Opinion: Thuggery is Not a Political Appointment

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Thuggery is an act of violence or act of thugs. A thug simply mean a criminal who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire.

Political thuggery is an act that is unacceptable in all ramifications of life; it is an act of destruction that has no meaningful impact on any one who engaged in it. Take it or you leave it, thuggery is an act of ungodly behavior? When an act is ungodly, it connotes that people involved have no fear of God in their mind. It brings about catastrophe, under development and hatred to the society.

Political thuggery is the way in which people fight and attack other political parties. The question is how can you allow yourself to be called a thug or an instrument in the hand of greedy public office seekers? Majority’s opinion pointed out that this ungodly behaviour is common among those who don’t deserve to occupy any leadership position but fail to realize that, rather adopt the notions of recruiting a youth who are supposed to serve as leaders of tomorrow as  thugs.

Kogi youths, when will you use your brain?

Today, when you ask a child on the street to describe Kogi state politics for you, he or she would describe it as a do or die affair. The interpretation of that statement means that whether the society, accept me or not I must be there. We watch and observe carefully the manner in which the political campaigns and elections were conducted in time past, thousands of precious lives were lost in almost every local government of the state during each of these elections as political parties clashed, with one another in what could be defined as political thuggery hand work.

Now, the question is who armed these thugs and for what self-fishiness purposes?

Have you forgotten the teaching of our noble prophet and Jesus Christ who said “Be Good to your neighbor and be your brother’s keepers”. Is that not the teaching of both Islam and Christianity? Wise men of the land.

In other not to be beating around the bush, those young men were armed as a result of their ignorance and at time by greedy public office seekers to subdue their political opponents, and forgetting the fact that power is from God. With the attitude of some of us, you would agree with me that some of the politicians we have in Kogi state are not worthy enough for the position and that is why some of them want to use illegal means to gain that position at all course.

Obviously, some of the politicians elected seem not to understand what politics really is; neither do they have good intentions for their localities and the state they aspire to govern. I stand firmly to bring to your notice that.

One finger spoils the rest but I believe that with this enlightenment campaigns towards panacea for political thuggery in Kogi state in all ramifications will certainly help us to alleviate political thuggery in the state as a whole so that those with the intentions of turnings Kogi state into a war zone with their violent attitude can actually learn the implication of thuggery and shun the act.

Remember the word of Sunday Atabo (Oma-Igala Uche); “when you throw a stone in to the market two things are bound to happen, either you stone your relations or as the case may be. You can’t be at the glass house and stone your opponent. Remember when you kill your fellow who then are you going to govern?”

Sometimes we blame the youth, because the most deplorable aspect of this ugly situation is the way youth willingly hire themselves out to be used as thugs. Can we look at that situation as a result of poverty, hunger or lack of education? Of course not. There is a saying that youths are the live-wire of the nation. Now the question is, what future has a nation whose youths are thug? To me that nation will be nothing but a home of gladiators, nation of anarchy where peace and development will be limited and far cry.

Kogi youth should know that the situation described above is bound to occur at any time of the election in Kogi state if they continue to embrace thuggery and the consequence of it is bad reputation on the youth.

Every single day I kept on asking and wondering why fellow youth should engaged or ransoms their live when they know they have a great life ahead.

The duties and the responsibilities of the leader is to empower the youth not to ask the youth to engage themselves in fighting and attacking other fellow. What character are we exhibiting? Are we still ignorant of the intentions behind the games of some of these greedy incompetent office seekers?

May I crave your indulgence that some of these politicians have brother in their various homes and their off- springs (children) but they would not use them as thugs? Instead they prefer recruiting peoples outside their home as thugs that would fight for them in achieving their selfish interest.

The implication is that, in the process you can kill and you can be killed, so what benefit have you achieved from the mischievous act?

By the time this greedy politicians achieve their aim, their children and brother would be sent abroad to acquired better education, while your own education dream has taken another direction that is contrary to the progress of the state.

On the contrary we refuse to accept that youth are poor and frustrated that is why we must wake up from our slumber to say no to their black mealy, let us embrace, and support politicians that show integrity, accountability, the fear of God  and above all, the one with vision.

A politician who believes that the only way to win his election is to employ thugs has nothing to render except poverty, hunger, conflict and destruction, anarchical tendency etc.

Finally, you are too noble as a youth to be used for ignoble purposes know your selves, your worth, only then you can be respected and empowered.  

Let’s avoid any thing that may lead to thuggery. Let’s fight it. Let’s resist it. Let’s bring it down. Let’s protect our communities. Let’s protect Kogi state.
Our state is the school of love and peace. Our first teachers are our parents, let us listen to their word of advice. The school for good citizens – empathy begins with mother let us attend it and adhere to their word of advice and live in peace not destroying the society through thuggery.

There is a saying that we are an interdependent hierarchy of the body. We are an interdependent hierarchy of the body which cannot survive without another if we kill one part of that body it will definitely affect the others. So let us work as team for the progress of our state because; individual need families, families need communities, communities need state, state need nation and the nation need world.

– Moses Abdulrahman Yusuf, a journalist, writes from Anyigba. 


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