TINUBU MUST GO; A Slogan of Trouble -

-Òtòtònpòró(The Proverbia Drummer)

It all began as a localised dissenting message in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno state, but has now snowballed into a national controversy. A case that further exposes the tine line between maintaining order and suffocating free speech, forcing Nigeria to face a fundamental question,how much dissent can a democracy really tolerate?

The battle lines are now drawn between state authority and those advocating for human rights.
According to the police account,the arrests have nothing to do with the T-shirts nor the insripted slogan, but that the men arrested engaged in acts and conduct likely to ignite a breach of public peace, with a claim that suspected illicit substances were recovered from them.
However, Amnesty International is telling an entirely different story.

According to the body the drug allegations are merely a smokescreen used to justify the unlawful detention of citizens who were simply expressing political opposition.

Now that the men have been officially charged and have pleaded not guilty, the courts must separate allegation from evidence.

If the prosecution can prove these men committed distinct criminal offences,then the evidence must be allowed to speak.

In the meantime,if their real “crime” was simply wearing shirts that expressed political a political different point of view,then Nigeria is faced with a systemic crisis.

Democracy is never in test when citizens are praised singing those in power. It is rather subjected to litimus test when someone stands in a crowd and says exactly what the government would never want want to hear.
In genuine democracy, disagreement should not be termed treason.

Another question should be when is being an opposition becomes a crime. Does a political slogan become inherently dangerous just because it targets the highest elected office in the country?

The bitter truth can be that right to speak becomes entirely meaningless if citizens are only free to clap the state, but terrified to criticise it.

Governments possess immense power, while ordinary citizens possess only their voices.

An administration that believes in itself should never make silence the basics for defending its record.It should instead show its performance spreadsheet,reply dissents with unassailable statistics, and respond to slogans with concrete facts and figures.
As things stand, Nigerians must watch this trial closely and with keen interest.

The target may be seen now to be the current administration, tomorrow, the politician, the slogan,and the government in power will change. Truth is, the core principle will remain exactly the same.Can an ordinary Nigerian stand up, demand political change, and criticize the state without fear of arrest?

“TINUBU MUST GO” may just be a slogan, but the freedom to say it or to vehemently disagree with it is the real yardstick for measuring a true democracy.