Detention Of Sowore And Practice Of True Democracy
By Young Erhuirhobo
LAGOS DECEMBER 23RD (NEWSRANGERS)-Democracy is adjudged as the best type of government in every part of the world because it is more acceptable, accessible and available to the common populace in a country.
Nigeria as a country has tried this type of government for number of types immediately after independence in 1960 but the political terrains hadn’t allowed it to germinate and grow. The political system was always intermittently truncated by the military.
Thank God and thank those of our fathers that embarked on such deadly struggles, some even paid with their lives that made the seed of democracy to be planted in 1999. Gradually, the political seed has continued to grow till this present administration with many ups and downs.
What we are saying in a nutshell is that, in a democratic government as practiced since its inception in many countries across the world, there must be freedom of speech and association for any person or group especially the poor masses. The freedom of speech and association are key tenets of democracy as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. These are fundamental rights of every citizen where this democracy is being practiced as a form of government. Thank God too, the Nigerian Constitution (1999) as amended recognizes these fundamental rights of the Nigerian citizens, including the freedom of speech and association.
If the above is true, one begins to wonder what kind of government is Nigeria operating since 1999 when such huge number of unlawful detentions, even when courts have given order for bail, such people would still be kept in police custody and prisons?
It’s heart breaking tale. So many number of people were reported to be unlawfully detained before now, but the case of Omoyele Sowore call for concerned by every well meaning Nigerian. The struggle right now is not only for Sowore to be released but it’s a struggle for our future as an independent nation and for the future of our children whose rights are to take over the leadership of this country in few years from now.
Regretfully, it looks as if the Nigerian constitution is suspended like in the hale days of the military through the DSS, Army and the Nigerian Police the same way he did in 1983 when the military overthrew an elected government.
In fact, like what one political analyst remarked some time ago, that the blood of the military was still naturally flowing in the veins of the present government. This is true, considering what the government is using the security agents to do in the country at the moment.
Whatever interpretation the DSS wants to give to the speech of Omoyele Sowore as in regard to the word “Revolution”, it doesn’t warrant such an unlawful arrest in a democratic government.
It’s against the freedom of speech and association. Making such speeches is the beauty of democracy. Sowore in the first place is a bloody civilian as the words of the soldiers. How will a helpless civilian without arms embark on the kind of revolutionthe government is referring to? Sowore was only trying to embark on the revolution he meant by his golden pen and through peaceful associations which the constitution recognizes and allows.
With the present situation, this system of government can no longer be called democracy. This is because the present system of government supports virtually all the known vices promulgated by an autocracy. Such vices include endemic corruption, election fraud, economic decline, growing inequality, extra judicial killings, uncontrolled poverty, suspension of constitution, obnoxious laws, personal freedom and many more. All these are pointers to the fact that Nigeria is no longer practising democracy but outright ‘demonstration of craze’.
In essence, Sowore was calling attention to the above problems and how to solve them. This was the revolution the man meant which is now being mis-interpreted by the government and the security operatives. In a normal democratic settings, peaceful protests are the only political tools that the poor masses have to draw the attention of the government to their plight. Even those representing the people in government may not feel the pains of the shoes as those poor masses that wore them. Therefore, they express their pains to the government through peaceful protests. If what Sowore has done is against the law, then Mr. President should allow the law to take its cause by following the due process of the law.
Finally, we have presented a very bad image of this country to the outside world by re-arresting Omoyele Sowore right in the court room where a fully robed judge granted him bail. It shows that Nigeria is under military rule with draconian laws in complete disguise to democracy. Nigerians should not forget that, it is detestable for a warrior to visit the evil forest twice in his life time.
Young Erhiurhoro;Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.
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