By Lawrence
Buhari
would probably go down in history as the worst violator of human rights and by
consequence the most undemocratic president ever to walk the shores of this
blighted land. It is ironic that one day after the regime celebrated democracy
day and its one year anniversary on the 29th of May with much pomp, pageantry and
fanfare, feeding the public with fanciful tales of its commitment to democracy,
the rule of law and much propaganda on what it claims to have achieved in one
year; the next day being the 30th of May heralded an unprovoked
bloodbath as the infamous Nigerian army treaded the familiar path of killing
more than 50 IPOB and MASSOB adherents who were peacefully marking the 49th anniversary
of the declaration of Biafra.
The most fundamental
attributes of democracy are the freedoms of expression, association and
dissent. Democracy in effect gives citizens the largest unrestricted space to
air their views no matter how unpalatable—to assemble for what they believe in
and above all to express dissent through peaceful means. In nations where
democracy is practiced as it should, citizens express themselves freely and
organise frequent public protests to register dissent. In none of these
countries are citizens arrested or killed for expressing their opinion or for
organising public protests. In rare occasions where possibly because of
violence the security services deem it necessary to terminate such protests;
civil means such as tear gas and water cannons are employed to disperse
protesters. It is thus paradoxical that one day after celebrating
democracy day, the army is unleashed to kill peaceful protesters who are
exercising the most fundamental right that democracy affords them.
More so when as has
been reported, IPOB and MASSOB had actually written the Anambra state
commissioner of police, formally notifying him of their upcoming rally, for
which the police should ordinarily have provided security while they carried
out their peaceful rally as is done in true democracies. How can an
administration celebrate the virtues of democracy and at the same time kill
unarmed peaceful protesters? Is their own definition of democracy different?
How come the same administration that has refused to act and infact maintained
a studied silence while Fulani herdsmen slaughter people across the middle belt
and South is ever so quick to kill peaceful IPOB/MASSOB protesters? By these
contradictions Buhari has again demonstrated his deliberate refusal to align
with democratic tenets. After decades of struggling to have democratic
governance and 17 years in a supposed democracy, these blatant suppression of
rights and extra judicial executions only serves to indicate that Nigeria
has returned to full blown despotism.
