We are all living witnesses to the unprecedented regime change revolutions that are currently going on in the Arab world. It all started in Tunisia when the police confiscated fruits and vegetables belonging to one Mohamed Bouazizi who was hawking by the road side to earn a living and whom the police alleged did not have proper hawking permit. Having been denied his only source of living by the security forces of his country and the country that has done nothing to better his life, the young Bouazizi (just 26 years old) decided to end his life by setting himself on fire in protest to the injustice committed against him by his own country and eventually died.
Alas! The unprecedented mass protest by the Tunisian people began and which lasted for weeks and which ultimately led to the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who had run vicious dictatorship for more than 23 years! The protest spread to neighbouring Egypt and Yemen, and after a more intense and rigorous protest in Egypt with the resulting consequences of many people having had to lose their lives, the Egyptian leader of 32 years on the throne had to finally leave! Though the consequences are different in Yemen to that of Tunisia and Egypt, but the Yemeni people too managed to force the government of their country to make far reaching reforms both economically and politically in the country obviously in order to avoid the consequences that followed such uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
Most recently, the people of Libya having observed the change that people's power can bring in those countries,started what can potentially bring down the longest serving dictator in the whole world today - Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Though in the case of Libya, there is a genuine fear that the consequences that come with those regime changes are likely to be for more damning than in those other countries. Libya's case has already turned into a bloody civil war where armed forces teamed up with pro Gaddafi people fighting on the one hand and pro democracy fighting on the other hand! Thousands of people were reported to have been killed in the country! Gaddafi vows not to go without a fierce battle!
When one looks at the recent protests that were held in Kano and Zaria in the north western zone of this country, one will begin to wonder could it be the beginning of those revolutions in Nigeria? Especially considering the fact that it all started like this in those countries. Some few weeks ago students of Kano State polytechnic staged a peaceful protest to the Kano state government house for them to register their grievances over nonchalant attitude of the government towards their lecturers' legitimate needs. Perhaps at this stage I should make it clear that I do not in anyway think that the situation really called for the students to take to the streets. I believe the students could have engaged the government on dialogue through leaders of their associations. But what is even more appalling than the decision of the students to embark on that protest is the manner of the excessive force used by the police to disperse the protesters. The police ruthlessly beat up the protesting students with sticks and used tear gas on them and even shot at them with live ammunition which as a result a boy who was identified as a secondary school student was hit by the police stray bullet and died! Such is the horrific manner that the police went about trying to stop the unarmed students from expressing their grievances in a very peaceful manner!
Also more recently in Zaria there was a protest by some youth in one particular part
of the city over the non availability of power and water supplies in their areas. According to the protesting youth as reported by various newspapers, they were without power supply for more than nine (9) months! And without water supply for more than twenty (20) years! The police as usual used tear gas to disperse them although there was no report of casualties there.
When one reflects on these happenings and taking into consideration what is currently going on in the Arab world and the fact that it all started like this, one can safely conclude that Nigerians are testing the waters too to see if such revolution is indeed possible in a country many believe its citizens are living in a worst condition than those where the revolutions have taken place! With the general elections just around the corner and with the fear that the long awaiting and desired free and fair elections may not actually be witnessed, the peace enjoyed by the rulers of this country might seriously be tested if the electorates' expectations have not been met with regards to the conduct of the elections!
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