. . . Gadding between Cobweb Laws and gliding into Dictatorship
By Tunji Ajayi
I still hold on tenaciously to my view as averred in “Of Journalists and Their Wives” (Nigerian Tribune, March 22, 2005) I plead for an excerpt: “I have always felt that those who deserve pity most, especially in this country of oddities called Nigeria, are journalists’ wives. Yes, they deserve our pity. And if you ask me if I would ever give my daughter’s hand to a journalist on the altar, I will conveniently say no without blinking an eye. Though, I developed deep passion for journalism and creative writing right from my childhood days and I wonder if I know how to do any other thing better than writing. Thus, I am not oblivious of what efforts it takes to be a writer or a journalist . . . . Like every journalist who has two main albatrosses to contend with; my case is no exception. The first was the psychological head pain (not mere headache) which all journalists often suffer, albeit in silence. Yes, journalists and writers often suffer in deep silence. Until a journalist sits down quietly in the confine of his room to pen down on the paper his variegated ideas, thoughts and feelings, his psychological head pain does not subside. He goes about with pen and pieces of paper in his pocket to scribble down ideas and thoughts as they emerge in his ubiquitous mind, lest amnesia drift them away before they are transmuted into newspaper stories.”
“On the other hand, the asphyxiating conditions in his environment, especially in a strange country like Nigeria, often mutilate his psyche, dehumanize his person, pummel his thoughts, thus forcing him to become disconcerted, and burning with ideas. This consequently often compels him to unburden his troubled mind by ‘offloading’ his worries in the form of writing and writing almost on daily basis for his audience. The demands of his job and his personal reservations often make his darling wife vulnerable to a world of loneliness.”
Yes! The suffocating conditions of Nigeria are yet to subside even 16 years after the piece was written. The conditions get worse by the day. And so, in a bid to perform the sacred duties of “surveying the environment; correcting parts of the environment; and transmitting culture”, as postulated by the erudite communication theorist, Harold Lasswell; a Nigerian journalist is faced with a choice between staying and enjoying his family life in his comfort zone, or performing his sacred duties of “nosing for news” and keeping abreast of contemporary issues in his environment to inform, educate, entertain and titillate his audience. Indeed, when a nation is embroiled in perennial social, economic and political problems like ours, its media and the journalists suffer head pains daily; far worse than headaches. A little more excerpt from the Nigerian Tribune piece to buttress my viewpoint further: “I appreciated the problems confronting the journalist’s wife more when a colleague of mine moved into a vacant apartment upstairs in our building. No night ever passed without hearing the stampede and the noise from the newly-wedded couple engaging in physical combat. And each time we the neighbors walked in to help settle the quarrel, we often asked the reason for their actions. But half-clad in their cover clothes tied to their waists, the quarrelsome couple quite often would merely stare at us while panting profusely, struggling to recuperate.
The night quibbling continued for several months, until one day when I reasoned that perhaps they would prefer disclosure of their problems to me in privacy. Thus, I went into their apartment and quickly shut the door behind me, apparently to prevent other professional peace-makers from gaining entry. I demanded to know why they so much developed notoriety for night quibbling and petty scuffling which always disturbed the hitherto peaceful and serene state of the neighborhood. The man, this time, summoned up his manly courage: . . . “She always turned recluse; merely moving up and down the apartment, hissing profusely on my head while writing my news-stories and struggling to meet the deadline.” The visibly annoyed and irritated husband complained; looking more belligerent. But how does that breed so serious regular night fights, one may wonder! I refused to be hoodwinked. This time, the aggrieved wife quickly interjected, while stammering in a croaky and quaking voice: “. . . em . . . em . . . em . . . Your friend hardly tou… tou… tou… touches me… … …” If a word should be enough for the wise, anyone should be able to fill up the wide gap of unspoken words! I then understood the reason for their regular night quarrels. That is one of the ordeals of the journalist’s wife. Like every woman, she needed love, commitment and undivided attention from her husband; whose daily excruciating tasks and tough schedules hardly permitted him to shower on a newly wedded woman. The husband thus derelicted in giving much-expected deep love, which often strengthens the bond of marital union. Yes. We should all pity the journalist’s wife who is engaged to an ever-busy man fully committed to the dictate of his sacred duties, all in order to make his society a better place for all. That explains why most journalists and writers’ wives hardly wear true smiles; but hollow and artificial mien.”
Ask our journalists’ wives whether they have enough attention from their husbands in the present Nigeria scenario, and they tell you sorry stories of their woes. What news to report without offending an irascible government that is now hurriedly introducing bills under the guise of regulating social media and media practice for improved performance is another issue. In Nigeria of today, each day comes with its own flurry of awry and bizarre news stories. Genocide in large scale . . . Attacks on military barracks by bandits with unbridled impudence . . . Kidnap of travelers on the roads and citizens in their homes . . . Kidnap of students in their hostels and campuses. . . Kidnap inside Churches and Mosques . . . Armed banditry on farmlands . . . Twitter suspension . . . Campaign for cannabis growing etc. On a radio program recently, I had to plead for help from scholars to tell me the definition of a failed state, since I heard our government’s spokespersons arguing that it is an exaggeration to describe Nigeria as a failed state. What really is a failed state? I know an interregnum is a period during which a nation has no ruler and which hardly occurs in any nation’s history, unless there is “a force majeure”, viz; natural calamities over which a nation has no control, otherwise called “acts of God”. It is often a situation when a nation becomes a wild jungle where dastardly acts are committed with impunity; just like the flurry of disasters currently engulfing a hitherto peaceful country called Nigeria, and threatening to put it in total doldrums. Unfortunately, most politicians with their intrigues and passion for pleasure without conscience believe only in dangerous politicking. In stating the seven blunders that often plague a nation into disaster, the great astute politician and statesman Mahatma Gandhi mentioned pleasure without conscience, and politics without principles as key factors.
In “Igboho’s Unbridled Altruism – Filling The Void in Lethargic Governance” (Ohio Wesleyan University Press, January 29, 2021), I argued that Igboho’s narrative emerged in our history and political lexicon due to government’s lethargy in performing her sacred responsibilities of provision of security and welfare for the people. Ditto for many other non-state actors agitating and demonstrating on the streets due to lack of security provision and social justice for them and their people.
Whereas there is no security anywhere in the country any longer, the government’s sacred duty to protect lives of citizens is a constitutional responsibility as sworn to on oath by the executive president and commander in chief of the armed forces. Indeed, security provision is the whole essence of the government in any nation; otherwise the society becomes a wild jungle. To prevent this, the government has an incontrovertible right, full responsibility and unfettered power to apprehend any suspected person or a group engaging in any act of lawlessness or suspected to perpetrate lawlessness in the country no matter how highly placed. The story of Igboho’s emergence on our political landscape needs no recap again. But it suffices to say that he came to fill a void in a sleeping and lethargic governance.
Call Sunday Igboho any name, many will not bother. But one fact is clear. Many were being killed on their farms, on the streets, and inside their homes with recklessness. Women were being maimed and raped by AK-47 gun-toting herdsmen. Huge ransoms were being eked out by kidnappers from hapless and helpless citizens on daily basis. Sunday Igboho could no longer bear the endless vacillation and subterfuge often encapsulated in “we are on top of the situation” suffocating cliché from the government; while his kinsmen are being slaughtered on the streets on daily basis. Consequently, Igboho and his supporters abandoned their comfort zones and went into the thick bush and the secret closets to drive out the menace of herdsmen to stop the harassment and killings, while the police and government security agencies looked sideways engaging in their quixotic antics of vain promises. Like the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus said in his Meditations: “A wrongdoer is often a man who has left something undone; and not always one who has done something.” If the government that swore an oath to provide security for the people continually, but consistently failed to live up to the oath of office, what then prevents individuals to secure their lives and properties? Why does the society even have to put their hopes and succor on the shoulders of the society’s Sunday Igbohos, Nnamdi Kanus, Asari Dokubos, Omoyele Sowores, Tompolos, et al.? Why does a nation have so much a horde of separatist agitators? Indeed, the European Union in 2017 through her Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ketil Karlson pointedly advised Nigerian government that “without inclusive growth and opportunities, separatist agitations will continue.” He also advocated for “equal opportunities for all persons.” This remains an incontrovertible fact. Why do we see the emergence of IPOB, Biafra, Oduduwa Republic agitators etc.? Where people cohabit, there should be polarity of opinions. And where there is polarity of opinions, there should be agitations for better actualization of dreams and values. Like Albert Camus, the French philosopher and novelist once wrote in “The Rebel”: “Absolute freedom mocks at justice.” But Camus quickly added: “Absolute justice denies freedom.” Consequently, any nation without her own rebels with diverse opinions and thinking may never grow.
Since Igboho picked up the gauntlets, his properties have been attacked twice – first time it was torched; while he was almost physically mauled down on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway by “unknown gun men”. Where laws go numb, tyranny reigns. Light arms have found ways into our society and are being freely used by vandals to maim and kill the innocent citizens while the government only laments and appears prostrate. Like the Roman statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero would say: “Laws are dumb in the midst of arms.” The first human law is self protection. Again at the wee hours of July 1, 2021 around 1:34 a.m., Igboho’s Residence in Ibadan was reportedly raided by the joint team of security operatives based on the intelligence report by the DSS that he had allegedly stockpiled arms in the property. The team reportedly came under heavy gunfire by nine men, suspected to be Igboho’s guards, during which time two of his guards were reportedly gunned down while the rest were subdued and arrested.
However, while the speed at which the DSS carried out their duties apparently shows their capacity to respond to national affairs; it is noteworthy that herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers still go about their nefarious activities till today without being apprehended. Where are state security operatives when kidnappers with guns and sophisticated ammunitions go into school hostels and kidnap innocent students almost on weekly basis? Like the DSS did on Sunday Igboho, how many non-state actors’ houses have been so raided especially in the northern part of the country and apprehended till now?
Here lies another more worrisome jigsaw puzzle. When a vandal uses a reputable person’s name consistently to commit crimes; and that reputable person keeps silent without acting decisively to save his personal reputation, it is assumed in law that the supposedly “reputable” person is “vicariously liable” and culpable enough to suffer same punishment for the crime committed by such vandal; having been reasonably seen to be done on his behalf. If the argument is valid, it is disturbing to see that the kidnappers, bandits and Boko Haram insurgents and the Federal government’s official security details now use the same uniform, especially the camouflage. Consequently, it becomes difficult to differentiate the latter from genuine government security officers on the road while in traffic or anywhere. With the spate of insecurity now everywhere in Nigeria, how does a person freely allow access into his home especially by 1:34 a.m. and take them for government security force, just because the visitors wear military camouflage? Why are there profuse calls now, even by many state governments on their citizens to protect themselves against unprovoked attacks if the government hadn’t become so incapacitated and had failed dismally in performing her sacred responsibilities? This is to the extent that few weeks back, the Minister of Defense, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd.) was advocating that we all should go and learn the art of self defense now. One more jigsaw puzzle is this: If the first law is personal self defense in the face of unprovoked attack, and that for admissibility in law, a person whose life is being attacked has liberty to defend himself reasonably with equal measure as being used by his assailant. Thus, should a man being threatened and attacked with AK-47 rifles be deemed to have reasonably defended himself with a mere rod or a machete? Assuming the allegation of Igboho having arms in his house is true, what is expected to be found in the house of a man whose family is being consistently attacked by criminals and marauders with AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons while the government keeps promising to “handle the matters” and be “on top of the situation”? Do we expect to find Sticks, Table knives, and Tooth picks to defend a man being threatened with sophisticated arms? Should punishments for criminalities like banditry, human slaughtering, maiming, raping and kidnapping by some group of people in one part of a country be so tenuous or almost non-existent; while non-state agitators and those seeking justice and freedom in other parts of the country be utterly criminalized; hounded and threatened with severe punishments?
Borrowing from Francis Bacon, the English philosopher’s Apothegm; where a nation operates the laws that are like cobwebs, whereby only the small flies were caught and made to suffer severe punishments, while the great flies broke through and untouched; having peace in such a society may continue to be a mirage. As a nation sings a musical refrain for peace and unity, it is also axiomatic to chant the chorus of justice. Verbum Satis Sapienti
+COURTESY: Ohio Wesleyan University Press, USA.
*Tunji Ajayi, a creative writer, author, biographer and audiovisual documentary producer writes from LC-Studio Communications, Nigeria (+2348033203115, +2348162124412)
