Nigeria has a reputation for being the world poverty capital. Poverty in Nigeria is socially constructed, economically circumscribed and politically weaponized. In Nigeria, two diametrically opposed groups exist – the politicians and the people. While the politicians flaunt in ostentatious display of looted wealth, the poor masses wallow in poverty of multidimensional proportion.
Deeply rooted in the Nigerian system are systemic corruption, entrenched injustice and structural violence. All these variables combined conduces to psychological brutalizations, economic deprivations, social exclusion and political marginalization.
Over the years, genuine agitations for restructuring and institutional reforms have been responded with resistance and sometimes use of brute force. Angered by the impunity of the just disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) in unwarranted harassment, extortion, torture and murder of innocent citizens, the Nigerian youths took to the street in peaceful protest against police brutality with the hashtag #ENDSARS.
Sadly, Tuesday 20th October, 2020 went into the annals of Nigerian history as Black Tuesday, as men on military uniform opened fire on peaceful protesters killing and maiming several of them.
The shooting was a practical manifestation of the culture of violence, militarization of “civil spaces” and extinction of ‘humanity’ (humaneness). It revealed the extend the country has drifted to a level that underpins the Hobbesian hypothization of brutishness, barbarity and brevity.
The massacre triggered a chain of events that spiraled into wanton destruction of private and pubic properties, killings, looting and heightened tensions. State governments were constrained to impose curfew.
However, economically strained Nigerians had breakthrough into warehouses across the states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory. No adjective can adequately describe Nigerian politicians for hoarding of Covid-19 palliatives than “Mephistophelian”. It is utterly mephistophelian to impose lockdown and hoard palliatives in a period of famine. It is equally obnoxious to call the people who had a breakthrough into the warehouses looters. The real looters are the politicians who sit under the collective wealth of the people and divert it for their personal aggrandizement. It is inhuman, insensitive and mark of injustice. The corrupt politicians are inexcusable.
In the final analysis, if drastic steps are not taken to end the culture of systemic injustice, structural violence and weaponized poverty, the looting politicians may not survive the second wave of youth uprising.
Thus, restructuring the federation is the panacea to Nigeria pseudo federalism
