The revolution meant to hang Sowore vs the revolution that actually is

rev·o·lu·tion\ˌre-və-ˈlü-shən\
noun

: the usually violent attempt by many people to end the rule of one government and start a new one
: a sudden, extreme, or complete change in the way people live, work, etc.
: the action of moving around something in a path that is similar to a circle
(Culled from Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Omoyele Sowore never threatened to overthrow President Buhari and he never called on anyone to join him in doing so. He only demanded that government end the killings across the nation and that every government implements the N30,000 minimum wage to alleviate the sufferings of his fellow countrymen. In view of how the average Nigerian has been made to live, Sowore felt it was only right he was rest assured that his children are educated in our public schools for free. There have been blackouts across several parts of the country for the last weeks and as if to mock our impotence, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo came out to say N900bn had been spent on electricity with another N600bn due to follow. Sowore didn’t ask Buhari to probe himself, all he requested was that the power companies ease our problems by abolishing their estimated billing policy and ensure that their costumers get a right to audit their electricity bills. Just so we are clear, this is a list of his demands-

*All governments must pay the N30,000 minimum.

* Abolition of tuition fees in universities and secondary schools.

* Stop the killings in the country and sack all the incompetent service chiefs.

* Stop all estimated billing by the power companies, provide pre-paid meters for free, and communities must have the right to audit the electricity bills they get, and review the licenses of all discos.

* Free all political prisoners now, including El Zakzaky and his wife.

* Employment for the youths.

But government having failed the citizenry understood what a medium as elaborate as Sowore’s #RevolutionNow portends. The aggrieved will get a chance to voice out their grievances even if it means sleeping on the streets. Government will either cave in to their demands and face serious backlash for having to be forced into it or watch its citizens embarrass it by crying out to the world non-stop. In typical lawless fashion at about 1:45am last Saturday, the department of state security in breach of his constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression, association, liberty and dignity arrested Sowore and bungled him to their offices. The next day they issued a statement after the police also had,relying on the definition of ‘revolution’ that best suited their diabolic agenda of silencing a dissenting voice to government-one that meant Sowore was planning to forcefully kick Buhari out of office. It would have been easier to just pick him up on grounds that he was conniving with foreign enemies of Nigeria abroad to destabilize the country but pressure would be mounted on them to name those accomplices and that lie could boomerang right in their faces so they crafted a narrative that dwelled essentially on Sowore waging war against the government of Nigeria. The man just had to be stopped. In its rapid entrenchment of a lawless order,the Buhari administration has grown increasingly intolerant of criticisms. An attempt to point out the truth to it is an affront on its authority.

Sowore’s demands were made publicly and he never said anywhere he would ensure Buhari is kicked out of Aso Rock if they aren’t met. His revolution is totally in sync with the second meaning in the aforementioned text i referred to-“a sudden, extreme and complete change in the way people live,work etc”. Enough of the killings,enough of the unemployment,enough of the hunger. Government must live up to its responsibilities. #RevolutionNow.

That was what Sowore invited every aggrieved Nigerian out there to come and demand from its government without any sort of threat if they didn’t comply. The only set of people that have threatened to take action if their demands weren’t complied with is the Arewa group that demanded that the RUGA initiative be implemented within 30 days. And before that the one that ordered the Ibos to vacate the north or face drastic consequences.

It is not half as painful as it is about our authorities choosing to so shamelessly wallow in self-inflicted ignorance and profound nescience than it is about how they have chosen to so do.They don’t take into cognizance everything he has claimed to stand for or has proffered as his reason for publicly calling on Nigerians to protest,they just say ‘revolution’ commonly means forceful change in government and as such, Sowore was planning to commit treason.Why not just say the man is mobilizing the masses to complain about how they are being governed and that that doesn’t sit well with government?. Perhaps Sowore should have taken into consideration more the primitive times we live in.

The outrcry over his arrest has been massive and it is likely he will be charged to court soon just to save face if he isn’t released outright. How demanding better and leaving it at that amounts to a plot to overthrow government will be answered. Only the guilty are afraid.

The revolution Sowore meant and as has been evidenced by every step he has taken in the furtherance of his cause,we all know.

I remind Buhari and all his dogs that Nigeria belongs to everybody,it belongs to nobody. The clamp down on free speech and freedom of expression will only create more voices of dissent. The irrepressible Nigerian spirit guarantees that. If Buhari doesn’t want to be criticized then he must govern us like he should. If he can’t then its better he moves back to his farm and cater for his stagnant number of 150 cows. Nigeria must move forward.

I am revolutionary Umar Sa’ad Hassan and i stand with Omoyele Sowore. His only crime is wanting better for his country. #FreeSoworeNow

Umar Sa’ad Hassan is a lawyer based in Kano.
Twitter: @Alaye_100
Email: [email protected]