Temitope Fagunwa, popularly called Ifa-Maberu, the founder of Member of Pan-Afrikanist Students who was arrested on Monday in Osogbo, against Sowore's detainment has now been released after 72 hours in the Police' Custody. This humanist activist immediately admitted these to all Nigerians and fellow Pan-Africanists First they came for the IPOB
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Biafran
Then they came for the IMN
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Shiite
Then they came for the Revolution Now
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a protester
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Temitope-Maberu Fagunwa (Rendition of Martin Niemoller’s).
August 5th “Revolution Now” Arrest In Osun: A Wholehearted Gratitude To All For The Solidarity: More Struggles To Be Waged As Court Adjourns To The 16th of October, 2019: More Struggles To Be Waged As Comrades Are Still Under Detention Across the Country: More Struggles To Be Waged As The Revolutionary Demands Are Still Unattended To!
Kwame Nkrumah, one of the paramount lifelines of the African Revolution, has loads of interesting quotes to his name. I find two of his many quotes extremely intoxicating. The first will be shared right now and the second will appear before the closing of this short prosed ode. The erstwhile Ghanaian president once proclaimed that “Action without thought is empty and thought without action is blind”. For the students of Marxism, this quote is extremely important because it exposes barefaced the living unity between thoughts and actions. The ultimate relevance of this teaching could not have surfaced at no better time than now.
Indeed, the current political atmosphere of Nigeria under the Buhari-led regime validates the analogy that says that the Nigerian state, like every other neocolonial state in Africa, is a prison and the warders are members of the ruling class. These warders, across the continent, are only accountable to the forces of global capitalism and imperialism. As the warders in Nigeria engages in primitive accumulation of wealth, so their tyranny, in defense of their appropriation, persists. The postcolonial Nigerian state over the decades had properly institutionalized its tyranny so much so that the entirety of the existing repressive apparatus today is culpable of the killing of numerous unarmed civilians and the unjust intimidation of a teeming population.
In recent times, warders like Buhari have not just sustained tyranny but also enhanced it. The undemocratic and inhumane ways the government had handled the IPOB members and their leader, Nnamdi Kalu; the IMN members and their leader, El Zakzaky; and the co-convener of the Revolution Now movement, Omoyele Sowore, are clear instances of the surge of the tyranny of the postcolonial Nigerian state.
Attributable to this surge, for us as pan-Africanist revolutionary, our actions at this material point in time, advisably, can only be guided by fundamental principles. The increasing fascist, authoritarian and despotic tendencies of the Buhari-led regime have called for a practical test of our conviction in whatever ideological leaning we uphold. For some of us, it has become a historical duty, firstly, to condemn the attacks against the democratic rights of El Zakzaky, Sowore and other aggrieved masses. And secondly, an important duty for us to be actively involved in the restoration of these democratic rights.
The justification of this stance is provoked by the work of a German clergyman, Martin Niemoller. To paraphrase Niemoller, “First they came for the IPOB, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Biafran. Then they came for the IMN, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Shiite. Then they came for the Revolution Now, and I did not speak out – because I was not a protester. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me”. As a revolutionary socialist, I have no doubt that if this current regime is not properly resisted now, my few but important Marxist literature might end up in Buhari’s blazing furnace in due course.
In defense of my Marxist literature, and also in accomplishment of my well-intentioned service to the Nigerian community as an academic, I deemed it fit to join forces with other comrades in Osogbo for the August 5th Revolution Now protest. But then, the need to challenge the attacks against the democratic rights of Sowore and other political prisoners of Warder Buhari was just a reason for actively being involved in the protest. The revolutionary demands of the Revolution Now organizers are also demands that any serious socialist cannot ignore. The demands for the immediate implementation of the N30, 000 minimum wage, free education across all levels, and an end to insecurity, are ultimately what can be achieved with the enormous resources Nigeria is adorn with if not for the predatory ruling class.
In the course of the peaceful protest at the ground floor of the NUJ office in Olaiya, Osogbo, the DSS and police operatives, armed to the teeth with their several vans, barricaded the protesters. After some moments, in a wrestling-like manner, the security operatives pounced on the protesters to seize their materials. Banners, berets, hood, microphone, leaflets, etc. of the protesters were confiscated by the men and women of the Nigeria police present. The protesters, untiring, sustained the barricade. By now, the protesters had attracted a good number of sympathizers from the public to its rank through their solidarity speeches and songs.
Fearing the possibility of a mass confrontation, the DSS and police operatives hastily dislodged the protesters by attacking everyone on sight. Two comrades and a lone journalist were whisked off by the police and five other comrades were abducted by the DSS operatives. Two students were directly punched in the eye by the DSS operatives. The molestation of student comrades and myself by the DSS operatives was transferred to men of the Osun State Police Command, Osogbo, who were ready to charge us for cultism and terrorism.
The experiences of comrades from Monday till Wednesday and Thursday, in detention, were not so different from pervious dehumanized experiences. Encounters of different dimensions were made with the apparent victims of capitalism – the lumpenproletariats. This group formed the heavy number of suspects charged with armed robbery, burglary, murder, swindling, thuggery, etc. Of course attempts were made to expose to this heavily deprived group their true oppressors – the ruling class. No member of this group saddened me more than a well-spoken and soft-spoken graduate of Computer Engineering who ended up as a professional armed robber.
On Wednesday, owing to the directives from the DSS Abuja, comrades were charged by the Osogbo Chief Magistrates Court on three counts, which bothers on the alleged “Conspire to commit offences relating to unlawful assembly and conduct likely to cause breach of peace”. The people’s lawyer, Alfred Adegoke Esq, serving as a defense counsel to comrades however dismissed the legality of these charges. The Magistrate thereafter adjourned the case till October 16th for hearing after stating the bail conditions of detained comrades.
At this point, massive gratitude goes to comrades from different organizations, civil society groups, unions, e.g. ASUU, CORE, DSM, Moyo Pan-African Solidarity, ACIS-M, TIB, PACOR, MOPAS, etc. and friends, that were instrumental to the release of all detained comrades. The number of friends that were graciously supportive are so much that the required justice cannot be done here. The overwhelming support mustered since Monday are indications that indeed members of the oppressed class have what it takes, through their collectivity and fearlessness, to depose their oppressors. To be able to achieve this, Kwame Nkrumah becomes relevant once more. He once declared that “The secret of life is to have no fear” – you need not worry anymore about my “Maberu”.
In the spirit of heeding to the guide of Nkrumah, we are urging comrades and non-comrades to be actively involved in the ongoing mass struggle aimed at the defense of the democratic rights of disenchanted and aggrieved Nigerians across the country, in respective of their ethnic and religious affiliations. Currently, two comrades are under the stiff detention of the DSS in Osogbo. In the same vein, so many comrades across the country are still under detention. They all need our consistent supports. We also call on all comrades and well-wishers to extend their solidarities to us as we prepare for our upcoming court sitting scheduled for the 16th of October, 2019 at the Osogbo Chief Magistrates Court.
In closing, it has to be stated that the struggle to change this society ultimately is hinged on no other form of revolution but a socialist revolution. Socialism is the only system that has the basic requisites to build a Nigeria where the existing abundant human and natural resources would be properly controlled and managed by the people for the progress of humanity and nature. Under a socialist agenda, the challenges created by capitalism such as poverty, inequality, insecurity, racism, joblessness, etc. will be resolved rapidly. Hence, only a genuine socialist revolution, as warned by Nkrumah, can put an end to class antagonism in Afrika and the world at large.
ALUTA CONTINUA! VICTORIA ACERTA!!
IZWE LETHU! E’AFRIKA!!
AMANDLA!
Temitope-Maberu Fagunwa. 
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Sowore should have been mindful of his choice of words.
Calling for a revolution against bad governance, insecurity, poverty & other vices afflicting the nation today is good, but the moment you talk about dismantling constitutional institutions & instruments of state, that's going beyond what is democratically allowed...
The fact is that even is the so called Marxian 'utopian' state, there are limits to which the proletariat would accept a revolution against itself unless, the state would be in a constant state of flux or unstable equilibrium at best...
That is why a democratic society must insist on the rule of law even when such law may be in favour of someone who is not deserving of such consideration. This is because if the law keeps getting shifted or its interpretation manipulated to accommodate perceived infractions against political enemies, it will in no distant future, come back to bite those who support the tyrannical manipulation of those laws...
A few years ago when PMB arrogated to himself the power of interpreting what constitutes national security risks & was silent on when individual liberties should be jettisoned for national security, I am sure person's like sowore applauded such insensitive comments because it was in response to the illegal detention of people like dasuki, zaky & others in similar shoes, but today, sowore is having a taste of that tyranny...
The government says protests are not allowed, but the office of Amnesty international has been surrounded by pro-government protesters for almost a week & ultimatums given, but the government has not lifted a finger to disperse those supporters...
When we allow the manipulation of the rule of law against a perceived enemy, be rested assured that such manipulation will be meted out to its present supporters in the not too distant future... 1 Like |
