THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND AND REVOLUTION

THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND AND REVOLUTION

CredoWriters:Wakdok, Samuel Stephen.

The year Two Thousand and Eleven will go down as one of the richest years in history. Students of history and historians,military tacticians, strategists,politicians, statesmen, diplomats, rescue workers, journalists, religious, royalty, health workers, financial experts, academics, researchers, scientists, trade unionists, human and civil rights activist; in fact all of us will remember the events of this year 2011 whether for good or bad, and even mixed.

In no particular order, from the Jasmine revolution in Tunisia which outsed Ben Ali and heralded the Arab spring that quickly spread to Egypt and forced out Mubarak. The bloodbath in Libya which resulted in the NATO incursion which only ended with the death of the brotherly king of kings, Col. Gadhafi, to the continuos blood shed in Syria and Yemen, Bahrain . There is no year in history compared to this when the quantity and quality of people across countries took their destiny in their own hands and dared death by taking on and confronting the status quo. In sub Saharan Africa, the year begun with the drama of the December 2010 election in Cote d Ivore which led to killings of Ivorians and the eventual capture of the then President Gbago who has now been transported to the Hague for trial.

Post election violence in Nigeria claimed hundreds of lives in Northern Nigeria following the Victory of Goodluck Jonathan in the Presidential elections. The boko harram bombings in Maiduguri graduated into daring bomb attacks in the capital Abuja, and other cities and villages. The independence of South Sudan and the tension between the two Sudans The famine in East Africa, the disputed elections in Congo, the elections in Liberia.

The royal wedding of Prince William and Kate on April 30th , the killing of Osama Bin Ladin in Pakistan the next day after 10 years on the run, the 10 years anniversary of the September 11th attacks,the tension between USA and Pakistan over terrorists. The end of hostilities by the Basque separatists ETA in Spain. The phone hacking scandal in the U.K.

In Asia, the Japanese tsunami in March and the nuclear disaster that followed at Fukushima plant, the rising water in Thailand. The beatification of Pope John Paul the great, the attack on the Pro Canterbury Anglicans in Zimbabwe.

The latest Euro crisis, which originated from the financial crises in countries like Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal have exposed the failure of liberial economics and have led to massive demonstrations in western countries, the occupy wall street demonstrations, the London riots, the demonstrations in Russia after the December parliamentary elections. The Isreali-Hamas prisoner deal swap, the attack on British Embassy by Iranian students in Tehran.

The year 2011 is one not only full of history, but will greatly influence how the turn of events will be in the years to follow. From Economics to politics, security to environment, politics to diplomacy, 2011 is a major base year for actions and inaction.

What is key is that some fundamentals are non negotiable; freedom, economic prosperity, sensitive political decisions, pro people public policies, environmental preservation, security and protection. The lessons how ever is that the minority whether political,military or financial leaders; nationally or globally can not and should not continue to toy with the wishes of the people. No matter what it takes, the people are in real terms the sovereigns and they would demand for that which they gave their leaders to hold in trust for them.

Coming back home, we must not think that we are immuned from global happenings, the ruling class should not live in illusion for too long, they can choose to save the people the painful process of a revolution or continue to push their luck with unpopular policies that seek to continually improvish the millions of the already poor Nigerians. We live in fear of insecurity from terrorists and criminals, we live in fear of poor standard of living, we live in oppression by the people who were elected to serve us, squandering our resources to sustain their artificial lives, while expecting us to adjust to more bitter pills which have always failed .

How can a government which came to power promising to make Nigerians better be so bent on causing untold hardship? If the world bank and IMF are so good economic managers and advisers, why is Europe in crisis? If Goldman Sachs is so good, why did the sub prime lending crisis snowballed into a global economic meltdown. President Jonathan's romance with people from these institutions as his economic managers leaves bitter taste in the mouth of millions of our people who always bear the brunt of failed government policies. Ngozi is not a home grown economist but a mere agent of international capitalist order. Aganga is as downgraded as his Goldman Sachs which was just downgraded by Fitch. I have always argued that the price mechanism is a free radical that assumes any value , a magnified variable. However, if the President believes so much in it, let him deregulate the Aso Rock, raise internal revenue to run aso rock and withdraw public expenditure as a means of running the Presidential villa. They should collect tolls from visitors and entourages entering the villa. Make it a tourist attraction to generate revenue for the payment of workers in the villa.

Our lives as Nigerians ought to be more important than some meaningless neo liberial economic policies which hopes to save money from withdrawal of subsidies, money that will be wasted by corrupt politicians as always the case. We are more important than naira and kobo, when they spend billions to subsidize corruption, how comes it is the subsidy on fuel that is their major concern? Why didn't GEJ mention subsidy withdrawal as part of his electioneering promises earlier in the year? That makes it a fraud and deciet. How comes my former model Dr. Reuben Abati who had always written against this obnoxious government proposal ,finally comitted class suicide and joined the tiny click or cabal who have always held the nation by the throat? Why is Maku, the minister of information singing a different tune from what he sang during the anti-SAP riots? Is it because they all know as the case is, that they would never spend their money to pay for essentials and even luxuries? The government coffers is further plundered to cater for the expenses of serving and ex government officials and we all know that. Rather than sanitize the oil industry and prosecute the fat cats, the government is only window dressing, why can't our local refineries work? If the government can't take of a sector in their hands, is it by giving it up that they will be in control? To deregulate importation of fuel is not the same as deregulating the production or local refining of fuel. Is it not shamelessly shameful for Nigeria to import refined petroleum products from Ivory Coast, Senegal and even Niger in the making? What comparative advantages do these none oil producing countries have over Nigeria if not political will?


In 2011, the revolution may be far from us and only seen on our television screens and Internet, but unless the rulers make a clean break from their insensitivity, which I doubt any way, 2011 may just be the year in which the sleeping lion in the people is awaken into 2012. If the President feels he is a god who must have his way against public opinion and common sense, he should pause and see where gods before him like Mobutu, Ghadafi, Pinochet, and even Stalin ended. No man is bigger than his country, it was a mere unemployed Tunisian who set him blaze on the 17th of December 2010, to protest against his government's injustice and insensitivity. That singular move defined the greatest moments of 2011, let the pride of a regime which sees it's mandate as divine not drag us to a revolution which no one knows how it would end. The myth in Nigeria is that we can have a bloodless revolution, that is a fad. What ever happened to the maxim; vox populi, vox Dei?