Photo credit; Modern Ghana
Thoughts of the word, ‘revolution’, brings various meanings to different people depending on their status in life.
When, on January 15, 1966, five majors of the Nigerian Army sacked the democratic government of Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, people believed a revolution had taken place.
A rematch was to take place on July 29, 1966. It involved the northern soldiers in the same Nigerian Army who believed they had been given the short end of the stick by the perpetrators of the January coup d’etat.
The January operation actually sent more northerners, civilians and military, to their early deaths, than any other region.
Fast forward to the Murtala/Obasanjo regime. Obasanjo launched what he termed ‘Green Revolution’. He encouraged people to grow their own food.
With fanfare, he launched the Operation Feed the Nation, (OFN). Critics were to question why he later established his multi-million farms, Obasanjo Farms Nigeria, (OFN), with the same abbreviation.
The NPN government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari was later to introduce, Ethical Revolution.
Since then we’ve had quite a number of revolutions, for instance Cassava Revolution. It was aimed at feeding the whole world.
In a not too lighter mood, the fact that factories in Lagos are being taken over by various Christian denominations for use as church halls may be seen as a revolution.
Again, the fact that people who were well fed now have to go on compulsory fasting simply because they do not have access to good food could be termed a revolution.
If it is true that people are not enjoying the dividends of democracy from an elected government, the people have a right to protest. Protests may come in different ways.
Government has the obligation of protecting protesters as long as they are peaceful. But in the so-called developing world, it’s almost unheard of for the police to be protecting protesters!
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