Nigeria: Our Disappearing Progressives

 By Sunny Ikhioya

Judging from its trajectory, the 2023 election was expected to be different from previous ones, and it did go that way. What we never imagined was the betrayal of the so-called Progressives, who claim to be the conscience of the nation, and are more patriotic than the rest; the lodestar of the nation’s compass. Before the 2015 elections they were everywhere: in the academia, labour, civil societies, NGOs, media and others. 

They were preaching freedom, equity, fundamental human rights, free and fair elections, infrastructure and welfare to uplift the common man and many more. It has been eight long years. Many things have happened in the country within this period: the citizens have been battered black and blue; those who couldn’t stand it have taken the Japa route.

In the midst of all these, is an eerie silence, like that of the grave yard, full of action underneath but not a word on the surface. Our Progressives have gone AWOL and in their absence a very angry mob of youths have taken over. We must note that in this world, nature abhors a vacuum; there are centripetal and also centrifugal forces, each of them occupying their own space. 

No matter how powerful a government is, there will always be countervailing forces to check its excesses. In China which runs a totalitarian regime, dissenting voices still cry out loud and are heard by the whole world.  Where the Progressives have left a vacuum, the youths have taken over; the whole nation is now in a panic mode. What has happened is a novelty to our system; it has never been witnessed before in our political history. 

As a result, the authorities are finding it difficult to initiate an appropriate response to it. Where they are supposed to be calm in deciphering the messages of the youths, they are threatening and conjuring up evidences to crimes that do not appear to exist. They are in a panic mode because the cultures of the past contradicts clearly with the ones the youths are trying to force in. Cultures of the past that are passive to oppression, suppression of dissents, rigging, looting and political brigandage. 

In the past, our progressive civil society organisations would be crying and shouting from the rooftop and nobody would heed their cries. But the ones that have taken over are not ready to go through that route, they want to take it by force if their cries are not heeded. They have watched all of the nonsense going on in the country and are fed up. 

They want a change and it’s either government yields to them or they force their way through. That appears to be their body language; but can they be calmed down? Yes, it is possible if those who understand the two cultures are brought in to intercede. Those who understand the youths and where they are coming from and those that also know that a smooth handover is the best way forward for the development and growth of the nation. It will take a radical paradigm shift and all involved must be able to understand this; in this manner the barrier will be broken. 

It takes a lot of patience, understanding, enlightenment, truth and sincerity on the side of our leaders. This is the way to go as it concerns our new brigade. Our youths who have been kept aside and abandoned for a long time, who in the past have been labelled as lazy, have now woken up. What about our progressives? What happened to them? Have they been sucked in by the lures of lucre (money)? Is it that, because they are now in government, they cannot talk against their own? 

What is in government that makes people turn coat immediately they get into public office? Is it true that the greatest critics are the worst when power is handed to them? Why are our intellectuals different from their counterparts elsewhere, especially in the manner they handle matters of governance and researches? How did our progressives get to this sorry state? A progressive is seen as “a person or idea favouring social reforms.  

The Progressives in Nigeria took their root from the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, who was very open about his idea of leadership, which had a socialist bent; one that promotes the growth of the ordinary citizens, while bridging the gap between the rich and the poor through shared prosperity. His programmes especially in the old Western Region was also a testimony to his political philosophy: free education, medical/healthcare, agricultural cooperative societies and massive infrastructural development. 

He was known to be forthright and would not pander to other ideologies that thrive on love for power.  Under Awolowo, you would never find a true progressive in the camp of the ultra conservatives. That is to say: if Awolowo were to be alive today a marriage like that of the CPC and ACN wouldn’t have come to be. 

This marriage has brought much suffering to the people: labour unions, CSOs, academics, etc.,  became turncoats, and they brought with them the militancy of the progressives to force the ultra-conservative PDP out of government. Now, we know that the only thing permanent about life is change. The people expected change; after the promise of heaven on earth, old things have passed away, all things have become new. 

I will not dwell further on the details of what transpired and how all of our so-called “Progressives “, including the very loquacious ones among them, kept mum throughout the eight years of the APC rule. We could not hear one voice speaking out in favour of the people with very harsh policies keeping them in a vicious cycle of sufferings. 

The case of Nigeria became that of survival of the fittest; many who could not stand the stress died, while others took the emigration option. Meanwhile, our Progressives kept quiet. It became expedient for the youths of the country to take their destinies in their own hands, after witnessing various forms of harassment and intimidation from law enforcement agents. 

This led to the EndSARS movement, some of which later transformed to the OBIdients of the labour party. They brought the activism, militancy and vibrancy of the youths into their movement and things have refused to settle down till today. Now, the APC, including the self-acclaimed Progressives among them, that introduced this brand of politics into the country are now shouting and accusing others of treason and subversion. 

The same so-called Progressives that threatened to form a parallel government if the 2015 election did not go in their favour, are now issuing threats and using government agents to frustrate legitimate opposition. Is it true then, that those who are the biggest critics cannot stand what they are dishing out to others, intolerant of other views? Have we been dealing with fake Progressives all these while? Is this attitude good for democracy in Nigeria? If this trend continues, are we not moving towards a one-party fascist state? This is food for thought for all.

* Ikhioya is a commentator on public issues