[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his morning as the cock crowed and dawn stretched her wings to the flapping taps of the wind, ushering humanity into a bright new day, we are expected as usual to move on and away from the repugnant Ikwerre Carnage that marred our evening, yesterday, right? Isn’t that the norm? Isn’t that what we have come to be accustomed to?
Bad things happen. Dawn comes. Good and bad people move on. Bad things happen again. Dawn comes. Good and bad people move on. More bad things happen. Dawn comes. Good and bad people move on, perhaps being numbed by the frequency, notoriety and audacity by which the very absurd has become acceptable alternative culture.
Of course, a new day has come. We must as usual move on and adjust to the reality that in our clime, political scores are settled by bullets and blood as we dig ourselves further in the depths of degenerated values system and social disorder.
Otherwise, what’s the big deal? A rejected political idea remains a rejected political idea whether or not backed by bullets and blood. Politics as a contest of ideas will not cease from being oiled by the flow of accepted and acceptable ideas. When one idea or a set of ideas triumphs over another or others, promoters of the unacceptable ideas only need to go back to their drawing board to re-strategize and re-work their ideas to become more appealing and acceptable enough to capture the will, aspirations and conscience of the people. Why then must people kill and be killed for politics?
At no point is the argument expected to, neither should it, degenerate into a gunfight and mindless bloodletting. The brand of politics that promotes that is not only antisocial, it is completely uncivilized. The promoters are equally bushmen who have no place in a civilized and organized society.
Politics is not war. Politicians must be allowed to roam society freely like evangelists selling themselves and the ideas they represent as the opposition enjoys in Rivers State. They should never be subjected to the kind of bloody attacks and mindless carnage that happened yesterday in Ikwerre local government area of the State as is being also witnessed in various shapes and forms across the country. It smacks of complete failure of the Nigerian society and more disheartening is the elastic tolerance these absurdities enjoy from every one of us. At what point do we snap? When would we have had enough of the nonsense? How many of us will be left behind by then?
Oraye St. Franklyn is a barrister-at-law. He is senior special assistant to Governor Nyesom Wike on Social Media. He is a strategic communicator and good governance advocate, writes from Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He tweets from @SaintOraye. He is also on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
