President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has secured an ignoble place for himself in the infamous hall of tyrants – where King Louis XIV of France, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya ruled the roost of humanity.
From the very day Asiwaju assumed office as president of Nigeria, the once celebrated freedom fighter and pro-democracy revolutionary adorned the toga of a ruler and a tyrant by exercising power in a cruel, oppressive, and absolute manner, disregarding the well-being and rights of Nigerian citizens. It’s unthinkable that President Tinubu would be employing fear, violence, and manipulation to maintain control in the suppression of organizations like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Yesterday, SERAP sent an SOS to President Bola Tinubu, through its verified social media handle, saying: “Officers from Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) are presently unlawfully occupying SERAP’s office in Abuja, asking to see our directors. President Tinubu must immediately direct the SSS to end the harassment, intimidation and attack on the rights of Nigerians.
The arrest, detention and release of the Nigeria Labour Congress President, alongside the invasion and raiding of the SERAP office in Abuja, are stark reminders of the tyrannical tendencies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Sources at the Nigeria Secret Police department reported that his arrest on his way to attend a conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the UK on Monday followed his refusal to honour DSS and National Intelligence Agency’s (NIA) invitation for questioning over his link to the British citizen Andrew Wynne, who was alleged to be sponsoring terrorism and plotting a regime change in Nigeria.
The other reasons for his detention included his failure to honor an invitation from undercover police regarding an alleged extortion case and an alleged petition by Air Peace Airlines against the labour leader. But labour sources attributed the arrest and detention of the labour union’s leader to its opposition to President Tinubu’s impunity and disregard for the agreement, which stipulated that the government will not increase fuel prices till after two years.
These actions not only undermine the fundamental rights of citizens but also demonstrate a blatant disregard for the rule of law and democratic principles. The Nigeria Labour Congress President’s arrest and detention for exercising their right to protest and advocate for workers’ rights are a clear affront to freedom of expression and association.
Similarly, the invasion and raiding of SERAP’s office, a reputable human rights organization, signals a chilling intent to suppress dissenting voices and stifle accountability. This brazen attack on civil society organizations and labour leaders is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, not democracies.
Asiwaju has my empathy for unknowingly, inadvertently and primitively erecting his legacy presidency on a slippery sand of fuel subsidy and the shark infested pool of oil swaps of petroleum products without caution. He deserves the nation’s sympathy more now that he has been shot out by Aso Rock cabals and his ethnic malcontent aides who are goading him on to the tipping cliff.
It’s truly troubling that our own iconic liberation symbol has descended into absolute power and control, disregard for human rights and dignity, suppression of dissent and opposition, use of fear, violence, and intimidation, corruption and abuse of power, lack of accountability and transparency, manipulation of information and propaganda, restriction of individual freedoms and autonomy for power retention.
President Tinubu’s actions betray a growing penchant for tyranny, casting a dark shadow over Nigeria’s democratic fabric. It is imperative for Nigerians to stand against these abuses of power and demand respect for human rights and the rule of law.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com.
