Revolution? I think not. I have been hearing increasing murmurs by young people saying that a “revolution” is the only way to change Nigeria. The most common definition of a revolution is “an overthrow (usually violent), and thorough replacement of an established government, or political system by the people governed.”

At face value, this is actually the solution to the problem in Nigeria. However, from my experience it is not, and I will give an example why.

Aper Aku was governor of Benue State from 1979 to 1983 before he, like the rest of the Shagari administration, was kicked out in ignominy (for the sake of this history lesson, he died a broken man, of jail induced ill-health in 1988). One thing that is most instructive is that a good 70% to 80% of the projects being claimed by the present day Benue State were started by Mr Aku! Most were abandoned after he was kicked out of power.

For context, bear in mind that there was this state creation exercise that split a part of Aper Aku’s domain into Kogi State.

One of such projects is a hotel on the banks of the Benue River, the Sheraton, which was left abandoned until a few years ago.

In 2010, a chap from the Republic of Niger came to Makurdi, got government consent, and began renovation work; then he was stopped. Why? Some local politicians decided in their wisdom that since he is not a Tiv man, he cannot own such a big project on Tiv soil. The locals rejoiced because the Tiv “bigmen” had “protected the sanctity” of the Tiv heritage.

Of course, it never occurred to any of the celebrating locals that our Nigerien friend’s investment would provide jobs for a lot of Tiv boys and girls, in Nigeria’s 7th most populated state, but 15th in terms of PPP.

Therein, in this anecdotal tale, lies the reason why a Chinese type “people’s revolution” in Nigeria is doomed to fail.

Nigeria’s population have largely bought into the bullshit spewed forth by our elite that it is the next man from the next ethnic group (I hate the word tribe) that is responsible for our problems. It is not. I have written a lot about how the elite regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation have conspired to keep the country down; no doubt I will write more.

However, that is not the thrust of this piece. A violent change of guards is predicated on one thing, that the population in question has a sufficient enough sense of national unity and oneness to follow the process through. History bears this out, in France, in Russia, in China, in Cuba.

When the population is deeply divided along ethnic or religious lines, the revolution quickly degenerates into anarchy. History again bears this out, The Peasant’s Revolt in England in 1381, The Indian Revolt against the British East India Company of 1857, the second Russian Revolution, the rebels in Libya who after the demise of Muammar Gadaffi quickly degenerated into the rabble that they are.

Nigeria, sadly, has a largely ignorant population. Yes, even those who have Doctorates are largely ignorant of their own country and its peoples. What is worse, is that most Nigerians are ignorant of our own history. A violent revolution will only lead to anarchy. What we need here is a revolution of our minds. We need real education.

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