That was the refrain from a certain Alex Ikwechegh, the Nigerian legislator representing Aba North & South Federal Constituency, as he repeatedly rained slaps and insults on Bolt delivery man, Stephen Abuwatseya, who had gone to deliver a parcel to the federal lawmaker. A lot is packed into that exchange, at the heart of which is a simple truth: the Nigerian political class disdains the average citizen, treats law enforcement officers as houseboys, and revels in impunity, in the confident assurance that nothing will happen.
Well, something is happening in this fellow’s case, but it is not what you think. The episode enacted in the clip you saw is, I argue, a frequent occurrence in varying forms and versions. The only reason why you are hearing about it, and the inspector general of police has been forced to respond, is because the victim had the presence of mind to record the incident, and he managed to live to tell the story. Otherwise, the performative response from the Nigerian police is simply induced by the public outrage elicited by the viral video. It is also a reaction to the public embarrassment of police officers enacted by Ikwechegh, in announcing that he had police officers at his command, to unleash summary violence on hapless citizens. Members of the Nigerian political elite, I imagine, are also unhappy with Ikwechegh- not because what he said was untrue, but because he should not be saying it out loud. In their eyes, Ikwechegh is guilty, not of impunity and abuse of power, but of betrayal of the brotherhood.
Still, you get the sense that, after the performative reaction of the Nigerian police is spent, the whole thing will fizzle out as the public attention is turned to the best subject of fancy, and it would be back to business as normal. Ikwechegh is unlikely to go to jail and even more unlikely to lose his seat on account of his behaviour. He has betrayed the brotherhood alright, but the brotherhood is not quite invested in the inconvenient optics of one of their own going to jail over what is, in their parallel universe, “normal service”.
The legislator had choices of words that gives you a peek into the way the minds of Nigerian politicians work, and how they truly see citizens they are, on paper, elected to serve: “Can you imagine this rat? I am not going to give this boy one naira of my money.”; “Because you saw me sitting outside here. Look at this monkey”. As far as he was concerned, the citizens engaged in lawful economic activity, is effectively a non person: a “rat” and “monkey”. He is unworthy of dignity, undeserving of any regard. He’s just there, and he can be made to “disappear” anytime, without consequences. The only thing good for him, before he is made to disappear, is repeated humiliation: like tying him up, lying him down and putting him in the “generator house”.
You see, the dehumanisation of the Nigerian citizen is not accidental or random. At the hand of this breed of politicians, it is routine, normal service. And it is going to continue until the citizens say no - not with a whimper but with a shout and sustained defiance that reset the brains of those who think it is their God-given right to dehumanise and oppress.
Citizen Abuwatseya has refused to take it lying down. More power to him. Here is hoping that conscious, conscientious citizens stay the course with Abuwatseya on his singular and admirable request to assert his humanity in the jungle out there.
