Nigerian Youths and Looming Hunger: A Call to Reflect Before Protest
By Lawan Bukar Maigana
When asked about the Boko Haram bloodbath in Maiduguri between 2012 and 2014, my mind reflects on the gory scenes of manslaughter, unrest, indescribable fear, hopelessness, mourning, massive burials, decayed bodies on the streets, roadblocks, military presence, economic downturns, and many other paroxysms of agony that still traumatize me from time to time, especially when I remember the productive people and opportunities I have lost.
This is just to remind our fellow youths what life would be like if the enemies within and outside succeeded in mobilizing innocent young people to collapse Nigeria under the guise of protesting against government policies they perceive as unfriendly to their well-being. If people eat once daily now and move freely in some areas within the country, chances are that some would spend days and nights hungry and unable to move freely even within their vicinities if the protest held as planned, thereby slimming down to graves in hundreds and thousands. This is something I would never wish for my enemies, let alone my loved ones.
In a viral video I watched on Facebook, the acclaimed leader and organizer of the planned nationwide August protest, Comr. Murtala Garba, said that he had withdrawn from the planned protest after realizing that some unpatriotic power mongers and anti-peace agents are the ones financing the protest at the expense of peace and unity of the nation.
He said, “Everybody knows that we are pro-North and we are always ready to stand for the interest of the region. We started planning for the protest during the Ramadan period when we went to the market for shopping and realized that the price of a bag of sugar had unbelievably increased. That was when we realized that the removal of subsidy by this government would predictably lead to a high cost of living, so we started criticizing it on various social media platforms across Africa. We started getting support from Nigerian diasporans, largely from America, China, and other Arab countries.”
The activist confessed that a high-profile individual from the southern part of Nigeria had invited him and fifty-two individuals to Port Harcourt for a meeting on the planned nationwide August protest.
“We spent a day in Port Harcourt and then moved to Delta State, where we spent six days. We planned for the peaceful protest to take place across the 36 states of the federation, but they started telling us that they only want us to do it in selected states of the North comprising Kaduna, Abuja, and Jos because they trust us. They went on to tell us that they want us to block roads, adding that they will link us up with. That was what got me thinking as to who those youths are that are better than us in the country and yet we don’t know them?
“Honestly, they gave us money and we collected it, returned to our region, and some of our elders started talking to us about it, and succeeded in convincing us to suspend the protest, not because we are happy with the government’s policies but because of its foreseen consequences considering the forces behind it.”
Mr. Garba did not list the names of the people who invited him to Port Harcourt perhaps due to fear of the unknown. However, he concluded by asking the government to heed the calls to reconsider the fuell subsidy removal, mentioning that some powerful Nigerians are planning to topple the government.
“They revealed the total number of police and other security forces in the Villa and promised to provide adequate manpower to support them and overwhelm the security forces. The protest is shaky and cruel to the nation. Therefore, I distance myself from it.”
Those of us who are from Maiduguri will never want to experience the taste of war. It is obvious that some people want Nigeria to go into war, forgetting that no West African country can accept us as refugees if we break, due to our overwhelming population that surpasses half of the entire population of West Africa.
Politics aside, I am disappointed that a former Minister called Barr. Solomon Dalung is shamelessly offering to lead the protest despite coming from a fragile state where ethno-religious crises claim lives from time to time, depriving the state of peace and unity. I am sure his declaration is insincere, exploiting the present economic hardship for political relevance in the sight of the masses.
Coming to the North, those Kano TikTok influencers are ignorant of the protest they were calling for because they seem to be unaware that Kano remains the only state in the North where people enjoy relative peace despite the power tussle going on between Emir Sanusi (enthroned) and Emir Bayero (dethroned). Businesses are going about smoothly, and farmers access their farmlands fearlessly, unlike Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Borno, where farmers write their wills every day before going to their farms.
Recently, a few energetic guys came to me saying people like me should lead the protest given the influence we have on young people in our various states. I allowed them to land, and I asked if they know who planned the protest, why the protest, and what it aims to achieve. They couldn’t answer me, looking sorry and confused. Unfortunately, a lot of young people are like that. They don’t even know what they are protesting against and are used and dumped by enemies within.
Some readers may ask about the solution to the economic hardship facing Nigerians since we unapologetically condemn the planned protest and urge like-minded individuals to shun it.
In my opinion, the solution is near, as our Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries will start operations soon. This will reduce the cost of production and transportation, thereby lowering commodity prices by default. The inflation is largely caused by the cost of transportation, which currently costs marketers twice the purchasing amount.
Therefore, I kindly call on the government to expedite the realization of the refinery projects and commence operations as soon as possible because it is the only realistic and achievable approach to ameliorate living standards in the country.
Lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com