Dìbò k’ó se’bẹ̀ and the raw reality of politics - (1) | adekkatv
By abiodun KOMOLAFE The current state of what we call “politics” in Nigeria throws one back in time. One is reminded of Nigeria if, after decades, someone goes back to read the treatise by the revolutionist and founder of the now-rested Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. In his 1902 famous handbook of political activism, What is to be Done?, Lenin made a puzzling point: he argued, strangely at first reading, that “revolutions do not occur during times of mass, grinding poverty; they occur during times of relatively rising prosperity.” To justify this seemingly contentious position, he looked back into history to present examples backed by data. The Nigerian political elite seem to have misinterpreted Lenin’s position entirely. From “Dìbò k’ó se’bẹ̀” (Vote and be sure to cook soup), to “Aṣáàjẹun” - those who live for the next meal - the prevailing playbook assumes that mass poverty is a sufficient deterrence against revolution. To all intents ...