For Donkey years,Activism has been one of the many ways a lot of individuals resulted into for emancipation and Freedom of individuals. Directly or indirectly some individuals has written their name on the Golden book via Human right activism or Students Activism. Individuals like Marthin Luther King,Malcolm X,Ken Saro Wiwa,Wole Soyinka has written their name and has been recognized at the international realm for their sacrifice and perseverance for the Emancipation of human being for freedom cometh by Struggle.
However,I am highly elated,jubilant and agog to share my mind in expressing my thought, feeling and emotion on the recent activities of the so called Human right activist. The question which come to my mind a times is if today activist are either Cashivist of really Activists as they claim? However clarifying the word activist will apposite as much ado and Point of Exposition had to be made in order to settle some score. A human rights activist has always been of loose connotation in Nigeria.
This concept is particularly of relative connotation to different sections of the Nigerian society. The definition and authenticity of what a human rights activist has gotten lost in the faraway lands of Nigerian expectations, punctuated by the constant disarray we find ourselves.
In the contemporary Nigerian society, while the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi is the standard for human rights activism, pillars of legal society like Festus Keyamo and Chief Femi Falana are widely regarded as human rights activism, but as noted earlier, the word has been used too loosely, that its true efficacy has become lost in translation.
As Defined by Wikipedia, “Human rights defenders or human rights activists are people who, individually or with others, act to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistle-blowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campaigners, and so on. ”With the contemporary times we live in, rife with the powers of media and interconnectivity, fueling a constant need for heroes and advocacy, a human rights activist could also be a politician or even a musician, as far as he represents and aims to safeguard an promote the rights of Nigerian citizens.
THE NIGERIA EXPECTATIONS:
Nigerians generally believe that human rights activists should be always available in perpetuity to the many needs to every Nigerian and offer their services without an expectations of financial rewards. While the concept of pro bono cases in Law practice was meant to promote altruistic and humanitarian causes like human rights activism, there are instances where even though you are an activist, you also need money.
Asides that, Nigerians are mostly opportunists. If they realize you offer free legal services most of the time, most Nigerians will simply not pay you due to the innate entitlement in them.
While we must also admit that certain people have abused what a human rights activist is for money, Nigerians also have too high a standard for activists.
Even worse, the Nigerian definition of a human rights activist means a person that affects lives personally whereas a human rights activist can be a public person that criticizes governments and advocates better governance and better treatment for citizens without necessarily an individual impact. Human rights activism should not be measured by the rate of suffering an activist has suffered for advocacy. Not all acts of activism require such and not everybody will be like Chief Gani Fawehinmi.
The face of activism in.Nigeria however has change,it has been seen by some "Bolekaja" as a means of making their end needs.The word activism has been misconstrued from being a Passion and not a Full time Job.Lately,Nigeria human rights activists are not passionate to their beliefs. Money or promise of public positions forever derailing them.
We need passionate human rights activist like malcom X,Nelson Mandela, Ghandi, Luther king etc.The Question we then tend to ask this is whata very large numbers of us don't think about. As an activist, it should sink into ones skull that its not an end to.meet your daily needs,although it may be a means to an end a times but once an individual has this it in.mindset that Activism is the means that he can make his daily needs ,the word activism become more A Paper Structure and a Tabularasa. One need to wonder why Activist this days are just a Toothless bulldog that can bark but cannot bite.
It's futile shouting when you're inaudible. Dapo Durosaro Dear Young Activist,My name is Dapo Durosaro, you probably do not know that I'm an Activist. The young men I see, the internet gangster I read about, the angry Nigerians I hear from. The opportunists that try to make a living in the guise of altruism. You really need to listen to the fact that I'm ideological, revolutionary and political, perhaps beyond what you think of me, the flame in me is probably beyond your fire. However, you really need these guides.
1. Fela didn't start activism as one person somewhere, he was a voice that could be heard before he started.
2. Funmilayo Kuti didn't become revolutionary before she became financially independent, she already bought a car that no woman could afford to buy, she was only ideological before she was made
3. Ghandi was financially and intellectually made before he started talking. He only wore that single white cloth around as a matter of ideology
4. Martin Luther king already had all it took to become a president before he started.
5. JCE Hayford, Akinwande Savage, Ladipo Solanke, Leopald Senghor and their contemporaries already achieved a height of intellectual feat before they started speaking.
6. Our own CB, Capon Blood (Soyinka) was in the process of learning but was knowledgeable beyond the university community when he conceived the fraternity, he channeled his arguments articulately, he spoke clearly and had his facts.
Now, let's talk about you, you're really half-baked, a local champ, you haven't taken the time to work on yourself (intellectually and financially). Here's what you may end up as:
1. For the rest of your life, you may never be heard, you may end up as a social observer who would not permeate beyond social media, a social observer who would never get to influence anything
2. You may be picked up by a petty politician who will feed you with crumbs all your life, your career then ends as a lieutenant to the people you criticize.
3. You may be fortunate to make a living from your inaudible noise and turn out like some people on the political scene, but in this case, where are your idiosyncrasies?
In essence, forge out a living for yourself, engage yourself in profitable ventures, develop your CV, take a masters course, professional courses, excel in business. Then, you'll be heard, It's really futile to shout when you're inaudible, the proper time to shout is when you've bought yourself a voice or when you've stolen one for yourself. One step before the other, you're made for great things, you can't afford to be a nuisance.
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