Days of rage protest, conspiracy of Yoruba elites and demonization of Igbos

I am a proud Yoruba man representing the ‘Fadeyi Constituency’ of life in Nigeria (my catchphrase for all the powerless and opportunity-less in a land blessed with so much), and I was very happy to finally read a poignant piece from a much-respected Yoruba man like Babafemi Badejo, who broke ranks with many Yoruba elites to speak the truth to our brother Yoruba in power.

Thank God for the few true Omoluabi Yorubas remaining, like Babafemi Badejo (a former UN Representative), who show that there are still a few Yoruba elites left who can see the developing dark clouds over our nation with frankness and call it what it is, instead of joining many of their elite ethnic brothers and sisters in throwing the Igbos under the bus for everything about the reaction of suffering Nigerians to the unbearable pain our whole nation is going through, regardless of tribe and clime.

I have observed that these days, many of us Yorubas, now that we are in power, seem so blinded by our love for our tribe and ethnic region, buoyed up by our previously hidden hatred for the Igbos, that we now automatically adopt the position to blame the Igbos or Peter Obi first for anything that happens in Nigeria today that is against the status quo. Many Yoruba elites do not seem to notice or care that the Igbos are not in power, and Peter Obi, the so-called ‘Igbo leader,’ has not even taken the posture of being the leader of the opposition other than speaking out occasionally against unacceptable policies of this government as is his right. As far as they are concerned, the Igbos are the demons behind every ill wind they feel, even if it is a result of the direct actions of a government that is going nowhere fast despite its cast of very smart Yoruba elites.

Truth be told, after listening to and watching some of the most cerebral Yoruba leaders I know throw reason to the wind in their collective disdain for Igbos, I was beginning to think that there must be a conspiracy among Yoruba elites to play the ostrich over the underperforming administration of Tinubu that has left most Nigerians in more poverty and hopelessness.

Rather than speaking truth to power, most Yoruba elites, who were very vocal against GEJ’s failures and Buhari’s backward-moving government, have now chosen to hide under the banner of ethnic jingoism by always blaming one tribe (especially the Igbos) while ignoring the dissatisfaction among Yorubas with the current status quo. All of a sudden, it is unpatriotic to demonstrate against the rising cost of living, and all we hear now is, “if the Igbos want to demonstrate, let them go to their land,” as if all Igbos have had an ethnic meeting and declared they want to come down and burn down Lagos, Ibadan, and maybe my Ijebu Mushin too.

It’s just all weird to me.

Take this planned Days of Rage protest, for instance. We can all see that many high-profile Nigerians, including well-known Yoruba men like Sowore, Babatunde Gbadamosi, and Adeyanju, are behind this protest, along with some Igbos and Hausas. However, many of my Yoruba elites have taken the default position that it is only the Igbos planning it against their own Yoruba man, President Tinubu. They have chosen to believe their own lies that the only objective of this planned protest is for Igbos to burn down the properties of Yorubas in Lagos, even when it is their own fellow Yoruba men who have carried this planned protest on their heads! This is most unfortunate.

Listening to many prominent Yoruba leaders, one might get the impression that only the Igbos are planning to demonstrate and that they intend to burn down Lagos or Ibadan out of envy for what the Yorubas have achieved.

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Frankly, I think it’s disgusting for some of our elders who know better to take that position. I cannot believe I am now hearing previously violent NADECO members, who even detonated bombs during their own fight for democracy, speak with a straight face that anyone who protests will go home in a body bag. Ha!

Truth is, if we want to condemn a potentially violent demonstration, let’s all condemn it regardless of which tribe we assume is leading it. And to be perfectly clear, I personally condemn the planned Days of Rage protest in the strongest terms. I condemn it not because I oppose demonstrating against this government (I believe we should all protest against Tinubu’s government to let him know how bad things are and make the leaders do right by us, as is allowed in any democracy), but I condemn it because of the connotations of violence evoked by the themes “Days of Rage” and “Revolution Now” unfortunately adopted by the organizers.

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I cannot support a protest with the theme to do rage or to bring everything down, no matter how strongly I believe this government should get a taste of its own protest medicine. That’s why I am not supporting it, but I am also all for the idea of protests. 100 per cent.

Only a naive person would assume that anything called ‘Days of Rage’ or ‘Revolution Now’ (an organization run by a known Yoruba man campaigning for the release of a murderous insurrectionist like Nnamdi Kanu) will be peaceful. The protest’s name alone evokes chaos, and no responsible patriot should support it.

That’s why I am not for Days of Rage, but I do believe that citizens have a right to protest peacefully, and they should protest peacefully against the current government. It has brought us nothing but economic hardship while they build N20 billion houses and increase their fleet of private jets and drive around in N200 million cars paid for by the resources of the people! Yes, we should peacefully protest a situation of runaway inflation and mass unemployment and mass hunger in the land! I am just not for any Days of Rage or Revolution Now since they may cause more deaths and violence by their mere characterization through their slogans.

However, for any of my Yoruba brothers and sisters to divert attention from the catalysts of disaffection that gave rise to this planned protest by playing the tribal blame game is unacceptable to me.

Yoruba leaders who claim only the Igbos are planning to demonstrate hypocritically downplay the fact that their own Yoruba sons and brothers are prominent in organizing this protest. Sowore is very visible; he coined the phrase ‘Days of Rage,’ organized Twitter meetings to decide on demands, and published those demands, including the release of Kanu.

Yet, it’s the Igbos who want to take Tinubu down? What a laugh.

Make no mistake: there are indeed many reasons to protest in this nation right now. GEJ did not put us through 50 per cent of what we are enduring now before the same Tinubu called Nigerians to the streets to discredit Jonathan’s government and ultimately cost him his second term.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. It’s supposed to be a democratic right to protest, but now our so-called democratic Yoruba leaders are threatening death to anyone who dares to protest. They are rolling out sacred traditional institutions to intimidate citizens by doing 15 days of Oro — a period longer than ever before.

Let’s be clear: while the chosen name for the planned protest is unfortunate, the organizers have not committed any violence yet. They have not attacked anyone and have not stated any violent intentions. They asked for safe passage and a place to demonstrate, but our Yoruba elites consider it insulting that they are asking for permission to use public places or even for water (which, while ridiculous, shows they want to come in peace). You can’t just shut down a planned demonstration out of fear of violence.

Sure, we had violence in the past with EndSARS, but everyone forgets that the violent aftermath was caused by the violent shooting of protesters in the first place. If the government didn’t shoot youthful protesters who had been peacefully protesting for two weeks, maybe we would not have had the mindless violence that followed.

We cannot overcompensate for previous violent protests by saying nobody can protest now that Yorubas are in power.

I am most unhappy about this and will keep saying so. I am embarrassed by the number of prominent Yorubas who have become murderous defenders of an underperforming government just because it’s one of their own.

I am hearing SANs and elders threatening instant death and shonpono against demonstrators, and I shudder.

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What’s going on, you all? Is your love for Tinubu so strong that you refuse to see the reality in which most Nigerians live? Are you so committed to defending the unacceptable status quo that you are ready to throw all Igbos under the bus just to keep others oppressed? Are your own children and relatives not suffering under the hardship imposed by a man who promised us deliverance? If people want to demonstrate, should you not be encouraging them while urging them to be non-violent?

• Dr. Ope Banwo, the Mayor of Fadeyi, a man very proud of his Yoruba heritage as a double prince from Ikala, in Ijebu Imushin, is most unhappy at the embers of ethnicism being fanned across the country against other tribes, especially the Igbos