“The other challenge is negative agency” (Jibrin Ibrahim)
Cornelius Hamelberg
All these problems that are so painfully and devastatingly enumerated, described and highlighted by Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Senior Fellow, Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja, Nigeria, they are so interwoven as the warp and woof of Nigeria as a nation, a community, a society and a nationality that one is left gasping with the question, can all these issues be resolved peacefully? Amicably?
He says, “The other challenge is negative agency. With over half the country living in extreme poverty, a generation of young Nigerians has emerged with nothing to lose but their poverty. They are procuring arms and engaging in violence, banditry and insurrectional acts to mimic the rich ruling class, thereby precipitating the march towards anarchy.”
Not good for business.
And thus international observers of Nigeria “the Sleeping Giant” are all primed to expect some action, like a bomb, or several bombs, the explosion /detonation of some pent up, repressed, suppressed, long-suffering and oppressed youth man’s energies, an eventual eruption, violent revolution , call it “negative energy” if you will, but at the Lekki Massacre, by all accounts the negative energy and all the murderous firepower came from the military who were busy gunning down fellow countrymen, unarmed Nigerian youths whose lives they are paid monthly salaries to defend and to protect - and if indeed the youth man is now getting himself well armed and fit for business in tune with the songs Stand up and fight back, you’ve got nothing to lose and “I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine” - at some future mass trial for insurrection (like the 6th of January assault on the Capitol) they could quote Professor Jibrin Ibrahim as one of the sources of inspiration when he wrote in a wish-fulfilling manner, that ”a generation of young Nigerians has emerged with nothing to lose but their poverty. They are procuring arms…” etc etc
As to the Shuffering and Shmiling business, as of today, nobody in Nigeria is suffering and smiling as if everything is OK. As Malcolm said, particularly with Muslims in mind, “There is nothing in our book, the Qur'an, that teaches us to suffer peacefully”
Malcolm also said, “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it.”
“And when soldiers came
Them say them come to make us tame
And from that day until now on
We were jeered and laughed to scorn” ( Steel Pulse : Soldiers )
Is there a remote possibility that a leader like IbrahimTraore with such popular support, could emerge in Nigeria?
Would someone like him be desirable?