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The late activist, playwright and Nigerian patriot, Ken Saro-Wiwa, was famous for his hit TV drama series, Basi & Company. It was one of the great teleplays on the NTA in those days, like Mirror in the Sun, Samanja, Cock Crow at Dawn, Village Headmaster, Masquerade and Icheoku, etc. Those who are over 50 should be familiar with these series.
That was to be the golden age of Nigerian television before the invasion of Telemundo and other Mexican soaps and Indian films, which have taken over our TV space, to my shame and embarrassment. One begins to wonder whether our Theatre Arts graduates and creative writers, producers, directors, etc, have all gone asleep or simply accepted defeat and jumped into the home video business. They all seemed to have surrendered the TV space to aliens.
Saro-Wiwa and other great producers held their own in that generation against foreign films, which is why I called him a patriot in the opening sentence. He is being remembered today, not for his popular TV drama, Basi & Company from where we got the phrase: “If you want to be a millionaire, think like a millionaire,” but for his blood that was shed for the liberation of the Niger Delta. Of course, Major Isaac Adaka Boro and others died for the same course: economic justice for Niger Delta whose oil wealth enriched the Nigerian state, with little to show for the impoverished region.
The stories of Isaac Boro and Saro-Wiwa inspired youth of the region to fight for resource control. Hundreds of youth have continued to shed their blood for this region. Various governments have responded by creating special organizations like OMPADEC, NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta, to develop the area. Billions of dollars have been given to these agencies for this purpose, with nothing to show for it.
Also, the derivation revenue has been increased to 13 per cent to make more money available for the area. Sadly, what has the Niger Delta got to show for all these? The elected and appointed leaders of the region have cornered and shared virtually all the budgeted resources of the zone. They have literally abandoned the region to decay. Its poor people have become more impoverished and oppressed, while the leaders, who rode to power on the back of Saro-Wiwa, Isaac Boro and the many youth who shed their blood for the development of the region have become billionaires, and still counting.
Where were the fraudsters who emptied the treasury of the NDDC when young folks of the zone were in the trenches fighting for the provision of the same resources now being looted? Niger Delta leaders have betrayed their own people, and President Muhammed Buhari or the so-called Hausa-Fulani ruling cabal is not to be blamed for this. We should stop shifting blame. Niger Delta leaders are their own people’s worst enemies.
Where should the teeming Niger Delta youth look to for motivation to work hard and develop their enormous potentials? Definitely, not the lady with multiple marriages or the man she claimed to slap because of sexual harassment in the unfolding probe of NDDC. It is a disgrace that these folks could advertise this kind of bad behavior on the national stage before Television cameras. The NDDC chieftain who slumped before the National Assembly investigation panel recently, just added to this shocking comedy of errors, which would make Saro-Wiwa and Isaac Boko burn in their graves.
For the Niger Delta youth, I do not recommend that you follow the examples of selfish men like ex-militants Tampolo, Asari Dokubo, Boy Loaf and other so called militants who, having fought to become billionaires in the process, have not done anything visible to improve the lot of the poor masses in that zone. Let’s call a spade a spade! Militants, like our human rights activists, only use activism to climb and gain patronage.
True activism died with Gani Fawehinmi; Beko Ransom-Kuti, Alao Aka-Bashorun, Isaac Boro, Ken Saro-Wiwa, etc. Activism or Militancy today is about seeking prominence and financial patronage and government posts or contracts. Most of today’s activists are fortune hunters.
Today’s activists are all in government or working for some government department, top politician or people of wealth or power. What we have now is militancy of the stomach, nothing more.
Niger Delta youth should not follow the examples of their self- serving leaders like their corrupt state Governors, Senators, lawmakers, militants, activists, political appointees and greedy politicians who dominate the political landscape. How many of these people have the heart of Saro-Wiwa or Isaac Boro?
Youth of Niger Delta should rather strive for personal development for the common good, like the Actor in Basi & Company who used to shout the slogan: “If you want to be a millionaire, think like a millionaire!” You can actually become a millionaire, not by looting public funds, but by sheer dint of hard work and creative enterprise that produced reputed billionaires like Aliko Dangote, Tony Elemuleu, Innoson Motors owner; Mike Adenuga, Femi Otedola, Jim Ovia, Folunsho Alakija, etc.
That’s my word for you. I stand challenged! Izon youth, wake up!
Weekend Spice: Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. – Robert H. Shuller
Ok folks, enjoy your day and stay motivated, COVID-19 is real. Stay safe.
•Ayodeji is an author, rights activist, pastor and life coach. He can be reached on [email protected] and 09059243004 (SMS & WhatsApp only)
