The great Albert Einstein onThe great Albert Einstein once said “Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of Truth” especially in a clime like ours where the truth is often buried and mendacity is weaponized consistently against the people in the vilest way. This “manipulationship” over the years has its consequences as the deliberately impoverished and deceived people often become what the believe.
There is no doubt however that denying the truth doesn’t change the facts but the consequences of the bombardment of propaganda often make it difficult for people to differentiate between reality and fiction (paramnesia). Those who gained traction by scolding others for corruption, but when in power, out-corrupt their predecessors, often lead us to forget their hypocrisy through distractions and “whataboutism.”
They create a dangerous identity politics that tends to create sides further dividing the country into waring factions in a bloody game of “my thief is better than yours.” Respected elites in the society are forced to submission as the truth becomes a contraband that gets you labelled either as corrupt or as an opposition that needs to be investigated, intimidated or incriminated if not annihilated.
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Realizing that the control of group mind, ideas and beliefs have become more difficult with the advent of new media and Socialmedia, the media houses owned mostly by politicians are losing the grip on the dissemination of disinformation. The few media houses transmitting facts are threatened with shutdown even as the authorities double down on the funding of their online herd, engineered to disseminate falsehood.
One would have thought that by successful media, national orientation and integration, we are looking at creating a difference, making the right connection through engagement and creating a level playing field, where citizens can find inclusion (national integration) but this is far from it. No doubt when the ruckus is unleashed, the attention of the people are drawn, and this is where most of these hirelings pat themselves on the back that the job is done but in the engagement age, it goes beyond the trends, noise, inflammation and quick hits.
To drive the conversation in this age you definitely need a currency stronger than money (Trust). It is all about the engagement that creates enrollment, critical elements that guarantee that people reading you are ready to follow you to wherever you are going. It earns you the benefit of the doubt. This is what makes our every conversation a continuum from where we left off. We create a huge transparent community, where people see themselves as a member of a tribe.
When Trust is betrayed, communication and engagement are severed. You can not force someone to understand a message they are not ready to receive. How do we begin to trust people who can not put country over political party? How do we trust people who can’t be trusted even their own political party? How do we give more power to people who have refused to take responsibility or fulfil their fundamental obligation to the people in terms of securing the lives of the people? How do we ever consider people who hail those who decamped into their parties and celebrate on the pages of newspapers but threaten those who decamped from their party to another with hired killers, EFCC probe and trumped up charges?
It is obviously many things will fall apart in the coming days and empires built with expensive untruths will collapse. A rulership that lacks vision only work earnestly to perish. The clarity of seeing what as yet is not, in spite of what still is how vision can be best described. Critics have never been this hated in the history of our democracy by men who love darkness for their works are evil. But we would find that the harshest criticism contains seeds of the greatest truth.
It is amazing how something is deemed as right and welcome when it favours those in a position of authority and their fellow travellers but when the tables are turned the same situation is vehemently criticized as unlawful forgetting that records are there to show how hypocritical they are. It may not matter much if ordinary citizens are seen to be guilty of this but to think that those we entrust our state to care about themselves at the expense of all is very worrisome.
The current Senate President HE Olubukola Saraki announced his leaving his political party (APC) after deep consultation and since that announcement our democracy has been threatened by elements who saw this as a huge loss for their isolated interests. The party Chairman expressly demanded his resignation as the Hon President of the Senate, meanwhile before the party became a ruling party…
“Those saying Rt Hon Aminu Tambuwal should resign his position as Speaker seems to have forgotten history. In 1982, when accord between the NPN and NPP broke down, Umeh Ezeoke did not resign his position as Speaker, neither did Wash Pam resign as Deputy Senate President. The defection of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was not about the party but the country, it was never about the fortune of the party but that of the country at large. It will rather afford us to enjoy a robust legislation for the benefit of all.” ~Lai Muhammed APC Spokesman -Daily Trust [29th October 2014]
“It is lawful by constitutional provision of freedom of association to move to any party of your choice. The choice is the beauty of Democracy.” – Femi Falana (2014)
“It is unconstitutional to defect from one party to another.” – Femi Falana (2018)
Consider the doublespeak above and think again if these characters are worthy of our trust as a people.
Our watchword going forward in the choice of leadership must be Competence, Composure, Conscientiousness, Candor, Capacity, Capability, Character and Clarity (Perspicacity). Sentiments and litotes have plunged us deeper into the bottomless chasm and it is time to awaken. Our random opinions will only be as valid as the information upon which they are based.
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