“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no misunderstanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.” – Bill Bullard
It is a widely-held view that the American politician hit the bull’s eye with his intelligent surmise. And to his credit is also the simplicity of his language, a fact which ensures that the meaning of his submission is not lost on even the lowest of those who might want to reason along with him. The long-time popular Oakland politician Bill Bullard is simply unambiguous. However, my little twitch of the thinking of Bullard is that this gentleman might not have considered that in some climes, opinions, regardless of its quality appear to be taken as the law.
Oftentimes, where opinions are respected beyond their limits, they are enforced as if they were the law, even by law enforcement agencies. In our dear Nigeria, members of the cabinet would fall over themselves in a bid to show who is more up and doing and tireless in propagating the opinion of Oga. That’s how we run things…
On many occasions, what one leader holds as opinion in Nigeria carries almost equal weight as the law. This is especially if the opinion holder is, maybe the president or any of those who are close to him in his kitchen cabinet, what we know in Nigeria as “cabal”. Once the president takes a side in a matter, the message is clear and the signal sent. In such scenario, for the president’s agents, it becomes like the case of a man whose father sent to rob. Such agents hold high the contention and raise it nearly above the law of the land.
By way of passing comments, one opinion I instinctively quarreled with as a rookie journalist during training was that age-long definition of journalism, which has flowed from eternity in the news business: “Dog bites man is no news but man bites dog is news.” Quote Investigator (QI) explained that the earliest written evidence it located appeared in a book titled “The Stolen Story and Other Newspaper Stories” by Jesse Lynch Williams in 1899. I felt and still feel that the person the dog bites matters, because that played out during the Gulf War in 1991 when Queen Elizabeth was bitten by one of her dogs.
So, the opinion holder matters and that is why the thinking by President Muhammadu Buhari that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a “dot in a circle” that has nowhere to go has broken into many facets. That designation has been expanded by millions to mean that Buhari was referring to the entire Igbo people of South East of Nigeria, whose children are the members of the proscribed IPOB. The IPOB has not relented and it has not hidden its desire to have Biafra as their country, a resolve which has led to a clampdown by the federal government. Of course what Buhari said has given birth to a whole lot of issues, including the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.
Buhari said: “That IPOB is just like a dot in a circle. Even if they want to exit, they will have no access to anywhere. And the way they are spread all over the country, having businesses and properties, I don’t think IPOB knows what they are talking about. In any case, we say we’ll talk to them in the language that they understand. We’ll organise the police and the military to pursue them.” This statement he made during a TV interview in Abuja removed all doubts that the president is a huge factor at the root of the searing ethnic division in the country. Our country is squeaking under the weight of many avoidable challenges. We watch and debate while, like a rat in the house, deep-seated divisions gnaw away at our country. And the president is not helping matters…
Buhari’s opinion carries a lot of weight. His suggestions would tailor decisions. So, how would describing a people as “dot in a circle” not sway the actions of the various government agencies? The elder that wants the inside of his gourd to be clean must befriend the young child while the young child that wants to enjoy that which is on the attic must relate well with the elderly. That, to me should have been the president’s approach to the agitation in the South East. What would it cost the government to listen to and discuss with the people, young and old? And while that would not mean that the government has taken all that they are saying, it would give the people a sense of belonging. The confusion and dilemma are standing on a worrying tripod: The young Igbo want a country of their own; the old Igbo want an egalitarian Nigeria while the holders of the reins of Nigeria want none of those.
Sam Levenson in his hilarious autobiography “Everything but Money” explained that his dad had a wonderful opinion about his holding and expressing views. In those days and still, you do not interject or hold an opinion when elders are discussing. He did and his father told him “Hey you, when I need your opinion I’ll give it to you.” That’s the current scenario in Nigeria. Before they give my opinion to me, I would like to state that we need security; we need action on our drooling economy and please do something about our crass infrastructure
I am Igbo. I thrive everywhere, even in adversity. I relish my proclivity and I love my neighbour. It’s pointless to be a dot if the dot is not a prominent one, a nucleus.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…
and then