So, I was jamming my naija playlist the other day and Ovuloria motioned to me saying it was too loud, as she picked a phone call. Meanwhile, there I was nodding my head to “Shitor ooo, Shitor”, my inner selfish kicked in and I motioned for her to move to kindly the other room. As the playlist progressed, it got to a tune I was not really feeling. After a minute or so, I made to reduce the volume, because I then felt the music was too loud. Just then I saw the next tune on the list. I did a fastforward to the comforting chant – “Heyyy Maleek Berry pon dis”. I suddenly needed more volume. As they say in Warri, I gave it belle and the room filled with more chants of …”too much juice, too much sauce…”. Hmmm…I nodded away as I sipped #15.

 

What you saw up there is classic human behavior. At times, the mood changes or situations change and that tune previously listened to and enjoyed at the same volume, becomes too loud and you instinctively drop the volume. Sometimes, it gets so bad that you fast forward or remove it from the playlist altogether.

 

This was what came to my mind today as I watched the ongoing BBOG anniversary program on ChannelsTV. As a sign of our collective hypocrisy, it did not take a few weeks into this administration for the same folks who saw this advocacy as a rallying point to expose the cluelessness and maybe even wickedness of the last administration, to now see them as meddlesome gnats. So much so that some “supporters” of this admin even went to one of the BBOG events to disrupt their march in a counter show of support.

 

My heart goes out to all the families who have been impacted by the insurgency in the North East. Thousands have been killed and hundreds abducted, including under-aged boys and girls who have been used as “wives” to terrorists and as trainee insurgents and suicide bombers.

 

While I commend the current administration for the work done so far in pushing the terrorists to the fringes, I would also advise that we need to put a strong focus on the root causes that give rise to extremism, terrorism and insurgency and makes this find an appealing place in the minds of our young ones in areas where this is prevalent.

 

 

SAN