₦airaland Forum

This is very long, but a must read.


Political struggle in Nigeria was embarked on mostly during military regimes, everyone saw the military as a common enemy that represented a hindrance to their freedom. There was so much joy in the country when power was returned to the civilians. Since the return to democracy, political struggle has been on decline. Since then, the country has been moving in circles of failure. When we talk about political struggle simply put it is the development of an efficient strategy that would lead to the change in an existing political structure, class or arrangement within a country. It is so unfortunate that despite the poverty, sufferings, agony, wailings, exploitations, underdevelopment faced by Nigerians and the long list of ineptitude leadership the country has had, only very few persons are kicking against this atrocities, the word kicking against is not the ones we do with our keyboards, in media houses, interviews etc. I am talking about demonstrations, engaging in civil disobedience, protesting, creating barricades, launching agitations, participating effectively and efficiently in elections etc. all these are all forms of political struggle. The western world which we all run to daily did all these before they became what they are today.

Just like Karl Marx said “struggle cannot arise without consciousness”, i.e. struggle is only possible when members of a class are conscious of their position and conditions. (Conditions could be suffering or exploitation). This is the major problem facing the Nigerian people, lack of consciousness, until we become conscious of our suffering, exploitation, misery etc, we would not get to the end of the tunnel to see the light. During the military era the ruling class achieved its aim majorly through military methods, but under the civilians they have been able to achieve theirs through subtle unrelenting propaganda, tribal and ethnic bigotry, religion and indoctrination. This is only possible because there is total absence of consciousness among the Nigerian people, just like in the earlier periods of the world when consciousness was in an embryonic form. Moses Hess once stated “the rise of consciousness and reason would enable man to understand his own position”.


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Niccolo Machiavelli in one of his magnum opus described the Italian society this way and I quote “the jealousies among the states where so severe that none wanted to cooperate with each other. He saw that in an entire Italy there was not a single prince who could go ahead. There were corruption, moral degradation and infidelity in every sphere of the society. Italy was the characteristic example of institutional decay. Cruelty and murder became the day to day affair. Values and principles were banished from the society. Christian doctrines and ethics were the values of the past. Profligacy and debauchery were frequent. Struggle for power was very common, naked selfishness reigned everywhere. It was an age of bastards and adventurers”.


This was the description of the Italian society in the 14th 15th century as described by Niccolo Machiavelli, almost sharing a resemblance with the state of nature as described by Thomas Hobbes. There is little or no difference between this description of the Italian society and the Nigeria of today. The country is in total mess and almost nonredeemable, unless the people raise their consciousness level, unless we go back to history and understand how the Europeans, Americans, Asians were able to get to where they are today. It is a disaster that a Nigerian government in the 21st century would remove history from being taught in schools. The answer is obvious, it is an attempt to prevent knowledge and destroy any sense of history among the younger generations, thank the heavens the subject has been reintroduced. Karl Marx once said “men make their own history but they do not make it as they please, under circumstances chosen by themselves but under conditions immediately encountered, given and transmitted from the past”. Also Machiavelli once said “wise men say without reason that whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past, for human event ever resemble those of preceding times”. With this quotes by two great men the importance of history cannot be overemphasized.

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According to Joseph Proudhon, “the roots of corruption and all evils have spread to the remotest parts of the society. Such society cannot be remedied by any form of parliamentary procedure. The existing structure of the society would be destroyed by a revolution. Compromise or parliamentary procedure would lead to adjustment with corrupt capitalist /politicians. Compromise means replacement of one exploiting class with another”. A radical change of the society and mindset is what is needed in Nigeria; no form of parliamentary procedure can bring that needed change in the country as those to preside over such procedures are the biggest gainers from corruption and the sufferings of the people. The people must also change their mindset, the mindset of the people must be reformed morally. Violence, irrationality and corruption which are one of the major character traits of a Nigerian contributes a lot to the decadence witnessed in the country and the Nigerian people must be prepared to apply positive and constructive efforts to redeem their image. Also federalisation of the country might bring the needed change, but the absence of a unifying voice for this to take place is worrisome, which leaves the people with no option other than a revolution. It is therefore evil and ridiculous to hear people say channel your grievance to the legislature, to the executives, to the judiciary when it is obvious that corruption, evil, sentiments, irrationality, nepotism, tribalism, ethnic chauvinism has found a comfortable home in all these arms of government and its institutions. The modern Nigerian state is nothing but a criminal organisation run by a few power hungry, blood thirsty, kleptomaniacs, psychopathic and irrational individuals. Few persons imposes its rule on the majority, such a state cannot be said to be a democratic one. It is a state controlled by elites for the benefits and good of the elites.

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The Nigerian people need to see their shared sufferings, pains, poverty, anger, agony, wailings, exploitation etc as a unifying factor and fight against their common enemy. It is time for Nigerians to demand and fight for a people oriented government in this country, it is obvious that since the return to democracy if not since independence Nigeria has never had a government, because if it has had a government, it can only be formed by a delegation, convention, federation from the free and spontaneous consent of all individuals which make up the people, each one of them insisting and canvassing for the guarantee of his own interest and not some group of persons sitting down somewhere and deciding who gets what. The 2014 national confab addressed a little bit this anomalies, but the evil microscopic few who have held this country hostage for so long are making sure that recommendations from that confab do not see the light. If we continue this way, everyone should be allowed to have their own country.


https://www.lainonline.com/2018/12/24/nigeria-in-dire-need-for-a-vibrant-political-struggle/

You are correct, but there are many reasons why this will not emerge in a long time.

1. The people are illiterate. Just take a look at this forum which houses mainly young graduates and undergrads. Analyse the quality of their contribution and you will lose hope in the capacity of Nigerians to think and find solutions to their problems. The larger society is worse.

2. There is no leadership. Enough said.

3. There is no sense of collective burden. Nigerians are divided by religion, age, class, finances, ethnicity, political party affiliation. Everyone seeks his personal gain. The collective is a myth.

4. There are escape valves. By this I mean they possibility of going abroad, becoming rich by crooked means or otherwise 'making it' . As long as these exist political struggle is unattractive.

IamaNigerianGuy:
You are correct, but there are many reasons why this will not emerge in a long time.

1. The people are illiterate. Just take a look at this forum which houses mainly young graduates and undergrads. Analyse the quality of their contribution and you will lose hope in the capacity of Nigerians to think and find solutions to their problems. There larger society is worse.

2. There is no leadership. Enough said.

3. They're is no sense of collective burden. Nigerians are divided by religion, age, class, finances, ethnicity, political party affiliation. Everyone seeks his personal b gain. The collective is a myth.

4. There are escape valves. By this I mean they possibility of going abroad, becoming rich or otherwise 'making it' . As long as these exist struggle is unattractive.

well said, but i think the writers conclusion should be adopted. Since nothing can work

bonechamberlain:
well said, but i think the writers conclusion should be adopted. Since nothing can work

It's not that nothing can work. Violent change of power and political revolution is the only way to salvage Nigeria

@ op, to be honest nothing is really working in this country. An honest man can never win an election in Nigeria. The likes of Duke, Sowore, Moghalu, Hashim can not even win a state not to talk of winning a presidential election.

We are stucked. To crown it all, our constitutions is the most useless in the world. Even if you have a good plan, the constitution wont allow you. Not until we make a new reality constitutions, we should expect little development