.jpg)
By: Sam Onwuemeodo.
Wiliam Shakespeare, in his book, Julius Caesar, could be said not to have been fair to the Roman PLEBIANS. He never did a good job for them. He portrayed them in a very bad light.
He portrayed them as people, lacking in principle. People not believing in anything. As people who didn't have minds of their own . Elements who could be easily swayed. Who could not reason beyond their noses. Who lacked the ability to read between the lines. Zombies. Men and women driven by emotions or sentiments or good speeches or sweet tongues . The Roman plebians of 44 B.C.
From all indications, their descendants or offsprings are in today's Nigeria, and in Africa in general. And how it happened, l can not explain. l can't fathom. The debate on how it happened, could be for another day. We drive.
Brutus, one of the key conspirators who assassinated Caesar, had addressed the Plebians to justify their action or the murder of Caesar.
Read some of the things, the Plebians said while Brutus was talking to give credence or credibility to their action ;
" Caesar's better parts shall be crowned in Brutus; We'll bring him to his house with shouts and clamours; Bury Caesar, let him be with his ancestors; The noble Brutus is ascended; We are satisfied?". And so on.
Few Minutes after Brutus had ended his speech or negative funeral oration on Caesar, Mark Anthony, Caesar's strong ally, walked in to address the same Plebians on the killing or death of Caesar.
And even before Mark Anthony could end his speech, the same Plebians who had promised to escort Brutus home as a hero with "shouts and clamours", made a U- turn with alacrity. They became swayed too, by Anthony's speech, who of course, had the oratory power.
They became more enraged when Anthony told them that Caesar had written a WILL, in which he planned to give, "every Roman citizen, Seventy five drachmas; And when the poor cried, Caesar hath wept; Ambition should be made of sterner stuff".
Now, hear the same Plebians who had earlier hailed Brutus to high heavens, when he had spoken to them on the death of Caesar, and what they said about the same Brutus and his fellow conspirators, while listening to Anthony on the same subject matter.
The Plebians' on Brutus and Co; "They were traitors, not honourable men; They were villains, murderers; O traitors , villains; We will revenge, Revenge , seek, burn , fire, kill , slay, let not a traitor live; We will burn the house of Brutus; There is not a nobler man in Rome than Anthony; Away , come, seek the conspirators".
lt's a long story , but very interesting. The riot began. The uprising began. The rampage began. The mob action began. All the conspirators, including Brutus, paid dearly for their action. I am only keen in the Plebians and the picture painted about them by Shakespeare. Folks who lacked behavioural pattern(s).
But here we are today with the descendants of these Plebians in Nigeria and in Africa, in general. ln Nigeria. ln Gabon. ln Niger. ln Kenya. ln Burkina Faso. ln Cameroon, ln Sierra Leone, etal.
The same Africans, the same Nigerians, who desired or yawned for democracy. Who craved for democracy. Who subscribed for democracy. Who clamoured for democracy and painted military rule as evil. They are today, celebrating military coups. Celebrating forceful removal of democratically elected leaders, for military rule. Celebrating the enthronment of decrees, over the Constitutions of the nation's already affected. The African or Nigerian brand of the Roman Plebians of 44 B.C. Our own Plebians.
From South Africa to Nigeria, from Nigeria to Uganda, from Uganda to Ethiopia, from Ethiopia to Liberia, from Liberia to Kenya, from Kenya to Ghana and so on, great men and women had lost their precious lives in fighting or opposing military rule or Minority rule, for democracy or majority rule. Some went on exile. Some were imprisoned or incarcerated.
Democracy came across Africa. And today, 2023, military coups, all men and women of goodwill in the world, and in Africa in particular, had thought, have become things of the past, have begun to return.
In Niger first. And few weeks after, in Gabon. And there is the tendency or the fear that, the ugly development might spread, following the misguided celebrations and annoying support of the coups by the Plebians of our own time.
Here , they have been telling President Bola Tinubu to fold his hands as head of ECOWAS, to allow the return of military rule in the Sub-region to stay, giving reasons that would not pass any litmus test. Reasons that are purely ill motivated or induced by petty political considerations.
In their deceitful or lopsided logics, they talked about politicians or democratically elected leaders being corrupt. Showing that, they're not properly informed or tutored on the issue of corruption in military rule and in democratic rule, in Africa . These guys haven't done their home works on the issue of corruption as it concerns military rule and democratic governance, respectively . They do not have the right information. Do you understand?
For instance, General Mohammadu Buhari toppled or sacked the elected government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983. Today, between Buhari and Shagari who could be adjudged more corrupt?. Between Buhari's military government then and his Civil government, from 2015 to 2023, and that of Shagari, which one could be said to be more corrupt?. And in all the indices of corruption?.
Here again , between Sanni Abacha's military administration and Goodluck Jonathan's democratically instituted government, which one could be said, was more corrupt?. About twenty Six years after, the Country is still recovering billions of dollars kept outside Nigeria by Abacha . ln almost all the nations of the world.
How could any one begin to compare military rule and democratic governance? ls there any basis for such comparison?. ls it not like comparing light and darkness?. Comparing progress and lack of it. The most notorious factor that stifled or torpedoed or stagnated the development and growth of Africa or Nigeria in particular, was military rule.
How do you expect democracy in Africa or in nations of Africa to grow or mature with all these military incursions?. They would always come with good talks or enticing speeches, painting the elected leaders and politicians black, to defraud or deceive the citizenry. But few months after, they would begin to do the worst things.
Have we forgotten about ldi Amin of Uganda. Samuel Doe of Liberia. Buhari and Abacha of Nigeria?. A very lengthy list, if we decide to go the whole hog.
Those supporting the coming back of soldiers to power or those preferring military rule to democratic rule, have their reasons. But their reasons are not in public interest. Not in the interest of Africa. Not in the interest of Nigeria. Not in the interest of the progress or prosperity of Africa. There is no basis for that. There is no advantage in military rule. Not even one. A complete aberration. It's anachronistic. Very absurd. Very strange. They are only good at looting. And when they loot, nobody shouts. You shout at your own risk. But in a democracy, people could shout and heard. Do you understand?.
I read someone supporting the coup in Niger Republic because the Country, has a common boundary with Nigeria. You could imagine this kind of reasoning. Very queer. And of course, nauseating.
The descendants of the 44 B.C Roman Plebians. They are here with us. Two of them are close to me. The "reincarnates" of the Roman Plebians. Tell them the colour is black, they would agree or support. Tell them again, it's no longer black but white, they would also nod in agreement. They have no time or capacity for in-depth analysis or sound logics or reasoning .
lt's important to ask for their repentance. They could be Saul that became Paul. And began to do great things for the kingdom. For the body of Christ. For the Church and the Society, both in Galatia, Phillipine, Thesssalonica, Ephesus, Corinth and beyond. The spirit of supporting military coups or military rules must be cast out of all those involved, in Jesus Name, Amen . And Amen.
While we continue to clap for Jesus.
