Sunday Igboho and the law of social contract

The government in Nigeria is so far from the people to the extent that the people hardly feel the impact of government despite the fact that their representatives willingly entered into a social contract with them (the people). Unfortunately, the contents of this social contract have, on many occasions been bastardised to the extent that the impact and necessity of government is not being felt by the people.

It is so pathetic that those at the helm of affairs have failed to realise that the concept of the social contract is why the people agreed to be civil to one another under a threat of punishment from a governing body that has been established for that purpose which is ‘the government.” And, in a situation whereby justice is not being gotten, there will definitely be a rise of anti-government groups, which is what a Sunday Igboho and a Nnamdi Kanu represent.

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• Sunday Igboho and the law of social contract

This is so because, the political authority that the people agreed to submit some of their rights to have failed to live up to expectations, thereby, giving rise to anti-government groups.

The fact that a Sunday Igboho is embarking on what is best referred to as brigadier anarchism shows that the government is not strong enough to maintain order and this portends serious danger for Nigeria’s budding democracy.

Aside from natural disasters like tornadoes, floods and earthquakes, the greatest catastrophes of human history have been institutional failures for which government, or the state, carries the basic responsibility.

Today, a political thug, who ordinarily should be serving his years in prison has suddenly become a hero of a people.

Sunday Igboho can best be tagged a logical consequence of a failed state because the government bred an atmosphere for a Sunday Igboho to thrive.

Thus, there is an urgent need to de-escalate this tension by addressing the fundamental questions of governance most especially as it relates to the protection of lives and properties.

And, if this is not done as a matter of urgency and necessity and Sunday Igboho is given free hand to continue his ‘Messianic’ call, he will wield so much power to himself to the extent that he will be accountable to no-one.

Just as was done by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State during his stakeholders’ meeting with the people of Igangan where Sunday Igboho started his ‘liberation’ from, the government must realise that security forms the core of the business of governance, and, at no point in time must it be submitted to a Sunday Igboho and his band of thugs.

It is important to reiterate that the farmers/herdsmen crisis cannot be solved with an Igboho but with each community mobilising democratically to resist terrorism and banditry, ecological reclamation strategy, development of modern ranching system to stem the archaic tradition of nomadism and construction of a modern industrial society to provide functional social services for the people.

Kazeem Olalekan Israel writes from Ibadan, Nigeria