Introduction
In the recent years, Nigeria has witnessed several ethnic tensions and separatist movements. The two most prominent ones are: The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the call for the creation of Oduduwa Republic. Although the former and latter have expressed lack of faith in the unity of Nigeria and ballot revolution, thus calling for referendum, yet they have not formally resorted to bullet revolution, even though IPOB has been so accused and proscribed. Besides these tribal agitations, there are other detribalized groups, like the “Revolution Now” and the “Obi-dient Movement” groups. The EndSARS protest by Nigerians in 2020, cutting across all ethnic groups, was an expression of their disenchantment with the current state of things. Thus, the 2023 general election is seen as a revolutionary moment by Nigerians. An example of a revolutionary moment in history was that of the first African-American president of the United States of America, Barrack Obama. With his slogan “yes, we can,” he brought about a revolution in the United States of America’s politics and emerged as the first ever African-American president in the White House. This is a prototype of an ideal political revolution. We recall some examples of other revolutionists like Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Kwame Nkrumah, Mahatma Ghandi, among others. Besides the field of politics, there are many people in other facets of human endeavours who have made strong waves through revolution.
Be that as it may, the central message here is that for us to live meaningfully and not just to exist, we need revolution from time to time, for that is what life is all about- revolution and not evolution. However, it entails sacrifices. Revolutionary moments are seasons of positive changes and as such they are called for. We need revolution to say “No” to inhuman situations we encounter in life and say “Yes” to good living conditions we desire. Failure to do so is “to exist” and “not to live,” which reduces mankind to the same level with other lower animals. What follows will redefine revolution and highlight the dimensions of an ideal revolution with a view to marketing it to Nigerians, who need revolution now, more than ever. To this end, this article posits “the 5 W’s and H,” questions, namely: “who, what, when, where, why and how” and attempts to proffer answers. The latter refers to the six basic questions to ask when gathering information or solving a problem. The “How question” is captured by the topic: “Ballot or Bullet Revolution: which way Nigeria?”
Who should carry out a revolution?
A story was told about a man who knelt down to pray and was accusing God of not coming to his assistance. After praying, the voice of God spoke to him saying: “I have created you and given you all you need to survive: your head, two hands, two legs and good health.” This goes to show that mankind is a special and distinguished higher animal with the capacity to revolt and surmount his/her challenging situations. Revolution is as old as man and is meant for every age and people. Even animals and nature revolt, unconsciously though, when the natural laws governing them are transgressed. For humans, living meaningfully calls for constant turnaround, as and when necessary. Hence, it is characteristic of humans to revolt against circumstances that confront them.
• Rev. Fr. Simon Peter Nnamdi Okanumee, SMMM is a Catholic Priest of Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy Congregation. He is an accomplished author.
