Blame Passing, Social Media Automated Mumus – The New Year Gift To A Nation By Wole Soyinka

Its noisome claque in the meantime, the automated mumus of social media, practiced in sterile deflection and trivialization of critical issues, unwittingly join hands with government to indulge in blame passing and name calling – both sides with different targets.

n the accustomed tradition, I wish the nation less misery in the coming year. A genuine Happy New Year Greeting is probably too extravagant a wish.

The accompanying news clipping from June,1977 came into my hands quite fortuitously. It is forty years old. It captures the unenviable enigma that is the Nigerian nation. It is however a masterful end-of-year image to take into the coming year, not only for the individual now at the helm of government, General Buhari, but for a people surely credited with the most astounding degree of patience and forbearance on the African continent – except of course among themselves, when they turn into predatory fiends. When many of us are blissfully departed, an updated rendition of this same clipping – with a change of cast here and there – will undoubtedly be reproduced in the media, with the same alibis, the same in-built panacea of blame passing.
Let this be called to our collective memory. Even before the current edition of the fuel crisis, other challenges, requiring immediate fix, had begun to monopolize national attention, relegating to the sidelines the outcry for a fundamental and holistic approach to the wearisome cycle of citizen trauma. This has been expressed most recently, and near universally in the word “Restructuring”, defined straightforwardly as a drastic overhaul of Nigerian articles of co-existence in a more rational, equitable and decentralized manner. Such an overhaul, the re-positioning of the relationship between the parts and the whole offers, it has been strongly argued, prospects of a closer governance awareness of, and responsiveness to citizen entitlement. An overhaul that will near totally eliminate the frequent spasms of systemic malfunctioning that are in-built into the present protocols of national association.

I recently ran the gauntlet of petroleum queues through three conveniently situated cities – Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan – deliberately, this Friday. Even with ‘unorthodox’ aids of passage, this was no task for the faint-hearted. Just getting past fueling stations was traumatizing, an obstacle race through seething, frustrated masses of humanity, only to find ourselves on vast stretches of emptied roads pleading for occupation. As for obtaining the petroleum in the first place – the less said the better. I suspect that this government has permitted itself to be fooled by the peace of those empty streets, but also by the orderly, patient, long-suffering queues that are admittedly prevalent in the city centers. It is time the reporting monitors of government move to city peripheries and sometimes even some other inner urban sectors, such as Ikeja and Maryland from time to time to see, and listen! Pronouncements – such as the 1977 above - again re-echoing by rote in 2017– are a delusion at best, a formula that derides public intelligence. Buying time. Passing blame. Yes of course, the current affliction must be remedied, and fast, but is there a dimension to it that must be brought to the fore, simultaneously and forcefully? This had better be the framework for solving even a shortage that virtually paralyzed the nation


Just to think laterally for a moment - what became of the initiatives by some states nearly two decades ago – Lagos most prominently - to decentralize power, and thus empower states to generate and distribute their own energy requirements? Frustrated and eventually sabotaged in the most cynical manner from the Federal center! The similarity today is frightening – for nearly four days on that earlier occasion, the nation was blacked out near entirely. We know that one survival tactic of governments is to keep their citizens in the dark over decisions that affect their lives but, this was literal! And yet each such crisis, plus lesser ones, merely reiterate again and again that this national contraption, as it now stands, is simply – dysfunctional!. What this demands is that, in the process of alleviating the immediate pressing misery, we do not permit ourselves to be manipulated yet again into forgetting the MAIN issue whose ramifications exact penalties such as petroleum seizures and national power outage. These are only two handy, being recent symptoms - there are several others, but this is not intended to be a catalog of woes. Sufficient to draw attention to the Yoruba saying that goes: Won ni, Amukun, eru e wo. Oun ni, at’isale ni. Translation: Some voices alerted the K-Legged porter to the dangerous tilt of the load on his head. His response was - Thank you, but the problem actually resides in the legs.

The providential image above sums up a defining moment for both individual and collective self-assessment, places in question the ability of a nation to profit from past experience. Vast resources, yes, but proved unmanageable under its present structural arrangements. As the tussle for the next round of power gets hotter in the coming year, the electorate will again be manipulated into losing sight of the BASE ISSUE. Its noisome claque in the meantime, the automated mumus of social media, practiced in sterile deflection and trivialization of critical issues, unwittingly join hands with government to indulge in blame passing and name calling – both sides with different targets. From the anguished cry of Charley Boy’s Our Mummu Done Do! to expositions from academics such as Professor Makinde’s recent intervention, the public is subjected daily to a relentless barrage of awareness, underlined in urgency. Nobody listens. One wonders if many people read. And certainly, very few retain or relate – until of course the next crisis. The labor movement declares that it awaits a guarantee of the ‘people’s backing’ before it embarks on any critical intervention. Understandably. There is more than enough of the opium of blame passing on tap to lull mummus into that deep coma from which – give it a little more time – there can only be a rude awakening.

Sooner than later, but not as soon as pledged, the fuel crisis will pass. And then, of course, we shall await the next round of shortages, then a recommencement of blame passing. What will be the commodity this time – food perhaps? Maybe even potable water? In a nation of plenty, nothing is beyond eventual shortage – except, of course, the commonplace endowment of pre-emptive planning and methodical execution. Forty years after, the same language of re-assurance? “There is something rotten in the state of Naija!”


Wole SOYINKA

Source: http://saharareporters.com/2017/12/30/blame-passing-social-media-automated-mumus-%E2%80%93-new-year-gift-nation-wole-soyinka

Professor Wole Soyinka. . .

Oga welcome, our cry don wake you? But it's too late oo, many have been rendered useless by this gov't you indirectly imposed on us. Some even said the "other side"(sw) is hypocritical all just bcuz of you, hmm.

Nice article/ satire. There's serious problem with d mind of the average Nigerian. See them litter the platform here and others, they like "its pdp's fault" "no its apcs". And those mofos who keeps plunging us into unbridled agonies back to back just continue to yinmu on our foolishness.

#unamumuneverdo?

Typical of the educated afonja yet they voted and are being ruled by a certificatless dullard

"The accompanying news clipping from June,1977 came into my hands quite fortuitously. It is forty years old. It captures the unenviable enigma that is the Nigerian nation. It is however a masterful end-of-year image to take into the coming year, not only for the individual now at the helm of government, General Buhari, but for a people surely credited with the most astounding degree of patience and forbearance on the African continent – except of course among themselves, when they turn into predatory fiends. When many of us are blissfully departed, an updated rendition of this same clipping – with a change of cast here and there – will undoubtedly be reproduced in the media, with the same alibis, the same in-built panacea of blame passing.
Let this be called to our collective memory. Even before the current edition of the fuel crisis, other challenges, requiring immediate fix, had begun to monopolize national attention, relegating to the sidelines the outcry for a fundamental and holistic approach to the wearisome cycle of citizen trauma. This has been expressed most recently, and near universally in the word “Restructuring”, defined straightforwardly as a drastic overhaul of Nigerian articles of co-existence in a more rational, equitable and decentralized manner. Such an overhaul, the re-positioning of the relationship between the parts and the whole offers, it has been strongly argued, prospects of a closer governance awareness of, and responsiveness to citizen entitlement. An overhaul that will near totally eliminate the frequent spasms of systemic malfunctioning that are in-built into the present protocols of national association.[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]


Baba is saying in layman's English that we are going around in circles. In future the characters will be different but the problems will remain the same as long as we have this unworkable system in place and keep doing the same things over and over and hoping for a different result.

My favorite part: "It is however a masterful end-of-year image to take into the coming year, not only for the individual now at the helm of government, General Buhari, but for a people surely credited with the most astounding degree of patience and forbearance on the African continent – except of course among themselves, when they turn into predatory fiends."

It reminds me of chameleons like FFK and other recycled old predators trying to get back to the treasury by any means possible.

Our leaders are very short sighted, Fuel crisis will soon be over! and then what? They lack the ability to see beyond their noses.

In a word where fossil fuel will soon be a thing of the past one of the world's largest producer of crude oil - Nigeria, have not been able to enjoy the commodity.

I am afraid that Nigerians may never enjoy this God given oil till the day the commodity becomes useless - sad!

2cato:
Typical of the educated afonja yet they voted and are being ruled by a certificatless dullard

You know something? Nobody is above mistake but this attitude of yours- continously blaming people for wrong choices made will make them continue to defend those choices even though they may have realised their mistake internally - guess the effect of that? They will continue making those mistakes just so that people like you don't gloat and you know who will benefit? - Buhari of course! Tact is a billion times more effective than bluff.

Who take this one serious?

Wole soyinka is now ipob - ngeneukwenu, liondeleo, madridguy, sarrki, mrhistorian, seunmsg, python1, yarimo.

Com n attack dis ipob yoot all ye Bmc

This man at his old age still trying to impress people with foreign language competence. I won't be surprised if he made a lot of errors in handling very basic English grammar comport in that writeup, despite his over-the-top use of semantics.

Lalasticlala...Prof has spoken again

huptin:


You know something? Nobody is above mistake but this attitude of yours- continously blaming people for wrong choices made will make them continue to defend those choices even though they may have realised their mistake internally - guess the effect of that? They will continue making those mistakes just so that people like you don't gloat and you know who will benefit? - Buhari of course! Tact is a billion times more effective than bluff.

valuable advice if they would take it.

Very lovely piece

Soyinka should save us his grammars and apologize to Nigerians for supporting the most evil government in our history. A government under whose watch incompetency, bigotry, nepotism, suicides, selling of children by their parents to survive harsh economy, incessant killings by Fulani militia terrorists, extrajudicial killings by the army has become a way of life.

The silence from his likes in the face of glaring injustices has portrayed them to be hypocrites.

And is he not part of the mumus that supported the election of Buhari in 2015

Built2last:


In the accustomed tradition, I wish the nation less misery in the coming year. A genuine Happy New Year Greeting is probably too extravagant a wish. ;(


this national contraption, as it now stands, is simply – dysfunctional!.

Its noisome claque in the meantime, the automated mumus of social media, practiced in sterile deflection and trivialization of critical issues, unwittingly join hands with government to indulge in blame passing and name calling – both sides with different targets.

from the cry of Charley Boy’s Our Mummu Done Do! to expositions from academics such as Professor Makinde’s recent intervention, the public is subjected daily to a relentless barrage of awareness, underlined in urgency. Nobody listens. One wonders if many people read ;(

In a nation of plenty, nothing is beyond eventual shortage – except, of course, the commonplace endowment of pre-emptive planning and methodical execution.

so much painful truth in one piece. .lemme goan sleep!

NL's automated mumus are legendary!!!!

WS

Cbt 05 has spoken

HAA

www.nairaland.com/attachments/6455791_img20171223213452227_jpegaba3147253e469fb84a244a27892199c
www.nairaland.com/attachments/6456416_c31r6nwyaa8fbv_jpeg92ea6097336f0deb49b931e092be621c

kings09:
Wole soyinka is now ipob - ngeneukwenu, liondeleo, madridguy, sarrki, mrhistorian, seunmsg, python1, yarimo.

Com n attack dis ipob yoot all ye Bmc

Those are the confirmed list of Automated mumus
Proff was talking about....

Daviddson:
This man at his old age still trying to impress people with foreign language competence. I won't be surprised if he made a lot of errors in handling very basic English grammar comport in that writeup, despite his over-the-top use of semantics.

Please, be kind enough to list them. Thanks

From the anguished cry of Charley Boy’s Our Mummu Done Do! to expositions from academics such as Professor Makinde’s recent intervention, the public is subjected daily to a relentless barrage of awareness, underlined in urgency. Nobody listens. One wonders if many people read. And certainly, very few retain or relate – until of course the next crisis. The labor movement declares that it awaits a guarantee of the ‘people’s backing’ before it embarks on any critical intervention. Understandably. There is more than enough of the opium of blame passing on tap to lull mummus into that deep coma from which – give it a little more time – there can only be a rude awakening.

Eloquent and masterful.
Soyinka never disappoints !

irepnaija4eva:




Those are the confirmed list of Automated mumus
Proff was talking about....

Observe their absence in dis thread

Mumu Man

festwiz:
Please, be kind enough to list them. Thanks

Don't respond to resident Nairaland dunces.

IamaNigerianGuy:


Don't respond to resident Nairaland dunces.

Thanks. I always try to avoid them at all costs.

Let me read the wailing memorandum first before I will drop my opinion.

He hasn't said anything new, just reiterating what we already know and are presently experiencing. Wole Soyinka and a host of others who have just found their voices are but a perfect depiction of George Santayanas words which is "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it", something which he echoed all through his wailing.

Soyinka...

even senior Afons don turn wailer.
buhari must go