Razaq Bamidele
Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana along with a host of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Monday in Lagos unanimously advocated for a new political structure to replace the present order which they described as a monumental failure in the country.
Falana spoke as the Chairman at the Nigeria Pro-Democracy Conference 2021 held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, where he challenged the participants to put machinery in motion right now to flush all the deadwood in the corridor of power now out by 2023, reasoning that, if something concrete is not done now, tendencies are there that the old order would still continue beyond 2023.
According to him, unless the populace is sensitized to understand the dangers inherent in retaining the old order, it is doubtful for the country to escape from the claw of the clueless ruling class at the helms of the nation’s affairs currently.
“The struggle ahead is getting tougher every day. And new Nigeria is possible if we change the political system. We have to organize our own political party that will not share money, rice or any other stuff to get the people to do the right thing to change the country for good. We will build the economy. A country of 200 million people is a big market. We will not dollarize the economy. We have to mount a democratic battle to recover our country back,” Falana declared.
The theme of the Conference was; ‘Rethinking the Moment: Building Alternative Movement Beyond 2023,’ where several discussants representing various rights groups and pro-democracy organizations from Nigeria and beyond participated physically and visually lasted a whole day.
Setting the ball of discussion rolling were, the coordinator, Africa Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Comrade Chido Onumah and Director, Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action), Dr Isaac Osuoka, who, in their separate welcome addresses dwelled on the enormity of problems confronting the country, believing that, the mainstream political actors as represented by the political parties in power have any possibility of solving the enormous crisis.
“Nigeria, as it is, is a business venture for those in power as it was and is for the Europen colonizers. Twenty years of elections have resulted in the entrenchment of a political class that appears oblivious to the reality of the country on the verge of collapse. For the majority of Nigerians, the state, more than ever, is an impediment rather than a facilitator of freedom and wellbeing,” they regretted, saying, “the reason popular intervention like this, is imperative.”
A lawyer and activist, Chima Williams, in his contribution online frowned at the type of capitalist system being practised in Nigeria, which they regretted dehumanises the citizenry without provision for social security, saying the system was made worse with the devil dressed with the garb of godfatherism, philanthropists, donor agencies that force forbidden fruits down to the throats of unsuspecting beneficiaries.
Against this background, Williams insisted that “the country is sick and in need of a serious surgical operation to bring her back to normal life,” blaming the ailment on the policies being churned out by those in power to aggravate things so as to tag Nigerians as restless people!”
He asserted that the time is now to look for a viable political alternative and structure and not a time to stand aloof and pretend as if things are normal, asking for the way forward whereby a concrete action would be taken beyond mere rhetoric and the usual campaign and advocacy rituals.
“How do we go beyond campaign and advocacy? We need plans beyond 2023. We need power or else we would remain at the mercy of those in power. We need a real action plan and not the usual Fire Brigade approach. It is a clarion call to find an everlasting solution to the problem of our country,” he declared.
Speaking on the state of the nation, Comrade Lanre Siraj of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), agreed with Williams that, “this is the real-time for action and not for regret or lamentation, saying, “we have done too much of that in the past with no fruitful result.”
According to him, the strategy to be adopted now is to get the message to the people effectively if real change is desired, regretting that, “Nigerians lost everything with the 1999 election that brought the present leadership of the country to power!”
To him, there is a serious task and challenges on his hands, believing however that, no problem is insurmountable with commitment and dedication.
Another contributor, Barrister Rashidat Adeshina said, “Nigeria is already at the cross-road, tired and frustrated, pointing out that, the apathy shown by the people in 2019 was a testimony to that.
“People stayed away because there was no alternative to the two-way parties on the ground,” she reasoned expressing the need to provide a viable alternative for them.
The keynote address presenter, Professor Toye Olorode was of the conviction that, if the participant wants to persist in trenches, they must be ideologically clear about what they really want to do to make a difference, asserting that, listening to lamentation every now and then is so boring.
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According to him, activists, revolutionaries and leftists need to get themselves organised to organise the people, believing that, without that, the desired change from the neo-colonisation the country found itself may be a mirage.
At the end of the conference, the take away from there was that, if real activism is re-energised, reactivated and reinvigorated, the people may not be rescued from the claws of the neo-colonialists, admitting that, only that can excite the people to take their destiny in their own hand.
However, the question begging for an answer is, who bells the proverbial Cat?!