I
t may not be an exaggeration to
say that leaders who don’t perform
very well know the psychology of
closing people’s mouths. This is
a dangerous political social con-
struct. This is prevalent in third
world and some countries where those
in power are inadequate in performance.
It may be visible in Nigeria or Africa.
In overseas it may be nicely packaged
without public notice. Politics of closing
people’s mouth can be through intimida-
tion, coercion or through financial settle-
ments. We witness a lot of it in Nigeria.
It has become a culture or tradition in
Nigerian society. Many people’s loyalties
are bought with money. This is why party
members usually cross-carpet in droves
to align with an incoming leader, singing
his praises even if he is a poor perform-
er and criticizes the outgone leader that
performed better. This is selfish political
re-alignments!
Many people who come out of this
culture have become rich and they play
it well. This is very rampant in Nigerian
politics today where there are many peo
ple who have become so conservative
with truth in the face of non performing
government due to political settlements
either with a political appointment
or mouthwatering contracts. If their
mouths are not closed politically due to
the benefits they are getting, they can
start speaking from both sides of their
mouths to affirm fake political party loy-
alty. One young man claiming to repre-
sent the Nigerian youth through an arm
called DYON in the Sun Newspaper of
September 24, 2018, was busy painting
a very rosy picture of what would come
and what has been happening in the
country with a list of achievements of
this present government. Some youths
around read and received what he said
with skeptical smiles. Some wondered
if he has been “settled” because his lan-
guage is a language of a settled man in
a midst of lack. Is this esoteric political
doctrine believable? Oh come on! May-
be he has never experienced what others
have been experiencing. This is what is
setting Nigeria backwards.
It has become a big business in Nigeria
as a matter of survival. Though it is dirty,
but they play it well. The politics of clos-
ing people’s mouth has turned saints into
devils and made many wonder how they
quickly became chameleons on entering
into politics. In their subtle defense of
anomalies one can clearly discover that
their stands are highly influenced by a
“political settlement”. A politician also
can cause a scandal and enter into this
business and close people’s mouth by do-
nating fabulous amounts to stop being
exposed to the public.
King David after sleeping with Uriah’s
wife wanted to cover his abomination
by granting Uriah sudden leave from
the battle field to go home and be with
his wife but it did not work. He tried an-
other method which led to Uriah’s death
at the battle field. The politics of clos-
ing people’s mouths is played whenever
there is a big scandal. During the coloni-
al era, many of our chiefs were given so-
phisticated drinks and gifts so as to shut
the chiefs’ mouths when they would be
exploiting the law and the people.
Big companies also donate great gifts
to authorities in power to allow them
to do businesses that would not be very
favorable to Nigerians. A clear example
is the operations of the South African
owned companies in Nigeria namely
MTN and Multichoice (Owners of GoTv
and DSTV). Despite their exploitative
charges and poor services some people
in power kept quiet because they are
partners in exploitation as certain kick-
backs go to them.
What is stopping the Ajaokuta steel
mill from being completed? It was sus-
pected that Some Nigerians received
money and there was a big divide in
opinion. The white man understands the
psychology of the black man and they
play on it well. This has been a setback in
Nigeria and other third world countries
by receiving from the white man and
shutting their mouths on issues affecting
the development of their people. If Man-
dela had no sense of himself, the white
South Africans would have bought him
over and South Africa wouldn’t have
been liberated.
The politics of closing mouths has been
before Adam. Moses could have become
a member of Pharaoh’s royal family
thereby losing the leadership of his peo-
ple. His resistance helped to liberate his
people. The same thing happened with
John the Baptist. The woman asked for
his head though not for money but to
shut his mouth from speaking the truth.
Jezebel wanted to close Naboth’s mouth
through Judicial Murder after her Hus-
band; King Ahab coveted his land.
In Politics of dynasty, the Gladiators
play the game of “shut up your mouth”
by intimidating them to renounce their
positions when they fail to be “good
boys” to their godfathers. The situation
has become very fierce in Nigeria today
that traditional rulers in exalted stools
are intimidated, dethroned and banished
for not being on the same page with their
governors and are punished for saying
the truth. In the past, traditional rulers
were revered, seen as traditional source
of inspiration and are seen as agents of
truth but in Nigeria today, the thrones
are politicized, the traditional rulers are
now agents of the government and not
servants of the people. The look the other
ways when their subjects suffer from bad
government policies, this is the reason
they are now intimidated and messed
up at the slightest opportunity. This is a
clear case of Sanusi; the ex-CBN gover-
nor (who was part of the Nigerian pow-
er structure) and recently deposed and
banished Emir of Kano. His removal was
pre-medieval and underserving consid-
ering his past contributions. He became
a victim in his home government.
Politics of Closing people’s mouths is
prevalent in this era of “me too” con-
troversies. They use their past liaison to
blackmail their powerful masters. This
is very visible in Bill Cosby’s case and
others. Despite his wealth and popu-
larity, ‘me too” movement closed his
mouth for other things that could have
helped him to defend himself. The “Me
too” movement accusers extinguished
his power and closed his mouth just like
that. It closed his mouth to accept the
consequences of the inevitable pressures
caused by racism and greed.
The “bottom” politics makes many
powerful people to close their mouths
for fear of being fished out. They tried it
on Donald Trump to suppress his pow-
er and close his mouth but it was to no
avail. Many writers and social critics
have been bribed with attractive posts
to shut up their mouths and write things
favorable to the Government. Some fell
while those who are patriotic continued
to write and speak.
In a world of materialism where in-
ducement is rampant, money can be
used in quieting the powerful and peo-
ple of low economic background. Those
in power know the weakness of their
people. They can use money to make
them become “yes people” and not to
think of defending themselves. That is
the world in which we are today. While
others are clamoring for re-structur-
ing, some politically settled people go
around listing fictitious achievements of
the government making them to believe
that everyone likes their performance.
This is an evidence of a man whose
mouth has been closed after receiving
his own largesse. As for meoo, nobody
can close my mouthoo at the expense of
my fellow Nigerians who suffer like me.
Very Rev. Monsignor Livinus Ukah is a
Catholic Priest, an Author and an Advo-
cate of Social Justice and Peace