Celebrating Nelson Mandela Day

Although July 18, declared by the United Nations as Nelson Mandela Day, had come and gone, there is a need to reflect on what  makes some men stand out among their peers. It is instructive to recall that some authorities declared the late President Nelson Mandela of South Africa as a security risk and a terrorist, during the apartheid regime, many years ago. It is also instructive listening to a friend and colleague, Professor Andrew Efemini, talk about Nigerians being devalued.
The issue about the devaluation of humans is a global phenomenon and power mongers always use it as a weapon. Without wearing the tag of enslavement, the system of human devaluation usually creates the impression that the best interests of the masses are being served. Using flowery antics and existing institutions as framework, manipulators of the system create cult-like power structures which entice the unwary masses.
Apartheid regime in South Africa used mass devaluation as  a weapon to diminish the rights, pride, humanity, confidence and conviction of the weak segment of the society. In a monetized and devalued society, money becomes a gallant soldier and as the masses lose their traditional means of livelihood, unemployment and hunger drive some people into crimes.
From colonial era to modern globalization, the trend is the same, namely: devalue the weak majority, to make them malleable and compliant. Without a bargaining power, no one dares to resist or challenge the system.
Power structures which devalue the masses strive to maintain the status quo, even though people rarely function at their best in an oppressive system. Those who are unable to comply with the demands of the system and lack a countervailing power to challenge it, become excluded and marginalized. Such lop-sided social arrangement serving the interests of those who hold power, place the masses in a weak and devalued position. It took a strong patriotism and sacrifice on the part of Nelson Mandella and his like-minded associates to change the situation and system in South Africa.
In Nigeria, the process of mass devaluation entered a second phase during the era of military intervention in politics. The first phase was the era of colonialism. Military culture is characterized by brute force and callousness. As that culture sank into the psyche of Nigerians, politeness and courtesy became social aberrations. It became the norm to order people to do what they are told to do, with speed and “immediate effect”. Who would disobey or complain when there are guns and bayonets to enforce quick compliance? Thus, impunity became a part of the weapons of mass devaluation.
In spite of well-intentioned policies, huge budgets and national resources, nothing works effectively in Nigeria. This can be traced to the continued devaluation of the people, like their national currency. In a situation where the masses find that their votes rarely count in who emerges as a leader; where politics remains a “do-or-die affair”, then the people would feel short-changed and devalued.
A situation where a few political office holders sit, make and approve “Pension Rights of Elected Public Officers’ Law”, giving themselves an obscene life-time financial security (even when they move on to become senators thereafter), the masses would certainly feel devalued. Nigerians are being constantly reminded that politics is not about service to the people, but an activity which panders to power holders, without any element of patriotism in their conduct.
In a polity where prevarications and pejorative oath can stand truth on its head, justice and value diminish drastically. When no one stands out in such a situation, like Mandela did in South Africa, then, such a society is devalued. A change in government without a corresponding change in cherished human values is mere cosmetic.
A nation where honour and integrity can be compromised and sold, patriotism can hardly thrive. In a system where patriotism is lacking and the people devalued, public servants rarely put in their best. Like the proverbial “monkey” that would work to feed the baboon, no one want to be such a slave. It would take a man like Mandela to change a devalued society.
Amirize writes from Port Harcourt.
e-mail: bamirize@yahoo.com.

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