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The new face of protest
Iheanacho Nwosu
During the
pre-independence days of the world’s second most populous nation, India,
renowned political strategist, Mahatma Ghandi earned global fame and respect for
his doctrine of "passive resistance."
The late nationalist and politician waged
a relentless and deadly war against the then colonial rulers in the country. But
his strategy was non violent. Visionary and undaunting, he would organise a
nationwide strike against the colonial masters but ensured that the teeming
Indians neither engaged their foreign rulers in fisticuffs nor torched any of
the country’s prized monuments.
Instead, Ghandi would arm the people with
sealed lips and unusual indifference. The persistent efforts of the colonial
rulers to get the people to talk or work would be met with a strong wall of
passivity.
At the end of the day, the strategy paid
off as it was widely reputed to have helped in dismantling colonial rule in the
country.
Of course, many Nigerians arguably are not
schooled in Mahatma Ghandi’s passive resistance doctrine. But the people in what
appears more like a coincidence, almost came to replaying the pre-independence
Indian strategy in the just suspended nationwide strike called by the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) in protest against the recent increase in pump prices of
petroleum products.
Far from the usual violence, killings and
rowdiness that often characterised strikes in the country, the present strike,
between Wednesday when it kicked off and Friday when it was called off, was
marked by clear absence of these incidents.
In Lagos and Abuja, the nation’s seat of
power, the strike was not only devoid of violence, but generally peaceful. Yet
it recorded unprecedented success in these two cities. In the words of NLC
president, Mr. Adam Oshiomhole, the strike was "100 per cent successful in Lagos
and 85 per cent successful in Abuja".
Without any prompting, commuters and
private vehicle owners between Wednesday and Friday deserted the hitherto busy
roads and streets of Lagos, Abuja and some other states’ capitals. They were
neither coerced nor enjoined to do so by labour.
"What we saw was an entirely new way of
protesting against government policies by the public. People on their own
decided to be non-violent, yet they passed across their message", chieftain of
All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Secretary of Conference of Nigerian
Political Parties (CNPP) Chief Maxi Okwu said.
Okwu, who spoke with Monday Politics
in a telephone interview corroborated the position of Oshiomhole that the
strike was a huge success. "The strike was a success. Nigerians responded very
well", he remarked.
The federal government may contest the
verdict of Okwu and Oshiomhole, but they can hardly argue the fact that the
roads and streets in Lagos and Abuja recorded only scores of vehicles. Also
economic activities were brought to a standstill.
However, Okwu, believes that the new
message that has been sent out by the strike is not just that people would, more
than ever before, be ready to challenge the federal government but that the
notion that Nigerians were so docile and cannot stand up against anti-people
policies of government has been proved to be untrue.
"We have seen Nigerians overwhelmingly
coming out to tell our so-called government officials that they cannot continue
to take us for a ride," he said.
Only on May 3, the opposition under the
aegis of Nigerians united for Democracy (NUD) held a mass rally. The rally, led
by Alhaji Balarabe Musa, chairman of CNPP and presidential flagbearer of Peoples
Redemption Party (PRP) in last year’s election, recorded low success.
Although it was attended by prominent
political leaders like Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party
(ANPP), Dim Emeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu of APGA, and Dr. John Nnia Nwodo, it was
shunned by some political parties and interest groups, a development many
fingered as the reason for the dismal turnout at the much publicised event.
Lessons from the May mass rally and the
present strike, some argue, have brought home the message that forming a strong
opposition against the present government, beyond other sentiments, lies on the
ability of interest groups to join forces.
ANPP governorship candidate in Anambra
state, Chief George Muoghalu told Monday Politics that the strike has not
only provided a fresh insight into the new spirit of the Nigerian public but has
also left a new political road map for the opposition in its fight for a just
nation.
He said "I think some of us are buoyed by
the strike. The opposition now has more energy to continue to fight for a just
society. Nigerians showed that they can make a statement in a non violent
manner.
"It also threw more challenge to the
opposition and the generality of Nigerians. We have better chances of moving
mountains by working together".
Apart from other measures, analysts
believe that the greatest strategy that worked for NLC in the strike was the
rapport and unity of action that existed between it and other interest groups
like the civil society groups, opposition political parties, students and the
Nigerian masses.
While NLC was busy mobilising workers, pro
democracy and civil society groups left no stone unturned in getting Nigerians
to develop sympathy for the strike.
Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti, a pro democracy
activist, repeatedly urged Nigerians to stand up and be counted as people that
worked for the emancipation of their nation from what he called the inhuman
policies of government.
To a large extent, the recent rally
organised by Citizens’ Forum, a coalition of Human Rights and Democracy groups
led by nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka also helped in raising Nigerians’
consciousness and interest in the strike.
Chief Brady Nwosu, former senatorial
aspirant and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain said "the strike achieved
success because the series of rallies by the civil society groups and opposition
parties have created the impression in the minds of many Nigerians that there is
reason to fight the government."
He argued, " many didn’t join the strike
because pump prices of fuel have been hiked but because they have been made to
think that there is reason to fight the present government."
Though divergent interpretations have been
given to the strike, what seems to enjoy the support of many is that the
approach to the strike was entirely strange to the nation "We have never seen
this kind of strike before. Nigerians have proved that they can ground the
polity without engaging the government and its security operatives in any fight.
I only hope that our politicians should learn one or two lessons from the
strike," Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo advised.
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