By: Ekere. A.A
Adeyanju Deji, though a young man that I respect so much but I think he’s missing it on his obsession with the OBIdients. Activism is all about being critical on issues through constructive criticism and other forms of legitimate actions. Constructive criticism must take into consideration the following: Causes, Effects and Solutions.
1. CAUSES: an activist must look at the remote and immediate cause of every problem he or she seeks to address. On the issue of OBIdient, has Mr Deji looked at why the Nigerian young people are this angry? Is their anger justified?
When you give a baby food in a broken plate, it on record that the food is for you and the child, but you finned the food all alone and ask the child to return the plate. If the child intentionally break the plate, you will beat him if you are still unreasonable but if you want to be reasonable, you will know that you actually broke that plate by denying him of his meal earlier.
A deprived generation, alienated from their own country, alienated from the point of alternative allocation of values, where their future is decided and left in hunger and pain will necessarily be angry. And when anger is not treated quickly, it turns to mental challenge, emotional crisis and crisis hegemony of value. At this point the victims are ready to attack the source of their problem. If the source of their is highly protected that they can’t get to them, they will attack soft targets to get the needed attention. OBIdients is not different from the #EndSARS. The difference is in the nomenclature.
The insults and attacks on whoever stand against the OBIdients by some section of the movement is the belief that if you are not with them, you are against them. Anybody willing to change his situation will think in this direction. Especially at that point of “enough is enough ”.
2.EFFECTS : there can never be causes without at least an effect or effects without a cause. It is barbaric to concentrate on effects without treating the causes. This has been the approach in Nigeria, suppression of effects.
An activist should be able to without emotions understand empathize with affected and guide their actions towards resolving the causes through provision of👇
3. SOLUTIONS: An activist must not be confused, he must understand the causes and effects in order to provide solutions. Activists must be solution oriented and not problem oriented.
If my brother Deji wants a better Nigeria, I think he should try to guide young people and stop the fight with the very people he claims to be fighting for all along.
In the leadership recruitment process, it is analog activism to seat on the fence, you must guide opinion in the right direction.
Conclusion
It is obvious that Mr Deji is not a deprived Nigerian, it will be hard for him to understand the real pain now. A man that can gamble with $10,000 is definitely not in serious material lack, he feels little or no impact of the repressive political economy of Nigeria. Consequently, you do not expect him to understand the pain of the young Nigerians expressing themselves through the OBIdients movement. But I still want him to rethink, he should start guiding the actions of young people instead of fighting and challenging them with expensive gambling on social media.
In a country that people are finding it difficult to buy cooking gas, food stuffs, pay house rent, students are on strike and insecurities threatening our continuous existence, it is insensitive to belt comes out to bet $10.000
in an attempt to spite people confronting their problem.
If Mr Deji is ready, he should help young people make the right choice, he should suggest the best alternative for someone who must govern this country.
However, If he has a hidden political interest, and thinks the OBIdients are destroying it for him, then his actions are understandable on the ground that politics is all about interest.
I advised OBIdients to look more at issues, insults is for those bereft of quality ideas to debates on public issues. They should learn to ignore conversations that discredit the movement. I also advise them to ignore Mr Deji’s $10k challenge, if any of them have such money to play with, they should use it to promote the legitimate activities of the OBIdients in their political ward and local government, it will go a long way. It is democratic contest, it is the will of the majority and that of an individual.
