In 1929, women from Owerri, Calabar and environ, after months of preparation, rose in protest against a harsh taxation policy of the colonial masters. They also protested the activities of the African Warrant Officers who aided them. They had to go topless to register their displeasure at the actions of the colonialists which were causing economic hardship for the entire community. In 1949, Fela Anikulapo Kuti‘s mother, the women‘s rights campaigner, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, led a protest against harsh anti-female taxation regime.
When the women of Escravos in the Niger Delta area could no longer bear the hardship, they had to embark on a 10-day peaceful protest to demand that their husbands and sons be given jobs by the oil companies – ChevronTexaco and Shell. That was in 2002. When they started taking off their clothes to expose their nakedness, the executives of the oil companies had to negotiate with them.
After the re-run election in Ekiti State in 2009, hundreds of women from the state, many of them topless, protested the malpractices that marked that election. The placard-carrying women rained curses on the perpetrators of the electoral fraud.
The belief is that whoever makes a woman, especially a mother, go naked in anger is cursed. So, reasonable people really would not dream of causing women sufficient grief to expose that which should be hidden to the public.
Just two days ago, a new dimension was added to the drama of getting former governor of Delta State, Mr. James Ibori, to answer for his actions while in government. Ibori is currently facing charges of misappropriation of funds while in office as the governor of Delta State. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recently declared him wanted. The women of Oghara, Ibori‘s hometown, went naked to protest the ”harassment of their illustrious” son by the EFCC.
It seems as if ”nude protest” has become a tool employed by politicians to divert attention from grave matters. What has the EFCC officials done to merit such action? It would seem that some women would go naked in public for that man or woman who could foot the bill. Unfortunately, these ”rent a protester” are soiling the names of activists with just causes who use protest as a tool to get the ”rulers” to listen to the led.
In fact, ”protest industry” seems to be thriving in Nigeria, especially in this political dispensation. It doesn‘t matter whether one has a cogent reason or not, if one has enough cash to throw around, one can gather some people to go to Abuja or wherever, to protest any cause.
Thankfully, it is civilian era where such protests are tolerated by all who should. Who would dare that if it were a military regime?
The recent wave of protests started with the Save Nigeria Group protesting against ailing President Yar‘Adua holding the nation to ransom. Of course, the rally generated publicity and it must have increased the outrage against Yar‘Adua and his minders because by the time the second leg of the rally was staged in Lagos, clouds had begun to gather over the celebrated ‘cabal‘ who were keeping Yar‘Adua from the country. The end of the story is known to all.
We have had celebrities march to the National Assembly Complex to protest and they were denied entrance. From the reasons adduced by various camps, it seems that those within the legislative quarters are yet to understand that protests – pointless and otherwise – are integral parts of democracy. For instance, in the United States, prior to the war in Iraq, various groups – pro and anti war – marched to show their support. A third group also staged a protest. Members of this group said they were neither for nor against the war, but since others were protesting, they felt they should let America and the rest of the world know that there was a group of people who had no opinions about the war and that they should not be marginalised.
After the various legs of the SNG rally, we have had several pro-Yar‘Adua rallies led by some young men who felt that as long as Yar‘Adua could still draw breath, he should remain in office.
This pro-Yar‘Adua rally is reminiscent of the General Sani Abacha days when a million people were said to have ”marched” to support the despot. Of course, anybody who is a Nigerian or who knows how things work here will know that such rallies are hardly ever borne out of conviction or fighting for a cause. It is paid for by the sycophantic aides of megalomaniac who want to convince him at all costs that he is a man of the people.
In the case of the pro-Yar‘Adua rally, the rented crowd fought over their pay after they had sweated it out in the sun. The convener was said to have refused to pay the specified amount to these people who were fighting for a mess of pottage.
After the pro-Yar‘Adua march came the pro-Iwu march. For those who still don‘t know, Prof. Maurice Iwu is the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, an organisation whose ineptitude at organising proper elections is legendary. Nigerians and even foreigners who are not stakeholders have demanded his removal for reasons ranging from morality to logicality. Iwu has pretended not to hear all the noise and outrage. He is sitting tight in office despite several rallies organised against him.
A pro-Iwu rally was organised and it was led by the man who is known for many rebellious acts – Charly Boy, aka Area Fada. For Area Fada who is being sustained by the rebellious biker image, his reputation as a musician having long faded, it is an ineffectual way of selling a patently unsellable product. Nobody is amused or impressed and the Area Fada must have found out that there is a limit to what his bling bling and attitude can endorse.
The latest of ”this protest for protest sake” being carried out by the people of Oghara on behalf of their son, Ibori, is laughable. One would have thought that these Nigerians would have distanced themselves from him until he has been proclaimed not guilty.
Instead, they carried placards and launched a protest. It is obvious from the look on their faces that the protesters are impoverished and must have been hired for the exercise.
Ask each of them what Ibori has personally contributed to their lives and they will most likely draw a blank stare. However, they are ”protesting” because, most likely, at the end of the exercise, they will be handed a mess of pottage. It is that bad.
Viewed in this context, it is understandable why the first thing our leaders do is to keep the led poor. If they can ensure that people are poor, they can manipulate them at will. Suppose these protesters are people with decent jobs and can afford to feed their families and make a decent living, will they be protesting on behalf of a man who might not even know they exist?