{"id":10540,"date":"2022-10-23T05:11:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T05:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/?p=10540"},"modified":"2022-10-23T05:11:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T05:11:11","slug":"tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/","title":{"rendered":"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> 304<\/span> Views<\/span><\/div>

Nigeria\u2019s god of literature, Wole Soyinka, needs no elaborate introduction. His evident literary flourishes underscore a deep mastery of the English language which he eminently utilizes to address socio-political conditions in his native Nigeria and across the world. He has, several times, confronted misrule, urging the economic weary, downtrodden masses to stand up against bad governance and reject the entrenchment of power monsters in the polity. In his globally acclaimed civil war memoir, The Man Died, Soyinka magisterially submits that \u201cthe man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.\u201d<\/p>\n

By that epoch submission, the Nobel laureate encourages victims of feral exercise of power to speak up and not shut up because death is the comeuppance of timid acceptance of political and economic terrorism. Soyinka\u2019s advice to the populace to speak up contradicts Bola Tinubu\u2019s admonition that Nigerians demanding a new beginning from the present All Progressives Congress disaster should \u2018shut up.\u2019 Tinubu, the APC presidential standard bearer, was unmistakably direct when he recently encouraged his audience to tell those demanding a change of government in Nigeria to \u2018shut up.\u2019<\/p>\n

Indeed, it is a demonstration of pathetic humiliation when a child is physically brutalized and asked to \u2018shut up\u2019, don\u2019t cry. Nigerians have been roundly assaulted on all fronts by the APC government therefore they reserve the right to speak up and not \u2018shut up.\u2019 Following Tinubu\u2019s outburst, many people reacted to what they considered an insult. How could a presidential candidate seeking the votes of Nigerians to the highest office in the land tell the same people to \u2018shut up\u2019?<\/p>\n

Such language use, from a potential President, besides being condescending, is uncouth and a deliberate attempt to intimidate Nigerians already impoverished by the APC government. Some commentators, socio-political profiteers, if you like, rising in defence of the Tinubu howler, which has become a trademark of his public appearances in recent times, have explained that he was only joking. Well, a joke must be relevant and understood in the context of its semantic application. In Tinubu\u2019s estimation, \u2018shut up\u2019 is a \u2018polite\u2019 way of telling Nigerians to keep quiet. It is a way to further insult those who think that the APC disaster should be dislodged at the ballot box next year. Tinubu is not a political novice. He should understand political rhetoric as well as anybody in politics.<\/p>\n

Certainly, Nigerians will not \u2018shut up\u2019 in the face of crippling economic conditions, a bleak future occasioned by mindless borrowing from the present government, corruption, insecurity, collapse of education, and degradation of the healthcare system. No, sir, Nigerians will not \u2018shut up\u2019 under such unpropitious conditions. If indeed, the Jagaban of the universe can tell Nigerians to shut up as a presidential aspirant, what will he tell them if he becomes President?<\/p>\n

The \u2018shut up\u2019 outburst is an apocalyptic, habit-forming gesture in Tinubu\u2019s psychology of power which portends a miserable future for the opposition, and freedom of expression in the event he becomes Mr President. Is this an indication that the APC aspirant will not brook any opposition as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces? We can criticise the President, Maj General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for many things but Tinubu\u2019s carriage is gradually turning Buhari into a saint of some sort. In all his intransigence, Buhari has never told Nigerians to \u2018shut up,\u2019 although he once called the Nigerian youths \u2018lazy youths.\u2019 Perhaps, it is in the character of the APC government to show disrespect towards Nigerians but Tinubu\u2019s outburst of \u2018shut up\u2019 has redefined the insult paradigm in Nigerian politics.<\/p>\n

It is more puzzling because Tinubu was at the forefront of \u2018speaking up\u2019 during the General Sani Abacha military junta. I have interviewed former ministers and ex-presidents who were unanimous in their submission that Tinubu did well through NADECO to fight against Abacha\u2019s dictatorship. If indeed Tinubu didn\u2019t \u2018shut up\u2019 when the country was under the strangulating grip of Abacha, why then would he ask Nigerians to \u2018shut up\u2019 and not demand a change of government under an administration much worse than the Abacha era?<\/p>\n

Is Tinubu a dictator in the making? When he says Nigerians should \u2018shut up,\u2019 does that also include any of his press outlets where many distinguished people are pursuing a career in professional journalism? The Tinubu take-it-or-leave-it behaviour since the commencement of the present political campaign is inconsistent with the attitude of a man of good intentions. To tell Nigerians to \u2018shut up\u2019 for daring to ask for an alternative administration is in bad faith and stands to be condemned. Times are different. People are more aware these days. The present hardship in the country has roused the people out of inexplicable inertia, which explains their unenviable position in the hierarchy of global conquered persons. In their misery, they will no longer \u2018shut up.\u2019<\/p>\n

There is no question about Tinubu\u2019s competence as an administrator, a manager of men and resources. However, the truth is that Nigerians are disenchanted with the present APC government at the centre and will want to give another party a chance to steer the ship of the state. Nigerians want change and there is nothing bad about it. Therefore to ask them to \u2018shut up\u2019 and not demand a change is a remote way of undermining their wishes and a further laceration of the existing injuries inflicted on their lives by the APC misadventure.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shut up\u2019 shows a disdain for the opposition, which is a hallmark of totalitarian states where opposition is abhorred. \u2018Shut up\u2019 is combative, cantankerous, disorderly, spiteful, and disrespectful. There is no way anybody in the world will justify a \u2018shut up\u2019 effusion seeing that many people desiring a change of government from the APC catastrophe are older than Tinubu. So he was actually telling some older people to \u2018shut up\u2019, which in his assessment is a way of being \u2018polite.\u2019 No sir, Jagaban of the universe, there is no iota of politeness in \u2018shut up\u2019 please.<\/p>\n

Political gladiators in the current dispensation should realise that times have changed. Nigerians are no longer the docile, primitive, unlettered people they used to be. It is the right of every citizen in Nigeria to desire a change or continuation of a government. It is a good thing that Tinubu realises that Nigerians are vehemently clamouring for a change of government, which is why he is telling them to \u2018shut up.\u2019 If the APC government has performed well, will Nigerians demand a change of government?<\/p>\n

It is more bewildering because in 2015, Tinubu was at the vanguard of a change of government and no one asked him to \u2018shut up.\u2019 If indeed, Buhari, Tinubu, and many of the present APC stalwarts marched on the streets of Nigeria demanding a change of government without anyone asking them to \u2018shut up,\u2019 then Jagaban does not have any ethical, moral, spiritual or even political justification to ask anyone to \u2018shut up\u2019 for demanding a change of government now. That Tinubu has vowed to continue with Buhari\u2019s legacies is enough reason for people to reject him at the polls. How on earth will anybody want to continue the present hellish dispensation and expect people to \u2018shut up\u2019? No sir. \u201cThe man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.\u201d<\/p>\n

On second thought, the \u2018shut up\u2019 admonition could be more fundamental \u2013 in which case, the opposition will not be allowed any presence in Lagos, Tinubu\u2019s territory. Yes, the \u2018shut up\u2019 insult could mean that no opposition should speak or maintain any form of presence in Lagos. Is that why opposition billboards cannot be mounted anywhere in Lagos even though Tinubu\u2019s billboards are all over the country even in territories dominated by the opposition? Could that be the reason a young boy with the flag of an opposition party was reportedly manhandled by those empowered to enforce the \u2018shut up\u2019 rule?<\/p>\n

Is there a calculated attempt to ensure even on social and mainstream media that the opposition \u2018shuts up\u2019 till Election Day? Are we going to witness more brutal enforcement of \u2018shut up\u2019 in the days ahead? Is that why any scrutiny of the APC presidential candidate is immediately hounded and attacked, all in a bid to enforce the \u2018shut up\u2019 rule? As Nigeria\u2019s literary sage Chinua Achebe advises, \u201cLet the eagle perch and let the hawk perch. If one says no to the other, let its wings break.\u201d Nigerians must soro soke to the high heavens because \u201cthe man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.\u201d<\/p>\n

*Adiele, a lecturer at Mountain Top University, can be reached on Promee01@yahoo.com<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

304 ViewsNigeria\u2019s god of literature, Wole Soyinka, needs no elaborate introduction. His evident literary flourishes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[53],"yoast_head":"\nTinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele. -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele. -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"304 ViewsNigeria\u2019s god of literature, Wole Soyinka, needs no elaborate introduction. His evident literary flourishes...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-23T05:11:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_20221023_060722.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"581\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"319\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nnabuife\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_20221023_060722.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_20221023_060722.jpg\",\"width\":581,\"height\":319},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/\",\"name\":\"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele. -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-23T05:11:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-23T05:11:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962\",\"name\":\"Nnabuife\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nnabuife\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/umuakatimes.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/author\/gamexplay\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele. -","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele. -","og_description":"304 ViewsNigeria\u2019s god of literature, Wole Soyinka, needs no elaborate introduction. His evident literary flourishes...","og_url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/","article_published_time":"2022-10-23T05:11:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":581,"height":319,"url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_20221023_060722.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nnabuife","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_20221023_060722.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/IMG_20221023_060722.jpg","width":581,"height":319},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/","name":"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele. -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2022-10-23T05:11:11+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-23T05:11:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/tinubu-should-nigerians-really-shut-up-by-promise-adiele\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tinubu: Should Nigerians Really Shut Up? \u00a0By Promise Adiele."}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#\/schema\/person\/2bc6c3e39958c06697651244ed5a4962","name":"Nnabuife","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/722699e00da7ed3dbbf6a91b54214edd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nnabuife"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/umuakatimes.com"],"url":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/author\/gamexplay\/"}]}},"views":203,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10542,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10540\/revisions\/10542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umuakatimes.com\/topnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}