NIGERIA: NO COUNTRY FOR BRAVE MEN; A TALE OF TWO NUHUS
There are times when I find it difficult to keep up with blogging positively about Nigeria, please indulge me this one time. Last September Mr Nuhu Ribadu while speaking in New York said he was . Recently I watched Mr. Nuhu Aliyu, make allegations against his colleagues in the Nigerian Senate, promising to name names. I watched with a friend, (thanks to ) and we declared that Mr. Aliyu was one of a kind, the acting-outside-the-box type. His getup was unprecedented and an utter display of bravery.
Yesterday, when Senator Nuhu Aliyu had his opportunity to name the names, , ranging from outright selfish ones, to "really I will say anything to get out of the hot seat right now". Some have wondered aloud where the pressures may be coming from. , .
I am not fit to make accurate conjectures of my own, I know too little to make deductions from the information reported by the newspapers, though my suspicion is that Nuhu knows something I do not know. One thing is certain though, Nigeria is no country for brave men.
Brave men that can stand by their utterances, be it right or wrong. Not men that are quick to explain away prior utterances, the moment they get a phone call from the 'powers'.
For Nuhu Ribadu's EFCC, the one good 'thing' that was working for us. I respect the good work this man has done. He put the fear of God into all that had any remote connection to the Nigerian government. . Like in the case of senator Aliyu I may not be able to make specific statements about the delicate dance of being brave in Nigeria. If I were in their shoes, I may even cave in just like they have done, as the pressures become unbearable. However one thing remain true. In the case of these two Nuhus, Nigeria has proven to be a country that is not welcoming to out of the box brave acts.
14Comment(s):
It is from the house of the coward that we will stand and look at where the brave man once lived ---Old Igbo proverb.
Maybe pragmatism is entrenched in our mindset.
I am not going to pretend like I understand that one> Mr. can you please explain some more.
its clear that when a rat swims with a lizard,the lizard dries up in a moment leaving the rat to die of phemonia.the key thing here is that both of them are ANIMALS....
Senator Nuhu Aliyu is a big disappointment - to himself, family and constituency. He knows something because he has been murmuring since 2005! Then he got a call from the Nigerian mafia and he suddenly lost his tongue.
Senator Aliyu despite being a former Deputy Inspector General of Police acted dumb in some many ways, for instance, a dossier sent to the NYTimes or UK Guardian would have taken care of this matter and his identity would have remained secret
I watched Aliyu withdraw his statement in front of the House (or was it Senate?). Anyway, he clearly stated that his "lawyers" strongly advised him to withdraw his earlier statements.
Are we really surprised that he choked? There are no systems in place to protect 'whistleblowers" and had he revealed his juicy info, even yardy would not have been able to protect him.
Besides, even if he revealed names, he would potentially face a defamation suit and if he did not have the evidence, he would be screwed.
Doing the right thing in Nigeria will bring you an untimely death or extreme hardship. Those that are benefiting from the status quo have no reason to abandon it for change and will do what they can to keep things as they are. Aliyu was not willing to risk his life or that of his family on behalf of the nation.
Although I believe that is unfortunate, I cannot say that I do not understand.
Wow, random African is yet to comment? I was looking forward to reading his thoughts on this issue...
oh Solomonsydelle !
I've read this entry like 10 times, been following the comments and thought about commenting. But honestly, there isn't much to be said..
Like you pointed out. Aliyu was probably scared for his life or worse. Who knows which threat they used ?
On the other hand, it is disappointing to see those leaders who keep claiing for more patriotic behavior from the population chicken out so easily, isn't it ?
but oh well.. life is hard.
(i also wonder if they didnt have or create dirt of the two Nuhus)
I guess since it is impractical to serve in the Nigerian government, we will not be expecting anybody to speak up anytime soon.
Ones hands starts getting soiled from the door. Way way before getting to the table.
It is also possible that our Nuhu was just being used by the powers to control some wayward members of the Senate. You can not put anything past them can you.
i have nothing of value to add...can't speak on the issue discussed...just wanted to say hello...
Isn't it funny how we lament about Aliyu, I think we are just as guilty as he is, expressing what we feel,but the question remains.. what are we doing about it? bottom line where are the Martin Luther Kings of Nigeria, more action less talk, less critism...
@ragdoll: Thank you ohhhhhhh, that is the problem, everytime we have an opportunity to do something, na so fear go dey catch everybody. I think living in Nigeria does that to you. Everybody around will keep drumming into your head how impossible it, until even you, start believing it.
I can name so many examples and I do believe that without support, nobody will be willing to risk their life for anything. Why should he risk his life for the same people that are advising him no to? When he made those allegations, why did the other members of the house, not rally around him and give him the support system he needed? Instead, he says he got "a cold shoulder" from them. In my opinion, that means every single member of the senate is guilty of something!
see gist o!!!...eh hehn...i have been inspired to response o...
...i agree with ssd, waffarian and ragdoll...but i want to know, how you move people past the fear?...how do you yourself move past the fear and stand for what you believe, despite the risks?...when and how do you choose which battles are worthy to fight for, with your life on the line?...and then convince others to fall in line?...or is there a way to lead and do what you believe is right while leaving those in err to God/karma/time/etc.?...
Waffy you made some very valid points, I agree that if the people I'm trying to die for aint even looking for me to die for them lol that death sure aint gonna be worth it, its hard to go at it by yourself
lol @ gue.. for the inspiration part, in response one thing I do know is, if you truly do beleive in something,i mean truly truly o, what you feel/do won't be based on what others neccesarily think about it, unfortunately you would have to go at it alone sometimes, but of course to get to that level is another story entirely. Ultimately to get there it might take one person standing up and actually remain standing, perhaps dying,it will probably take more than one person,but then there's proof that it was all worth dying for afterall....
Hmmm thats my girl Che-Ragdoll.