By: Lady Aisha Zakari LDM
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen”.
Sir Winston Churchill
The case of Dino is a complicated case. Perhaps Dino wanted the principle of exceptionalism to work things out for him but more often when a person subject himself/herself to the court of public opinion, then what the person gets is the public justice.
In the discussion of agreeing to disagree in the foreign policies of United States of America and United kingdome, Mr. Obama said to the British Authority that ” parliamentary system is quite unique and wonderful but the Presidential system is also special and beautiful. Hence in order to fully grasp the importance of having different view points that are not less important than the other, then we view our understanding through the goggles of exceptionalism.
And exceptionalism is the belief that something is exceptional, for example the theory that the peaceful capitalism of the US constitutes an exception to the general economic laws governing national historical development.
Mr. Abraham Lincoln in one of his famous speeches about the American civil right movement enthused that “these men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others , shall have.”
A beautiful satire right? but fairness also comes with many responsibilities. Fairness may not oppose exceptionalism head on but fairness goes hand in hand with Egalitarian justice.
And Egalitarian justice or equalitarianism – is a school of thought that prioritizes equality for all people. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Egalitarian doctrines maintain that all humans are equal in fundamental worth or social status.
Do we want fairness then the code of human relation dictates, we also dole out fairness. Do we want to be treated with finesse and decorum, then psychology says behaving in a certain way compel the other person to treat us a certain way.
These instinctive behavior are not only theoretical but are part of the human in built mechanism.
Dino is fighting with his Governor. Perhaps the Governor has misuse his powers but Dino has also misuse his powers and abuse his privileges.
Many people have lost their lives to actualized the present APC government. Some people were rewarded, some people were ignored and some people were even snubbed and that is a mistake I always point out.
But being part of the people who brings this government to power does not put Dino above the law, especially when Dino makes himself a public phenomenon, and Dino breaks the law so brazenly without due decorum of an honourable Senator.
Mother justice may be blind but we should not take mother justice blindness as infirmity.
In this journey of politics and Nigerian challenges, I hope we learn to be fair and objective, since one of the cardinals of positive change is the acceptance of fairness to ourselves and to other people.
Maturity is where our inner energy is able to project us into ready, able and willing partners to communicate effectively but when we are kicking and screaming it makes it difficult for us to effectively communicate our state of mind to an objective people or even to our well wishers.
I wish Dino will get fairness but fairness is egalitarian. If Dino wants exceptionalism then Dino should know that Exceptionalism is more often not in the court of public opinion.
I hope Dino knows what Dino wants. Perhaps we all need to listen quietly, pay need to that inner voice and we may just figure out , what is it we really want .
Very best wishes to all of us.
