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Sergey Elkin is one astute caricaturist who, at least, should be well-known to Vladimir Putin. He recently drew a cartoon for Radio Svoboda which speaks uniquely to the concept of slavery and freedom. With a few strokes of his pencil, he spoke volumes. One might shrug and say this is quite typical of cartoons and their creators, the cartoonists; however, some of these creations strike real chords, hit home and really hit hard. The caricatures mostly leave the “olowe m’owe” taste in the mouth – their subjects know that they are the subjects of the caricatures.
There is actually no need to highlight for anyone the load of messages each cartoon drawing carries. All you need do is to just catch one drawing to find out. And if you wish not to look so far as Russia or Bulgaria, scratch too wide or dig too deep, just Google the name: Mike Asukwo. With that, one would not need to go so far as Russia or follow Sergey Elkin to Bulgaria where he fled to in 2022. In Nigeria, Mike Asukwo is one hell of an example of cartoonists.
Elkin’s Svoboda cartoon in reference here is quite succinct. Its message isn’t about the outrage of the chained dog, it’s more of the dog’s chosen slavish ignorance and his desire to have others think and live like him. In simpler terms, it is about a slave that loves his chains – the kind of thoughts that enraged Django in that 2013 American film with the same title. I think it would be worth the effort to see, among others, the roles of Samuel L Jackson as ‘Stephen’ and Jamie Fox as ‘Django’ in Django Unchained, if you haven’t.
Sam Levenson wrote four books that have some of the most comical titles. I think these books are among the most enduring legacies of the legendary comedian, and they go beyond those jokes for which Sam Levenson was popular in the mass media, especially TV. The title of his last book is: “You Don’t Have to be in Who’s Who to Know What’s What.” This title speaks to the concept of slavery, sycophancy, complacency and laziness. These are the reasons Nigeria and its leaders were dragged through the mud last weekend. We were all in the same loop when some of our earring young were herded to a federal high court in Abuja for prosecution.
I may not have an idea… Let’s even say we do not know anything about security, law, prosecution and other such exclusive reserves. However, it cannot be disputed that a person who submits to thrall is in a bad financial situation. With regards to Nigeria’s institutions, we are in that place of dire lack. We are so very poor and depraved as far as government institutions are concerned. We should consider ourselves as being in the same condition as the person slaving for the man or woman of means. Our strong tribesman is usually right while the law is wrong. The strong man from my nation is more powerful than the national institution to which he was appointed to serve the nation. He is stronger than the institution that created his office.
That is why we have a Police Force which has ignored its know-how in handling juveniles. From the IGP’s statement on the issue of the minors, it is easy to see that he either had no idea what was going on or there was no better way to handle those young offenders by the police as an institution. IGP Kayode Egbetokun who raised the issue of procedure after 90 days and public outcry sounded like he was just realising that ours is a faulty process. And, who should man these processes…?
The Judiciary too was found wanting in the case of the young accused persons brought before it. Justice Obiora Egwuatu, as its front, saw that the children were charged with treason and cringed. But did the Judiciary act appropriately about the boys standing trial? The judiciary folded in its duty to the children when he reeled out the bail conditions. What were those bail conditions meant to achieve – return them to detention or earn the youngsters a bout of prison experience? But he could not do much more than cower because the Judiciary has been pocketed by the powerful, and they might query his audacity to ignore their bidding.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as the representative of the Executive in this situation also asked for the case file as if it didn’t emanate from his office. Also, the Minister of Women Affairs also went to see the boys midnight and do politicians’ things. In the true sense of it, had these institutions acted as they were supposed to before the shameful court drama? Simply put, the handling of the young suspects in the destructive #endbadgovernance protests, and the outrage that followed their eventual court appearance have further exposed the lack of functioning systems here.
Curiously too, in more than the 90 days the young protesters were in detention, nothing was heard from any father or mother of any of the suspects. No mother cried, no father budged. Do they not have parents?
There was no word from their Kaduna and Kano States. The boys were left to their fate. These point to absolute failure of parenting and leadership. What do we make of such parents and such government and leadership? There was no one to ask: “Do you know who I am?” in defense of these children!
If President Tinubu had not given the order, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice would still have been pretending about the children’s plight. If there was no global outrage, the Minister of Women Affairs would not have given them a thought. If annoyed Nigerians and the bewildered world didn’t revulse at the sight of the fast-wilting juveniles, the Nigeria Police would not have given that wobbly explanation of charging under-aged persons in an open court after months of detention. So, the court which granted the juvenile’s bail with impossible conditions didn’t consider the morality of its action as against the letters of the matter before it?
It’s a pity we needed the president to speak before these institutions could act. It’s indeed a pity because the message has been passed that the president (‘presidency’ in Buhari era) is all the institutions combined. This is quite instructive.
So if the president hadn’t spoken, these young unidentified ex-detainees would still have been rotting away in detention. Well, if President Tinubu hadn’t intervened, how would we have seen the photo ops by those governors? We would always need the president’s intervention for our institutions to do the right thing. Indeed, You don’t have to be in Who’s Who to know What’s What.
…Get your own Elon Musk!
Did the American presidential election result shock you? It didn’t surprise me in the least, and I might not be able to explicitly explain this to the lovers of blue and Kamala Harris. I don’t think tenacious Elon Musk would feel like me; and I agree with ex-Fox News’ Tucker Carlson who said: “They say Donald Trump is out of control, but he’s not. He’s just out of their control.”
Secondly, millions of American voters were convinced that “election day is not Valentine’s day.” You don’t have to love a candidate to love his policies. It’s all about the health, growth and advancement of their country. That worked for Trump big time.
Congratulations Donald Trump… President again against all odds many of us did not know were imaginary. In 2023, a common prayer reigned in Nigeria: “May his tenure favour me and my family.”
Meanwhile, please get yourself a friend, supporter and cheerleader – something in that mould which is as solid as what Elon Musk is to Trump. Musk stood with Trump all the way. He used his time, talent and treasure to queue behind a man many believed could be everything but the president of the United States.
America congratulations; you’ve got yourself a president!
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