Just recently, a group of protesters marched along the major streets of Ibadan, Oyo State, pleading that the military should take over the leadership of the country from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that his administration is uncaring about the hardship the majority of the citizens are going through, day in day out. Their call came exactly 25 years after the military returned to the barracks and has continued to perform its statutory function of safeguarding the territorial integrity of the country with the full support of every government that comes to power.
We want to believe that those calling for forceful regime change were not born during the periods the military ruled the country, and would not understand what the country went through in what event watchers described as Nigeria’s darkest moments. There is a common saying that the worst civilian administration is better than the best military regime. Nigeria had been there before and knew how difficult it was to rescue the country from the hands of the khaki boys who held sway then. Inviting the military to come back two and a half decades after they retreated to the barracks and in turn, embraced the core duty of their engagement, under whatever premise, is an aberration and also antithetical to the common good.
Military rule is an old-fashioned idea and no one in his right frame of mind would call for military intervention, no matter how difficult and challenging the times may be, as is currently the case in Nigeria today; politically and economically. One good thing about constitutional democracy is that it allows citizens to make choices at a given time, and that choice is through the ballot box and not by the bullets of the gun as erroneously canvassed by the Ibadan protesters. That these calls are coming in quick successions given the Northern episode in August where protesters against #BadGovernance, including minors clad in foreign flags, calls for vigilance and alertness by all lovers of democracy to defend it at all cost.
That some Nigerians are openly begging the military to take over the reins of power less than two years in the life of this administration also shows that all is not well with the country and should therefore, serve as an eye-opener to the political leaders to change from their life of opulence and embrace frugality for the sake of the suffering populace. This means more works need to be done to change the narrative and direct their energy towards solving the problems besetting the country and her people. Accordingly, ”lean freedom is better than fat slavery.”
Those who are angling for alternative government in a democratic setting should watch their way and refrain from such uncharitable demands. Yes, the society is encumbered by myriad of problems, but ours is not an isolated case, as some members of the international community are facing similar issues. This means, with deliberate and conscious efforts and dedication, we can overcome our problems, support the government to realise set objectives. Meanwhile, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, having returned rejuvenated, according to some of his aides after two weeks of oversea vacation, to demonstrate for once, that he has heard the cry of Nigerians, loud and clear by introducing measures that would turn the fortunes of the country around.
That is what the present situation requires. While we condemn in its entirety the clamour by some individuals for forceful regime change, we also call on the government and the top military brass to watch out for the black sheep among them, to avoid any situation that may not speak well for the generality of Nigerians at this time of nation building.
