By Odolaye Aremu
Read Also:
Whether we are better or worse for it is debatable. But what’s not debatable about the role of the Internet/social media in this generation, is the nullification of the so-called “6 Degrees Of Separation.” To say the world has shrunk to a more “unmanageable” size is to ignore the sudden marketability of Fiat and Kia- both compact automobiles for “compact-pockets”; over Jet-planes and luxury automobiles; both high-end machines for the deep-pocket. Pretty much in just a few years, the word “Stranger” could risk becoming a product of planned obsolescence- the relativity of its meaning by then would have become less practical, but definitely more virtual.
But then again, the real world we much labor over at this point is another product of obsolescence. We could only be looking at the wrong end of the periscope. As the real world we are about easing up on is more virtual than real. In the developed world, those in charge are those in power- and a major tool of office is information. In the developing world, the Politicians are losing power- they just don’t realize it as yet! An unassuming but street-smart kid, with a dumb smartphone, hawking pure-water on a Lagos highway, on a very hot afternoon could one day shut down an entire State.
By the time he’d hit “send” with a tiny finger on the compact keyboard of his phone- the State Executive and his minions would be seeking refuge on the tallest trees in and around the metropolis- if they could find any still standing. By the time it would all be proven to be a hoax- mayhem, carnage and anomie would have completely taken over. The entire nation- especially States where the members of the populace are disgruntled may well be standing in the line of the national bush fire roaring, waiting to engulf all.
The collective “mumularity” or pusillanimity of yesteryears could now be genuinely excused on the lack of uniformity or that of purposeful-cohesiveness. What happened at the Ilorin Islamic Prayer Ground last weekend was not planned on the streets- the acts initially were hatched and fine-tuned on cyberspace if you ask me. “Abdul-Gafaru” ran a good drill and his army of adherents spot their Targets all too well. A week or two probably was all Abdul-Gafaru needed to train his foot soldiers. Meeting in open places never raised a single eyebrow as to what could be steaming in the offing! Thankfully- stones, cudgels and plastic sachets of “Pure-Water” aren’t as deadly as bullets and home-made bombs.
The Nigeria society like any other is a copycat one and I hope the authorities are noting the subtle cues or have diligently taken due notes. Deal with this Saraki issue with poignancy! Nullify the snake and totally severe its head! And set sexy traps for the other snakes waiting in the wings. If we must keep our eyes open at all time, it must be for a nondescript, ambitious Superhero, hawking icy-cold “pure-water” on a vicious street, or on a Lagos Highway, on a very hot afternoon with- a dumb smartphone clutched tightly within his little fingers. Remember this same Nation, not long ago was almost brought down to her knees, by a wannabe “superhero who at one time had no shoes!”
Saraki’s stoning, Olu Falae’s Kidnapping, it’s all in the Sneak Attack!
That’s what on my mind this doggone minute!
