Among the top news headlines of the past few days have been President Donald Trump’s supposed Muslim ban; the intrigue surrounding the rumours about President Muhammadu Buhari’s health concerns; the fiery preacher, Apostle Johnson Suleiman and the secret police’s interest in the content of a sermon delivered earlier mid-January;
and the topic of this essay, planned protest against the federal
government of Nigeria by popular Nigerian music artiste, Tuface Idibia.
The protest couldn’t have been better
timed, coming at a critical phase of our nation’s history when the
dominant words on the street are hunger and anger amid palpable
discontent over the hopeless incompetence of the Buhari administration
since it assumed office on May 29, 2015.
I’m a huge fan of Tuface Idibia. He is
one of several top music artistes in Nigeria who have earned my respect.
I’ve also been a leading advocate for the use of pop culture for social
re-engineering. However, real advocacy for good governance must not be
confused with the politics of emergency activism often inspired by the
logic of the stomach.
In the run up to the 2015 presidential
elections, Tuface Idibia, unlike many of his counterparts in the
entertainment industry was not exactly quiet. He was at the forefront of
‘Vote Not Fight’ – a campaign aimed at promoting peaceful elections.
With all the noble intentions and sheer goodwill that engineered that
campaign, there are many who argue that the cry for peaceful elections
may not have been as critical as the need to call attention to the
danger of the emergence of a Buhari presidency or in more diplomatic
terms, empowering citizens with the knowledge and information to make
wiser choices.
This is one of the biggest challenges of
activism in Nigeria today. People simply want to identify any cause, as
long as it is a cause, throw their weight behind it for whatever
reasons, as long as it has the potential to either launch them into the
public limelight or in the case of those already in the limelight, keep
them at the center of public conversations. The danger in this growing
culture of activism-for-fame is the substitution of what is more
critical with what is more fanciful, economically lucrative or
politically convenient.
Except you were not a student of modern
Nigerian history, it would have been hypocritical or tantamount to sheer
‘politics’ to feign ignorance of the dangers of a Buhari presidency, at
the time he was being repackaged and presented to Nigerians as the
‘messiah’ that would ‘kill corruption’ and lead Nigeria to El Dorado.
Here is a man whose time as military
Head of State left a legacy as one of our nation’s worst human rights
abusers. Here is a man whose records in managing the economy of a nation
fall short of the basic principles of running a local government
council. Here is a man whose rigidity, incompetence, and parochial
approach to governance led to his lieutenants kicking him out of office,
but not before he practically ran the nation aground. Here is a man so
famously referred to by Africa’s greatest music legend, the late great
Abami Eda – Fela Anikulapo-Kuti as an “animal in human skin”. Publicly
available documents contain accounts of Nigerian troops jubilating in
the streets in 1985 when Buhari was toppled by his own men. But less
than 24 months ago, the failed dictator was presented to Nigerians as
the hottest thing since sweet potatoes!
Those who came out to present the real
facts of history were blackmailed and labelled as the enemies of
Nigeria. All entreaties by those who saw the impending danger fell on
deaf ears. An entire nation was thrown into the frenzy of Buharimania!
It was the biggest propaganda scam ever witnessed in Nigeria’s 100-year
history.
Those performing the orchestra of change
said corruption was our biggest problem and Buhari was coming to kill
corruption. Now, hunger, not corruption, is killing Nigerians! Yet, in
the midst of all that confusion, those who ought to know better either
joined the Buhari bandwagon or chose to sit on the fence. As history
re-writes itself, it is easier to forgive those who came out to support
Buhari than to forgive the ones who chickened out and sat on the fence
as Nigeria faced a most defining moment of history. Sadly, Tuface Idibia
falls into this latter category.
Perhaps, nothing captures the
implication of our inactions better than the words of the great Desmond
Tutu who said; “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have
chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the
tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not
appreciate your neutrality.”
In the 2008 election cycle in the United
States of America, American celebrities who believed in the change
candidacy of Barack Obama rallied behind him. We saw on display a replay
of that celebrity star power in 2016 on Hillary Clinton’s bid for the
presidency. We saw the likes of Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Katy Perry
putting their careers on the line to lend their voices to a cause they
truly believed in. It wasn’t convenient but they understood the
principle of not sitting on the fence in the heat of battle.
Back home in Nigeria, we remember how
Dapo ‘D’Banj’ Oyebanjo came out openly to endorse the candidacy of
Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. For whatever it is worth, against all odds,
the insults, and the public attacks, D’Banj earned the respect of those
who understand what it takes to believe in a cause and take a public
stand even when it seems that the whole world is against you.
Many have suggested that this
anti-government protest is a badly needed publicity stunt for Tuface to
re-launch his music career. There are many who also believe it is being
funded by opposition elements against the Buhari administration.
Whatever you chose to believe, I belong to the school of thought that
see Tuface Idibia as a truly Nigerian legend in the making who does not
need the platform of a political rally to either re-launch or re-package
his musical career. He is actually bigger than that.
In all of this, the real lesson here for
Tuface Idibia and his contemporaries is the need to be more circumspect
in the consideration of their roles and responsibilities to society as
real change agents.
In emerging social contexts, the
celebrity, opinion leader or change agent is no longer at liberty to
stay or stand aloof on issues of national consequence, sometimes in the
name of being politically correct. Increasingly, societal expectations
are becoming societal responsibilities and opinion shapers must adjust,
adapt or become mere replicas in the dustbins of history.
Gone are the days when it used to be
said that we can do anything we like and get away with it because,
“Nigerians easily forget.” No, Nigerians do not easily forget. Not in
this age of new media when our actions and inactions are fast becoming
digital footprints on our path to a future that never really forgets.
Another lesson that must not be lost in
the cacophony of today’s clash of opinions is understanding the true
essence of social activism beyond protests and rallies. We must look
back into history and learn why for instance, the Occupy Nigeria
movement is best remembered today as a farce. We must learn from the
legacies of icons like Nelson Mandela, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Martin
Luther King Jnr who put in painstaking, time-tested and unwavering
commitment into advancing the values they believed in. There are no
short-cuts!
As the popular saying goes, “Better late
than never.” There are many Nigerians who are happy that the likes of
Tuface have “seen the light” and are taking a step to atone for their
inactions that led Nigeria into this current mess. The planned protest
is a good start, but an apology from Tuface to Nigerians for sitting on
the fence when his voice was badly needed, would be welcomed.
Ohimai Amaize a journalist and media strategist, is the publisher of SIGNAL, an online newspaper. He tweets via @MrFixNigeria.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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