By Achike Chude

Nigerians just do not seem to know the depth of their socio-economic and political morass. In fact, it would not be out of character to say that we are in deep s–t. Today, the continuously and consistently declining structure of the Nigerian state has now gotten to a point of saturation and our society can take no more. The structure of the state is on a tailspin of degeneration, and the decline of the superstructure is a natural consequence.

Any state that operates in the way and manner of the Nigerian state is a criminal enterprise using the paraphernalia of democracy, governance, electoral multi-partism as a decoy to foist a most heinous criminal endeavour on the Nigerian people. The criminal disposition of our political system is given credence by the unfortunate but true description of Nigeria by Karl Maier as: “A criminality run corporation where the leaders are armed and are hidden in the safe.”

The multiple purpose vehicles used by dubious, unconscionable people masquerading as politicians for carrying out this heist against the Nigerian people are the political parties, especially the two main political parties in the country that are set up and run in a manner that is nothing more than that of a organized criminal organisation.

The quantum of stealing, looting, banditry, and treasury emptying since the advent of this ‘unbroken democracy’ is stupefying, mind numbing, and breadth taking. That the political class is at war with the country and peoples have never been in doubt. A time there was when the baby was beaten but was at least allowed to cry. Today, it is an anathema to express unhappiness about your social and economic condition. You cannot cry! You must not cry, or the police or DSS will be sent after you.

A nation’s security infrastructure is necessary for the existence of the state and is built for both internal and external purposes of protecting the nation state. They are infrastructures for internal cohesion and a repellent force against external threat. Under a perverse, ill informed, parochial, unpatriotic, and corrupt ruling class in a quasi-democracy like Nigeria, the instruments of coercion, procured to protect the people is inevitably used to oppress and repress the same people. Under such a setting, state protection actually means the protection of the individuals and groups who make up the state at various levels, and it doesn’t matter whether those being protected with state resources are the very ones undermining the state through acts of omission or commission.

The repressive action of the President Muhammadu Buhari government against youthful citizens of our country who are exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right of dissent over their state of affairs is shameful, a disservice to the ideals and ethos of our democracy, and an assault on the constitution. Before the current sordid crackdown over the #