Revolution Now: Schooling the educated ignorant folks

By Omogbolahan Babs

"I'm not talking of protest. I'm embarking on revolution. 85% of Nigerians are in support. Don't tell me about legal implications or what a judge will say. I don't care. We MUST BUNDLE BUHARI out of that place..." - 'Yele Sowore, July 25, 2019

PROTEST, A CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISO

It is the inalienable right of every Nigerian to civil protest, peaceful agitation and organized campaigns to raise public awareness over issues of governance or otherwise. It is an open and shut fact that this is a constitutional provision. However, such protest (s) and/or agitations must fall within constitutional confines, so that the personalities behind such actions are not seen as agent provocateurs. Yele Sowore, the publisher of the popular online portal, Sahara Reporters, like every other Nigerian has such right; but to sic the populace against a DEMOCRATICALLY elected government is the most folly adventure.

In colloquial parlance, our choice of words is very germane. Those legal personalities who have tried fecklessly to twist the statement of Sowore by way of semantic manipulations are just being clever by half. Respected human rights lawyer like Femi Falana should know that, albeit some of us may not have read law as a degree, we have brains functional enough to decipher statements or words when they are spoken. The narrative that what Sowore planned was a protest is a big, fat lie from the pit of hell. As overt from his statement, he was not talking about a protest, rather a REVOLUTION against a democratic government.

DO YOU ANNOUNCE A REVOLUTION?

I have read some ignoramuses on the social media mention countries like China, Tunisia, Libya, Syria etc taken over by revolutions. And I keep asking which of these countries practises democracy as a system of government. I again dare any member of the Sowore group or those who bought into his idea of changing the system (through revolution) to give an example of a country which practises democracy but taken over by revolution. Aside the incontrovertible fact that Sowore goofed by announcing his own revolution to the world, such revolts are usually not announced. They just come by happenstance. You can only know the beginning but the end is always not predictable. The most recent of such was the Arab Spring.

THE CLANDESTINE RENDEZVOUSES

From a recent intelligent report, Sowore was said to have had meetings with people of similar ideas. Two of such groups are the El-Zakzaky Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN and the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB). Sowore allegedly had meetings with the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu as well as some leaders of the group under the incarcerated Shi'ite leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky's ascendancy. We all know what Kanu stands for - that Nigeria should break. We equally know what IMN stands for - revolution! So, when Sowore announced to the world he was organizing #RevolutionNow, he knew what he said. And he meant what he said. He had willing hands from other rabble rousers and they are backed financially by some political forces within Nigeria as well as foreign financiers.

IF ONLY SOWORE CAN...

In a rodomontade manner, Sowore had announced that 85% of Nigerians had acquiesced to his quest for revolution. Where he got such data, to me, remains a mystery. I have not in recent times seen any opinion poll conducted by Sowore on his personal social media handles or that of his online portal (Sahara Reporters) asking for people's support for his revolution. But then, garnering 170million Nigerians, judging from Sowore's puerile claim of 85% Nigerians, he must have committed so much resources to elicit such huge support. I, Omogbolahan Babs therefore also wish to pledge my 100% support for Sowore's call for #RevolutionNow under the following terms and conditions;

➡️ That Yele Sowore help me secure a permanent residence permit in the United States, preferably in Texas (ilé owó) for my pulchritudinous wife and three children plus one like he does have for his family too.

➡️ That Yele Sowore should help secure a miniature 4-digit monthly stipend job for my spouse (from $3,500 and above) with either USAID or even the White House. Kíni fi ñ s'èèyàn?

➡️ Albeit I am an orphan, I have many dependents from both sides of my parents. Yele Sowore should therefore help me with just a token of $100,000 to settle my extended family members. You know how wàhálà from family members dey be na.

➡️ That Yele Sowore should help me with another $50,000, a token just to settle my friends and acquaintances. Many of them have been there for me on many occasions. Àbí, no be so?

➡️ That Yele Sowore should help me, yes! Me gan an gan secure a job with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so I can live on wonderfully thereafter.

If Sowore can do all of the above, I can even promise to get him Buhari's skull if that is what he needs.

THE GULLIBLE MULTITUDE

The multitude of his online followers who hardly know that they are more of pawns in this game of shenanigans and jiggery-pokery by Sowore need our help. They need to be schooled on the obvious legerdemain of their arrowhead. Only recently, a court of competent jurisdiction removed Yele Sowore as the national chairman of his now comatose party, AAC, all because he could not account for campaign funds. The campaign funds that earned him less than 35,000 votes of the over 27million votes by other Nigerians. Those of them who had witnessed a war-like situation would not have followed him sheepishly. They should ask people like us who took part in the Ifè/Modakeke communal war. We have a sad tale till date to tell.

THE BIG QUESTIONS

For hours now, I have been thinking why would a Yele Sowore come out now to call for #Revolution when he did take part in the presidential election that saw him with abysmal votes. Why did Sowore not call for revolution when Abuja- FCT, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Kogi, Sokoto, Yobe, Yola, Maiduguri were other constant siege of Boko Haram attacks? Nigeria witnessed the highest all-high poverty index with 112million Nigerians affected in 2012. Coincidentally, this was a period the country was recording her highest oil revenues, why was revolution not germane at that time for Sowore? Some persons sank $16billion into power revamp but ended up giving the nation more darkness. Why did revolution not matter then? Why did revolution not apropos when this same country was comatose, economically with Finance Minister, CBN governor sounding notes of warning?

SOWORE VS. FG

The sovereignty of Nigeria cannot be negotiated on the altar of partisan politics or clandestine agitation. Nigerians play too much. Buhari indulges too much. Otherwise, no country sits idly while some scoundrels stage 'war' under the guise of protest against a sovereign state. IPOB did it. IMN did it. Both carrying lethal weapons. Now, Sowore wants to do it in cahoots with reprobates who have been proscribed. Imagine a 'protest' with members of the Independent People of Biafra and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria. Call it peaceful, you must be a 21st century nincompoop. The agenda is clear. Set the country on fire. Let there be conflagration. The federal government must be circumspect. Let Sowore face the music of calling for a violent change of government. Let his online sympathizers cry the more. Nigeria reigns supreme!

Omogbolahan Babs, a Forencic and Criminal Investigator writes from Abuja