It is very much unlike me to get home early on a Tuesday; but last week, the story was different. I was stuck in traffic somewhere, and thought it wise to return home and continue with my day's job instead of wasting precious hours in the Lagos Island logjam.
And so to home I returned. As soon as I got in, I began working on my laptop and it was no surprise that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) 'held' power, since that had been the norm for some time. I am sure you will agree with me that PHCN has gone from bad to worse. I had to rely on my laptop battery to last me for about two hours or more. I knew I would need extra hours of power supply to do all I had to do, but it was rather too 'early' in the day to disturb the whole neighbourhood with the noise of the power generating set. Yes, 5pm is too early to upset the serenity of the neighbourhood with some insane noise from a generator that has suffered from overwork! That is the reality of the Nigerian situation.
But just as the lifeline of the battery was dwindling, power returned. I was able to finish some of my writing and it was nearing 10pm! Time for Channels TV news, I thought to myself. And so, I switched to Channels TV. Several items were on the news, but the one that interested me the most was the protest staged by some Nigerian youth in Abuja.
It was sad that much as they tried to gain entry into the National Assembly, the policemen barricaded the first entrance. They did not allow them in. What was supposed to be a peaceful protest nearly became a violent one due to the highhandedness of the armed police officers. The protesters had to forcefully beat the policemen at the first gate but could not do the same at the second. The policemen claimed they did not get any letter from 'above' to inform them about the protest. Yet, Adebola Williams was right there before them with copies of the letters dropped at the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole?
What excuse does Bankole have for not acknowledging the letters dropped at his office? He should answer us right away. Why should he despise the voice of hope, the voice of the future yearning for change at this critical time? Like me, just about every other Nigerian youth is tired of having to start up an overworked generator every night. They are tired of the pollution caused by the fumes and noise. They are tired of driving on pothole-riddled roads everyday they commute to work. They are fed up with a dysfunctional education system. They are just tired of a country where nothing works. So Bankole and others owe us an explanation for despising the voice of the future.
We want to know why they have failed us and continue to do so. We want a productive country where power failure will be non-existent, where there will be employment for all and sundry. I was pained to see how the youths were turned down at the gate. What reasons can be adduced for the action? None, I tell you.
In 2003, Nigerians were voted the happiest people on earth. We are a people who rarely take to the streets in protest, despite the myriad of problems we face. But in recent weeks, we have been pushed to the wall; hence the series of angry demonstrations, including one from the Save Nigeria Group, among others.
We demand that ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua resign or be removed from power to end a long-standing power vacuum. We are voicing our concerns about a lack of security in the country, which frequently spurs armed robbery attacks, not to mention the recent religious crises in Jos. We are tired and together we say enough is enough!
