In the dimming firmament of Nigeria’s conquered and waning voices of reason and dissent, Omoyele Sowore’s untiring voice seems to echo and reecho unendingly.
His Spartan responses and uncompromising approach to his numerous courses or fights with the establishment have attracted both positive and negative attention, depending on your perspective.
Omoyele Sowore, for time immemorial, has been a thorn in the flesh of authorities at various levels in his search for justice in a society that sometimes thrives on injustice and anyhowness. This has brought him into collusion with hard forces, including state authorities determined to quash his zest.
To his critics, his often-frequent growls and brawls have reduced his bites to those of a mongrel dog, harmless, common and ubiquitous and therefore pose no danger or carry any clout of seriousness around his many courses.
For others, Omoyele Sowore represents the last vestiges of true nationalism and activism associated with the days of Tai Solarin, Baba Omojola, Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Olusegun Maiyegun, etc. Those were the days of the Jackboot, when dissenting voices were harangued, and many voted with their feet in fear of the military.
As I watched him being pushed back and forth by the security agents today, I was forced to reflect on the cost of freedom and the few people who are ready to fight for it. Sowore may not be saintly in his approach to justice. He may even be petulant with some of his demands. But his consistency and insistence on calling a Spade its true name, at the risk of personal safety and convenience, based on the rigidity of his convictions, remain applaudable.
Just a few days ago, he was tear-gassed and fell unconscious at the venue of a protest. He rose afterwards, defying fear, intimidation, and risk to life to continue his activism that culminated in his being kept away today in the Kuje correctional facility.
Whether you like him or not, a few men are like him: dugged, rugged, daring and adventurous. He may have his flaws, but he sure deserves his flowers. When the names of great Nigerians who stood against injustice and bad governance are being called, Omoyele Sowore’s name will not be missing.
We cannot all afford to be taciturn and docile inside a bush that is already on fire. This is why Sowore’s voice must be understood, whether it sounds sonorous in your ears or irritating.