2Face Idibia has called for Nigerians to come out to protest on the 6th of February, and not many thing it’s a great idea.It’s been an interesting past few days.It was just a video of Tuface calling for a protest, trying to bring people together for one purpose — to demand more from our government.
There are three types of people who have an opinion about this matter:
The first group believe it’s a good idea, because Nigeria gives you a new reason to want to go crazy every single day.
The second. They believe 2Face and the people supporting him are ingrates. Because, you know, Buhari is working hard and we should just shut the fuck up and tow the line.
The third group. They believe a protest is legitimate, but 2Face does not have the moral right to lead a protest demanding accountability.
This third group, is why we are here.
These people believe 2Face has benefited from the system he’s now protesting against. I mean, Senator David Mark bought him a Ferrari as his wedding gift.
There’s the Akpabio part. The Ayiri part. Etc.
But there’s also the part where Tuface is one of the most socially active artistes in the last decade. From his involvement in the JOStified campaign, to participating in campaigns encouraging young people to vote. Two elections in a row.
Nigerians have a problem. We obsess over the tiny little pixels and choose to remain oblivious of the big picture. We forget that a lot of the time, the cause is bigger than the motive of the person.
Somehow, we expect that our leaders must be flawless, or completely free from fault. We forget that history has taught us more times than one, that sometimes, the people we believe have the “worst past”, might create the best future.
The big question is this; if you had to choose between silence and a 2Face protest, what choice would it be? We’ve tried silence, we’ve tried it for so long. Nigeria is where it is today because we’ve stayed silent, whispering under our breath, “e go better”.
Maybe now’s the time for someone to get up, no matter where they are coming from, and inspire others to do the same.
Let’s travel a little back in time.
You probably know the story of the Hebrew Moses. The revolutionary and Social Justice activist, who freed his people from years of oppression at the hands of Egyptians.
Here’s a fun fact, Moses was raised in an Egyptian palace, and fed fat on the sweat of his people.
Once, he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. The next day, he found two Hebrews fighting and when he tried to separate them, one of them said;
“Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
That’s some B.C throwback. Let’s stick with a more recent example, closer to home.
Remember when over 200 girls were kidnapped? And the BBOG group came together, demanding that the Government rescue the girls. Some people chastised them, claiming they were trying to discredit the Jonathan administration. Many claimed that Ezekweseli, a leader of the group, worked and defended a corrupt government. Other members were not spared either, with personal attacks on their character.
Now, let’s pretend the group had people with selfish interests, did they produce results? Definitely.
In the big picture business, selfish interests are relegated to the fringes of the picture, at the dog ears.
Will a 2Face protest give us 24 hours electricity next week? Probably not. But it has the power to get people angry enough. Angry enough to demand for better from the government. It has the potential to be the beginning of something important, because let’s face it, 2Face inspires people. Maybe it will inspire someone else to start another. Maybe it will inspire a thousand more people to start a thousand protests. Just maybe.
In the end, one question will be asked about the people that think a 2Face-led protest is a bad idea;
