The roving demonstration by Nigerians around the world is a good thing. It is proof that there is still a juncture where Nigerians will rise up to reject abysmal failure, absurd whims and voracious greed. While we celebrate this return to activism, after years of complicit acquiescence, we must not confuse it for what it is not. Soon after the Abuja demonstration, some Nigerians declared that the revolution had begun. Others claimed that in our own eyes, the New Nigeria had been born. The reaction of most Nigerians falls in line with that affliction that has been killing us all – low expectations.
It is low expectations that make us clap for a governor who pays workers’ salaries on time. It is low expectations that make us name a governor who repaired roads as the governor of the year. It is low expectations that make us include the Nigerian factor whenever we make plans, programs and projections. Low expectations make us celebrate mediocrity.
Nigerians are interesting people. We get excited very easily. We get tickled by trifles. We get bemused by buffoons. We get pillaged by priests. We are tormented by the thugs in our midst.
A demonstration does not make a revolution. While it may lead to one, it does not on its own make a revolution.
Fake news was invented 500 years ago – we must learn from its history
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It is no coincidence that Europe’s witch-hunt frenzy followed shortly after
the birth of the printing press
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