No Siddon Look!

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TGIF my good people!!

Evil prospers when good men do nothing-John P. Curran

The above quote came to my mind this morning when I was listening to the radio while getting dressed for work. My favourite radio station in Abuja is Rhythm fm;

I like their presenters, they have interesting shows, they don't talk too much, don't have the fake accents a lot of radio presenters adopt when they're on air which makes it difficult to actually hear what they're saying in those nasal voices, and they play good music too. So, what's not to love? Anyway, they've been airing this message on the radio station titled 'No siddon look'. Basically it means 'don't be silent/don't just sit and keep quiet'. The message is in form of a drama where a pregnant woman in a bus cautioned the bus driver against the way he was driving, as it was affecting her. The driver, a typical example of Nigerian drivers, shouted at her to keep quiet, that it wasn't his fault that the roads were bad and filled with pot-holes. Fellow passengers didn't keep quiet, they raised their voices  against the driver's actions and told him to drive more carefully as she's pregnant. Get the message?

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We often see and hear people condemn evil acts and ask 'so nobody was there?' or question why didn't the people there do something. I'm also guilty of this. We see videos and images of mob actions, and we ask 'how did people let this happen?'; evil thrives when good people keep quiet. When you see someone being oppressed, what do you do? Look away because it's not your business and you don't want to get involved? Or speak out? I'm convinced that good people outnumber the bad people in this world, yet it seems evil controls the earth, why?, because the good people keep quiet. You know how we reason it; as long as it doesn't affect me personally, it's not my business. That is the reason why tens and hundreds of people will stand by and watch and record with their phones, as ten or fifteen people stone a person to death or burn him/her alive. They'd say that if they challenge them they might turn and attack them; says who? A few will attack many? 

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There is injustice everywhere we look, in our families, our neighbourhoods, our offices, even our religious places. What do we do? A child is being abused in your neighbourhood and you keep quiet because you don't want the guardian to see you as nosey? An uncle dies and your father/mother oppresses his poor widow and you keep quiet? Your brother's wife is subjected to all manner of disrespect and meanness by members of your family and you console her in private but say nothing to your family members? A colleague is being plotted against or set-up at work and you hear of it but don't warn them against it or expose their plot, rather you choose the 'don't ask don't tell' approach, so they don't label you a saboteur. No Siddon Look!! Do the right thing, speak out and condemn evil! 

Have a restful weekend. Spend time with loved ones doing things that make you happy.

Peace...