Light up Nigeria – what we need are flyers & a Banksy
I am not quite sure how this started but a couple of weeks ago a group of Nigerian twitters/bloggers began a campaign called “Light Up Nigeria” [LUN] and here on Twitter. The idea is to mobilize Nigerians into demanding electricity.
The time has come,Nigeria belongs to all of us and if we do not speak out now,its the same burden we will all have to bear. So join,tell your friends,family andybody you can,enough is enough. Our voice may be small now but as the group grows and the word is spread,the government will hear our words and something will be done. LIGHT UP NIGERIA so progress in all the other sectors can advance also.
Nigerian Curiosity took up the mantle and wrote this excellent post providing background on why Nigeria is still in darkness and detailing the campaign plus some additional suggestions on how to widen the campaign. For example wearing black armbands on Fridays, discussing the matter
Such short term strategies can be as simple as getting all supporters of the initiative to wear black (representing the lack of electricity) on a specific Friday or every last Friday of every month until there is progress, discussing the matter and at their church groups, civic/religious gatherings, in online forums and anywhere that others suffering the fate of lack of electricity gather. ……..Regular evening meetings around the country where participants gather in a neighborhood with no electricity and bring their torchlights, lanterns or other light sources could also help to keep the attention on the initiative in the local and international press, while spreading the word about the campaign. Highlighting areas where local and state government manage to provide regular electricity could also put pressure on underperforming officials. The sale of official clothing items, related books, music albums and other merchandise will not only raise funds for a committee that will spearhead things, but keep the initiative visible and allow its reach to spread further than Nigeria’s shores.”
Some of the comments were supportive but overall they were somewhat critical of the campaign. Osize who “just didnt get it” and was dropping people using the hashtag #lightupnigeria to frequently.
I do not get this stuff. What is the goal? When all you have is a hammer all problems start to look like a nail. This is abuse of social media awareness as far as I am concerned borderline spamming………It is even more dangerous to assume that social media exercises like this make an impact because then we can fold our hand and ignore the doing part. There isn’t a dearth of awareness about Nigeria’s power situation so what awareness is being raised. Not all problems will be solved by more awareness. It is time to do. Nigerians please start doing stuff.
If the goal is to shame the leaders into acting. You better think again , this is Nigeria. I know this may tick a few off, but project do need to have deliverables. Here I do not see one.
Beauty wasnt impressed either
Where are you going with this? There are so many issues here that their dependencies need entity relationship diags to connect them. Just like @nneoma above, education is key. Yardy’s lot see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, do no evil as their collect wisdom continues to ruin Nigeria. How does one reason with them? #lightupnigeria as the MEND simple minds set Nigeria on fire!
I came up with some of my own ideas on how to mobilize people and get them thinking that change is possible. Flyers – they dont have to be printed, just write “Light Up Nigeria – We Want Light” and start posting these every where – on walls, trees, lampposts (especially lampposts), get taxi’s, moluwe etc to stick the flyers in their vehicles, phone relatives and friends and ask them to start distributing the leaflets at work, parties etc. Bombard everywhere with notices and flyers demanding electricity. DeeJays to make regular announcements on their shows, talk show hosts to discuss LUN on every show, musicians [come on Seun Kuti] to make LUN songs to be blasted out at the roadside, hand scraps of papers to passers by with LUN written – whisper in lovers ears, children’s ears, shout “give us light” at every opportunity, hand out flyers to public officials, create some graffiti on walls. Religious people can also get involved – whilst keeping everyone awake at night as if the heat was not enough – they could be singing songs about lighting up Nigeria – clubs and parties can take 5 minutes out to dance / shout / sing LUN – let the governments know what is demanded. More ideas welcome please.
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Hey Sokari!
Great blog! Consider LUN in the context of this piece in the Dispatch (South Africa), from last week: “50 killed as night falls on village”: http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=329829. Femicide in the Eastern Cape, and one of the key elements is lack of electricity, lack of decent lighting. Along with everything else, this is a question of electricity as crucial to women’s lives and well being, in ways particular to women. See ya, Dan
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@Dan – Thanks – I remember residents from the Kennedy Road Shackdwellers in Durban saying similar – how dangerous it was to move about at night particularly for women and using the toilets because of the lack of electricity not to speak of the lack of decent and adequate sanitation. I am sure Nigerians in esp the big cities face the same dangers
I definitely think that the flyers idea is great. As to including musicians, Eldee is on board and is a top Nigerian/international artist. Having musicians from all aspects of Nigerian music could be very good as long as the focus of the campaign does not transform into a platform to spotlight and sell albums.
I sincerely hope that LUN;’s organizers will take advantage of the educational aspect to this initiative and educate and empower Nigerians who aren’t online to fight for the right to electricity. Dan’s comment about the connection between electricity and the security of women is important. LUN could leverage this information with feminist/women’s rights groups within Nigeria and abroad to increase the potential for education. Let me stop, my head is bursting with ideas but we will have to see where the organizers will go with this. However, if they fail to maximize things, I hope that others will take up the mantle…
solomonsydelle´s last blog ..THE MISSION TO LIGHT UP NIGERIA
SS@Whatever Some of the ideas here can be informal and passed around informally by people power. However others such as musicians, radio and TV shows and religious groups participation need to be focused and organised. Reading through some of the comments on other sites – they also need to make this a NIGERIAN campaign not a youth or some other arbitrary group. The idea is to get everyone on board. Thanks for your comment
i read your comment on the NT.org website in response to my post. Yes, I do see your point that the movement should not be limited to youth. However, I can’t contain my excitement that LUN was largely youth-initiated and came shortly after the stinging criticisms by Abati and co about the backwardness of our generation. I did not mean to alienate any particular age, ethnic, economic group or otherwise. And personally, I think that LUN, as a group should make sure that in their operations they take great pains to be more inclusive. There is the potential that if LUN largely remains internet-focused, you could potentially exclude an entire class of Nigerians. So, my apologies if I came off as trying to exclude other age groups….when in fact, one of the goals of LUN is to promote unity through sameness of purpose – which I am proud to say, it has done on many fronts, particularly in regards to ethnicity.
Anyway, the points you bring up about “taking it to the streets” are important ones, and I believe that LUN is in the process of hashing that out.
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Nneoma @ Thanks for stopping by and taking the trouble to explain the campaign more fully. It has my support and lets hope that we can actually break this one
I’m sorry, but I cannot find optimism. I am not aware that since independence public agitation has ever achieved anything in Nigeria, where the culture has been the ruthless suppression of dissent. It wasn’t that long ago that Fela’s Shrine was closed down by he authorities because Femi had inspired locals to protest against the appalling electricity supply situation in that part of Lagos.
Granted that this LUN campaign will not be easily suppressed, but I cannot think of it as anything more than the endless but futile wailing and moaning that Nigerians have been doing for decades, all to no avail. As an aside, I think it is embarrassing that in the 21st Century, what Nigerians are fighting for is the right to be supplied constant electricity.
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@Anengiyefa Yes the electricity and general lack of infrastructure is an embarrassment but I find your comment defeatist. Just because something has not worked before does not mean it will not work in the future. Times are changing and people are becomming more aware of the possibilities of a better future – more than that they want a better future. There is a great deal of change taking place and this movement can rise up if focused and there is determination. The alternative – to sit and accept the status quo – is for me not an option. We might as well sit down and weep and wail which will get us no where. We should not condemn people for trying and being optimistic.
@Sokari, far from being defeatist, the view I was expressing is an acknowledgement of the reality that mere protesting has proved to be insufficient in the past. Also, there was a hint of the suggestion that perhaps a change of tack will not go amis as things stand at the moment, since successive Nigerian governments have shown themselves to be quite adept at ignoring protest. Are there things that we can do beyond just protesting? That is the direction I believe we should be directing our minds.
anengiyefa´s last blog ..What to do?
@anengiyefa – The protest has to be strategic with action focused – it has to mobilise people to think and to act – otherwise it will not work.
This is confirming that I got it but overwhelmed by the amount of info & topics. Here is a repost of my comment lost in that sea of ideas.
LUN goals and aims are all in the Good People, Great Nation, Corrupt Government brand. That is a good place to look for future LUN successes.
@OSIZE and others that do not get what this is about or why it is being done should first take time to read the full post. It is in knowledge that one can contribute.
@Sokari, of course, we have your full support but Nigerians cannot go out on the streets! Our people in Nigeria are not free to think about choice let alone make it, the elections are won before the polls open and that is a reason Obama went to Ghana.
LUN as a beacon of hope affirming a lot of us do not wish to blow up our people in order to make a point. MEND does not have to join the FGN in its horrific activities, there is no future in a continued state of war. Everyone dies!
We talk a lot about what ought to be done, we agree on how it is to be done and we go get it done. LUN seemed to be in all these phases at the same time and I am glad that @N.I.M.M.O approves. However, LUN is not a logo or a rallying cry of a hero on horseback. Its what you make it. Lets Tweet some more.
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@anengiyefa
Normally I would agree with you Anengiyefa, but the main difference today is technology. In times before a protest could be quietened and kept to a village or town meeting before it was broken up by authorities. Today they cannot do that when it starts on the net. These early stirrings could mimic what happens when you get a drip of water that cannot be stopped. It grows bigger and bigger until it becomes so heavy something has to give. I have to say this is the first initiative from that part of the world that sounds quite interesting.
There is not one Nigerian that you will mention this to that will not have his own story to tell and there lies its power. It is universal. It’s beginnings on the net shouldn’t preclude any other methodology or age groups and remember we are even discussing this subject only because of this initiative – so the fire has started.
Things can happen….think of Live Aid starting fom a guy in his room watching the news or maybe even Barack Obama’s looooong climb to the presidency – how many folks said ‘not in my lifetime?’
I certainly will be taking a look at their page or site and telling everyone relevant about it to help its growth. I only hope that the people involved don’t get in THEIR OWN way of progress which has been a somewhat repeating pattern with Naijans. Onwards and upwards I say!
@ Coach Rosie, what you say is true. But we cannot ignore the overbearing nature of the authorities in Nigeria, or pretend that they have at anytime in recent history acceded to popular protest. What we have seen consistently is brutal suppression of dissent. A good comparison is with the situation in Myanmar. No amount of internal protest has deterred the generals in that country from persisting in their brutality towards the country’s citizenry. Even strong international pressure has proved to be futile.
It is not the absence of protest or the lack of discontent in Nigeria that has caused the appalling situation in the country. It is the uncaring nature of the country’s leaders and the failure of successive Nigerian governments, who have seemed to be oblivious over the years of their responsibilty and their duty of care towards the Nigerian general population. The lack of accountability is the real problem here, and this is what intelligent Nigerians should be looking to address, with a view to bringing about a change in the system as a whole. Merely shouting in protest is not going to be enough, I don’t think, regardless of technology, regardless that we are doing it on the Internet and regardless that millions of us are joining in it.
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