OCTOBER 1, THE MOVIE, NOT THE CELEBRATION!

The Movie October 1 is, rightly, highly celebrated. For me, it is the most poignant representation of the Nigerian state since independence. Although it is true that the “mistake” of 1914 that has birthed this nation we call “Nigeria”, it is hard to believe that the mistake of 1914 is responsible for the current tragedies that we suffer.

Generally, Nigerians are unlikely to blame Europeans for their problems and this is a good thing. But of course, some of these challenges we still face today originated from their “scramble for Africa”, especially the geopolitical formation of this entity.

Kunle Afolayan’s “October 1” follows the investigation of a series of rape and murder for which the Prince, Prince Aderopo is the perpetrator. Due to his status in the society, a Prince, it is believed that he cannot be investigated or arrested, Sergeant Afonjo, The Chief Priest and the Prince himself stated this. This mindset is at the foundation of Nigeria’s problems. It is believed that people in authority, any form of authority should not be questioned, corrected, or be offered even good suggestions. This dangerous mindset is not only evident in government offices, it is prevalent in families, where it is believed that “The man is the head” and should always “command” the troops. Any sign of authority is respected, to a fault. A lot of our aphorisms on leadership are designed to make sure that loyalty to the leader is supreme, above all else, including leadership itself. “What the elder can see while sitting, a young man even while on an Iroko tree cannot see”, “The leader is always right”, “You can’t bite the hand that feeds you”, “respect elders” etc. although these quotes may look harmless, at their root, they want to enforce the idea that leaders should not be questioned, no matter what. The result is that even when leaders fail, the followers lack the courage to point out the leaders wrong. As was the case with Prince Aderopo. In the end, such leaders destroy society. A lot of Nigerians are often like Sergeant Afonjo, although well-meaning, they are willing to do anything but not question the leader. In fact, they are willing to forsake their jobs (means of livelihood), just to protect the status quo, which is exactly what Sergeant Afonjo by resigning his position rather than arresting Prince Aderopo. Nigerians will be willing to do anything, except to correct their leaders, especially religious leaders. Because of this, our leaders know they can get away with anything, including murdering us. Of course, they don’ care. We should never forget; always question those in power. Always. If the society does not question its leaders, the people will suffer for it. Think about it, what if our leaders know they won’t get away with corruption, with failed promises?

And because we cannot blame our leaders, we find “a scapegoat”. A scapegoat, who has no fault at all. Since 1960, Nigerian tribes have spent a significant amount of effort in blaming each other for the failure of the Nigerian state. This was the primary cause of the Nigerian Biafran War. Even that has not taught us any lesson, the Berom Person in Plateau still blames the Kanke Person for his problems. The Ogoni person will blame the Igbo Person for his problems. In our local ways, we have dissected the blame to the most less guilty of all the possible criminals while the most guilty (in fact, the guilty party) is there watching us strangle each other, in fact, mostly, he’s busy instigating us to clamp down on each other. How tragic! That’s what happened to Usman Dangari, the innocent man who was killed by Okafor, one of the village people whose daughter was raped and killed by the Prince.

The brilliance, persistence, wisdom, unbiasedness, and quest for truth that Inspector Danladi Waziri brought to the investigation is the combination we need to make Nigeria a better country. Nothing less than this can solve our problems. See, I am a Christian, I have attended several night vigils where we pray for this country, pray for our leaders, and pray for God to intervene but I’m getting older, and nothing has changed. It is possible to begin to doubt at all if our prayers have reached up to God. What we are lacking, is what God himself has already provided. What God has provided for in intellect and skills, He will not provide in miracles. What we continually do, is like what Inspector Waziri could have done, spent so much time asking the Chief Priest who the killer was, but no, he knew that God has provided us with other techniques of deciphering situations and applying knowledge, in the end, following that alone, he cracked up the case. Prayers do not build roads, fasting does not create good schools, and night vigils do not build bridges. If it were so, nations like China, Finland, or even the United States will not be as progressive as they are. Religion has its role in society, rightly as it was depicted in the movie; it is to provide a moral compass for the society, for the individual, salvation. Other than that, we are misapplying it. Roads, bridges, good education systems, and effective governance are products of right thinking, determination, wisdom, and insistence on truth. Deng Xiaoping once said, “Seek truth from facts…. It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice”. It was this mindset that launched China into its socio-economic transformation.

Always, it is unbiased, intelligent, and determined people that change their nations for the better. Building a great nation is not a product of chance, neither is it a miracle, it is purely and always a product of simple principles that any nation, since the dawn of time, who practiced have found it that it works. The hardness of changing is not that we need any new discovery or another invention, what is lacking is the application of timeless principles that have proven to work.

Only if we become men and women like Inspector Waziri, only then can Nigeria be better. Else, you can buy shawarma on the next 1^st October and celebrate this “giant for nothing”.