Hardship, hunger: Our painfu family matters —-FEMI ADEOTI COLUMN,

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Even if nothing happens today, one huge throw-up did manifest: The fear of protest is the beginning of wisdom. And our leaders didn’t lose focus of this. It brought out a considerable humility in them.
It calls for uncommon jubilation, celebration. Altogether! We are glad it happened the manner it happened. And we’re eternally grateful for that.
We never knew those who rule us could be that jittery. Confused, confounded and submissive. It reduced them to our “low” level. They were strategically conquered this gone week.
We’ve never ever imagined our “esteemed” leaders in such a perplexed state of mind. They were evidently cajoled. And they caved in. Who would not?
See what a mere mention of protest did to them. It turned the fake hard stuff in them into jelly. It effortlessly rattled and subdued them. And brought them to their wobbling knees. Dejected, begging for forgiveness. But ut, more importantly, survival.
Still, they failed to admit their guilt. Though their failures stare them in the face. All they desperately sought was: Don’t let this protest be! They mustered all the strength in them.
They know its grave implications. They are aware of the potency of protest. Many times in the years past. They hey explored and exploited protest. They made maximum use of its effective power.
And it paid off handsomely for them. Today, they are reaping and enjoying the “sweet fruits” of their labour. No qualms.
All the same. We need to specifically give it to President Bola Tinubu. We just have to. The grandmaster of protests. Courtesy, Senator Shehu Sani.
We must oblige him this. Even if for once.
He knows how to navigate. At the very appropriate time, he can spring a surprise. And ultimately run with it.
He has demonstrated that times without number. He has the best time to stoop to conquer in his palms. And he is making utmost use of it in this regard. He deserves accolades of some sorts.
He sent forth his Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. And turned the heat on imaginary protesters.
They vehemently insist: No protest. The campaign is on course, working the perceived wonders. Spreading like harmattan fire. All through the rainy month of July.
Idris and his foot soldiers are performing the Herculean task. Making appreciable inroads. Breaking some barriers and removing obstacles.
He is audacious to some encouraging extent. He clips the deadly wings of hardship, pain, hunger, anger, et al. He reduces them to just “family matters.”
Mind you, he doesn’t see any frivolity or triviality in it. All he sees is serious business. Which deserves serious and absolute attention.
Of course, he has his reason: “Government is not sleeping on duty.” He passionately begged for more time from Nigerians.
He cleverly attempted a U-turn. He wants the narratives changed fast. He appealed to sentiments and emotions. It was a good pick. He played on them effectively:
“Those who are agitating and asking for protests are Nigerians. They are our brothers, our sisters. Those in positions of authority, we are all Nigerians too.”
This is where he’s going: “So, this is a family matter. This is a Nigerian family issue. All of us are looking at this issue very well and we hope that peace will prevail at the end of the day.”
Try as Idris did, this is the bad news. It’s not yet uhuru. They are not there for now. They have a long distance journey to contend with.
Tinubu’s genuine handlers should take serious cognizance of this undeniable fact. They still have mountains to pull down and valleys to fill up.
Some of his foot soldiers are terribly fanatical, terrific. Going in the wrong direction at all times. And blindly too. They have a permanent distaste for good reasoning.
They never fail to showcase their hypocrisy. It’s their trade mark. They feast on it unrestrained.
They are glaringly working at cross purposes. Ravaging all the way. Dismantling whatever Idris & Co are strenuously building. The President won’t find this laughable now or later.
It’s damaging and devastating. They are obsessed with divergent opinions in a democracy. They don’t want others to air their views in a supposedly free clime as ours.
They can’t tolerate viable alternatives where Tinubu is involved. Or superior options. It’s no protest or nothing. Theirs must prevail at all times.
They are spinning warped propaganda. All in the move and mood to “protect” their principal. It’s not done that dasdard way in saner societies.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, volunteered to lead the assault. He shocked the nation with his eerie discovery. He alleged: “Foreign mercenaries, malicious groups behind planned protest.”
He refused to convince us. He didn’t have a clue.Not even any proof. He left us to guess and fill the gaps. This is quite dangerous, coming from an IGP. His utterances ought to be interrogated and trusted. And taken to the bank, even the CBN, without looking back.
But that’s not to be with Egbetokun. Sad. He “don fall our hands.” He tried to mend fences with us. Perhaps, after realising the heavy weight of his critical outburst:
“We encourage all protesters to cooperate with the police, obey the law and adhere to global best practices for peaceful assembly to guarantee a safe and successful exercise of their rights.”
What an afterthought! That’s what the IGP has succinctly demonstrated.
Other BATISTS threatened to bring hell down. If they make good their #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.
They quickly tied it to #EndSARS. As if that protest was not made in good faith. They painted it black from “top to bottom.”
They claimed it was a continuation attempt to topple government. So daft an argument. So? They advocated to high heavens. Their numero uno must take it as a war situation.
We wonder what informed their thought process.
But reasonable ones in their pack are seeing what we saw long ago. They are bending down low. Practically on their knees. Begging like never before.
Idris has told us: “Government is not sleeping on duty.” He begged for more time from Nigerians. Should we trust them? Should we yield to them? Are they sincere enough this time around?
It’s a hard nut to crack. We are confused and concerned. The reason we’re jealously biding our precious time. We don’t want to fall into the same old, stinking pit.
We did that many times over. We are taking measured steps. We can’t be rushed. We won’t be stampeded.
Sincerely, we still smell deceit, pretense. Fouling to high heavens. We honestly wish we were wrong.
Come on! Let the beats of protest go on. Let it continue to bring the best out of our leaders!!!