I hoped for, prayed for and worked for forward movement during half a century of passionate quest for a better Nigeria. So it hurts that two quotes that dominated my writing in the dark days of military rule are back in contention. Worse even is that these quotes from Niemoller and Dante’s inferno have been joined by one from Socrates.
If wrong reigns we should ordinarily worry about the wrongdoers. As I look at Nigeria today I see greater blame for those who see wrong but feign deaf and dumb.
Used to quote the Lutheran Priest Martin Niemoller who at first supported Nazi ideas then questioned them. He spent war years in Concentration camps and famously said: first they came the socialists but I did not speak up because I was not a socialist…then they came for the Jews but I did not speak… when they finally came for me there was no one left to speak up.
And Dante’s Inferno envisioned that the hottest part of hell was reserve d for those who in the face of a moral crisis took refuge in neutrality.
And now we are reminded of Socrates’ fear for the fall of democracy that it must ‘fail because it will try to tailor to everyone …when thieve and fraudsters finally and democratically take authority because criminals and evildoers want power there will be worse dictatorship…’
What has kept democracy are strong institutions but they have crippled our institutions. May God help us.
I hoped for, prayed for and worked for forward movement during half a century of passionate quest for a better Nigeria. So it hurts that two quotes that dominated my writing in the dark days of military rule are back in contention. Worse even is that these quotes from Niemoller…
— Pat Utomi (@UtomiPat) August 24, 2024
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