George Orwell’s Animal Farm of Inequality

At this point, revolution is all we need but who would volunteer to lead, someone like me who is presently hiding behind a keyboard and venting all my anger on the poor dark buttons? Mehn � � �

There’s just a thin sheet holding these pieces together. The hatred is intense, with different online warriors belonging to different groups trying to inflict the highest possible kind of damage to their perceived enemies. The sound of their guns, bombs and shells is deafening. Go to different faceless platforms you’ll find them; the Wailing wailers, the hailing hailers, the zombies, the afonjas, the Ipods/baby factory, the Almajiris, the Igbos, the 97 and 5 per centers, etc.

Will I be wrong to agree with someone who some time ago, likened this country to a zoo/George Orwell’s farm. It’s of course worse because Old Major, Snowball and Napoleon didn’t display any form of cowardice. They perceived injustice, they spoke against injustice, and finally they revolted and drove Mr. Jones out from the farm. Benjamin, the Cynical Donkey was always talking to satisfy his conscience, if nothing else. Boxer fought with his last drop of blood, even died afterwards. Today, our Old Majors, Snowballs, Napoleons, Boxers and Benjamins are all threatened by Mr. Jones; to not only use the EFCC, the Police, the DSS to punish them, but to also punish their 3rd and 4th generations. No wonder the cancelled protest by one of the Benjamins.

George Orwell’s suggestion that we cannot eliminate government’s corruption by electing principled individuals to roles of power remains valid; for it is power itself that corrupts. Nigeria as in George Orwell’s animal farm of inequalities is now in that situation where some animals are more animal than the others. The issue of one of the pigs, Babachir Lawal comes to mind.

After the revolt in Manor Farm, Napoleon enacted changes to the governance of the farm, replacing meetings with a committee of pigs who will run the farm. And at some point, the pigs started to resemble humans; as they stand upright, wear clothes, carry whips and became more animal than the others. Heaven knows what would have happened to Babachir had it been he’s either a horse or a Donkey and not a pig.

As for Moses (Mr. Lienus Mba Muhammed), that tamed Raven, Mr. Jones's especial pet, that spy and tale-bearer, he is still spreading stories of that Sugar Candy Mountain, the paradise where pigs will go when they die. Let them continue to believe in his lies but I know and just like a popular saying, he can deceive all the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time.

Finally, I will always belong to the Benjamin’s group. I will always talk to satisfy my conscience if nothing else. And in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.