· Authorities should go to any size to offer meals for the individuals, writes Joshua J. Omojuwa
· To grasp what Nigeria is twiddling with at this time, we’d must journey way back to the Roman Empire. This isn’t a journey to Rome as Nero fiddled as it isn’t a narrative about one man. This can be a name to our consideration, particularly to some governors who have to be known as to Abuja to see clearly what’s gazing them of their states.
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· From out there information on the Roman Empire, sure issues outlined the recognition of an Emperor. Three particularly stand out. When you needed to be widespread — Roman emperors positioned a premium on their recognition amongst the individuals — profitable new territories was a positive guess. To go to struggle and to return with the spoils of struggle and an expanded empire at all times earned recognition for the emperor or an aspirant who desired the throne.
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· One emperor, determined for such recognition, went to struggle with Roman troopers, fought nobody, then returned to Rome with a few of these troopers dressed as slaves, like they had been spoils of struggle.
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· Julius Caesar on his half conquered Gaul, as a result of he needed the recognition and the facility that got here with it. He went on to magnify his exploits in his e-book, Commentarii de Bello Gallico, in the identical means some politicians at this time exaggerate their roles in public workplace of their autobiographies or books written by their allies. Nonetheless, there isn’t any exaggerating the reward Caesar acquired. Changing into the Julius Caesar for starters.
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· There have been different emperors who didn’t go to struggle. They performed for recognition by retaining the Roman individuals entertained. They merely organised extra festivals and gladiator video games than traditional, all to distract the individuals from political or financial problems with the day. Lengthy into its decline, writer Juvenal urged the individuals of Rome had been, “solely anxious for 2 issues; bread and circuses”. Emperors like Caligula used these distractions to good impact, till the intrigues of Roman politics caught up with them.
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· Throughout its historical past, there have been widespread emperors who weren’t given to organising circuses. There have been even iconic emperors like Marcus Aurelius, who achieved recognition, but by no means gained new territory for the empire. Regardless that he fought wars to guard the realm.
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· I have no idea of a single emperor that was widespread or deemed nice at this time that dominated a Rome that was hungry. Emperors by no means toyed with the grains of the Roman individuals. They as a substitute supplied their very own allies to be killed and handed to the individuals for daring to get in the best way of the meals provides.
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· Voltaire as soon as supplied a variation of the Juvenal citation, stating that Parisians required solely, “the comedian opera and white bread.” 260 years earlier than the French revolution, riots broke out in Lyon due to poor grain harvests. There was chaos, maiming, looting and the destruction of the homes of the wealthy. The Grande Rebeyne (Nice Insurrection) in the end led to the spilling of grain from the storage to the streets. What occurred in 1529 foreshadowed the 1789 French Revolution.
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· Bread was not the (solely) explanation for the revolution. Typically introduced to be that straightforward and simple, the problems that led to the revolution had been layered and much more difficult than bread. Nonetheless, the scarcity of bread helped to spark the anger directed on the monarchy. There had been the Flour Battle of lots of of riots inside a month. Riots that had been sparked by meals shortage and the excessive price of meals. The riots unfold from the internal cities to Paris.
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· To emphasize the place of meals within the kingdom, the monarch oversaw the availability of meals to the individuals. This earned the king a nickname, “The First Baker of the Kingdom”. Turgot, an aide of Louis XVI suggested the king in clear phrases, “Ne vous mêlez pas du ache”. Don’t meddle with bread.
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· Bread, it might appear, gave empires and kingdoms their life. You can’t write about nice civilisations like that of Egypt and Babylon, with out telling the story of grains/bread. When Jesus stated, “man shall not dwell by bread alone,” it was a press release that emphasised the essence of bread. Opposite to notion, the assertion didn’t diminish bread. Else, “alone” wouldn’t have been crucial.
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· Historical past, dynamic as it’s, exists to mirror who we’re as people. There isn’t a us with out those that got here earlier than us. No matter elevated them can carry us, simply as we aren’t above the temptations they battled towards.
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· Nigerians are most likely among the most resilient individuals in historical past. They get pushed to the wall, they hardly bounce again, they dissolve by way of it as a substitute. Nigerians discovered their means across the shortage of Naira, we navigate the worst of petrol scarcities, we have fun just a few hours of sunshine as we discovered consolation within the norm of darkness. We could shout and complain about this stuff, however we at all times simply discover a means round them. We in some way by no means pursue options; we simply discover a means. Increased fences and housebreaking towards armed robbers, SUVs towards dangerous roads, overseas colleges — even when na for Togo and Lesotho – towards ASUU strikes, turbines, inverters, roadside gasoline sellers, lawmakers partaking in building, and so on., these are all Nigerian solutions to issues we refuse to repair.
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· This stuff are completely different from meals. There isn’t a design to bypass the shortage of meals. Solely the provision of meals can remedy that downside. And to the hungry, whether or not the meals comes from a Nigerian soil or a Dutch one, individuals simply wish to feed. Open the borders, let individuals feed. Solely the residing can compute the stability of commerce.
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· At instances, these Roman emperors — a minimum of in Rome — dominated over individuals fewer than the inhabitants of a few of our states. At present, we’ve some governors who have to be prodded by Abuja to get all the way down to doing what they had been elected to do. Ki la o je l’agba, ohun l’agba ki la o se. That’s King Sunny Ade saying, “what are we going to eat?” is extra essential than “what are we going to do?” Don’t meddle with meals! Persons are hungry.
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· Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Attain/ writer, Digital Wealth E book
