old, I see Nigeria as barely 13yrs (counting from 1999). If we can continue and sustain the little progress we been making in the last few yrs, Nigeria will shock the world in 15 to 20yrs time

Sincere 9gerian: If anyone thinks he can do things better than those at the helm of affairs, he should start by doing things better at his present level. If increasing number of Nigerians start doing things better and taking care of our own little corner, the country as a whole will start getting better.

I believe Nigeria will continue to get better incrementally. If there had been a coup or revolution after OBJ conducted the worst election in history of mankind in 2007, we wouldn't have seen a Goodluck Presidency, A Prof Jega in INEC, an Oshiomhole, a Fashola, a better 2011 elections,etc As far I'm concerned, while others see Nigeria as 53yrs old, I see Nigeria as barely 13yrs (counting from 1999). If we can continue and sustain the little progress we been making in the last few yrs, Nigeria will shock the world in 15 to 20yrs time

" If anyone thinks he can do things better than those at the helm of affairs, "



^^ ...typical 40 laptop.

yes. of the mind and character first.

YES...Until then you are just fooling yourselves. The reason that this region (I refuse to call it a country) is the way it is, is because the populace have shown repeatedly that it is not worth fighting for. There is NO commonality of purpose, no two people agree on what 'Nigeria' is supposed to represent. There are endemic and systemic failures that have never being addressed and nobody agrees on a way forward...

If 'Nigeria' was a science project, it would have been scrapped a long time ago...