By George Ozalla
The launch of Abdul Oroh’s memoir, “Demonstration of Craze: Struggles and Transition to Democracy in Nigeria,” held yesterday at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, was marked by a heated exchange between Senator Adams Oshiomhole and activist Omoyele Sowore. Sowore delivered a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s democratic journey, arguing that the transition to democracy was hijacked by “charlatans” who have since monopolized power. “We shouldn’t have allowed charlatans to hijack the democratic process; we did. And we are guilty of where we are today,” he said. Sowore compared Nigeria’s democracy with that of the United States and South Africa, stressing the failure to protect fundamental rights.
Oshiomhole responded directly to Sowore’s critique, cautioning against despair and sweeping generalizations. “When you dismiss in a very sweeping manner that the country is hopeless, the system is impossible, should we begin to cry? No. The gap between where we think we ought to be and where we are should be enough incentive for us not to give up on ourselves,” he said.
The tension escalated when Oshiomhole took the stage, with attendees heckling him and demanding he focus on the book rather than defending his record. Minister Abubakar Momoh faced similar backlash when he attempted to tout President Bola Tinubu’s administration achievements.
Despite the disruptions, the event drew prominent pro-democracy activists, legal scholars, and public intellectuals, including Olisa Agbakoba, Ayo Obe, and Nnimo Bassey.
The book, “Demonstration of Craze: Struggles and Transition to Democracy in Nigeria,” offers a sweeping historical account, tracing Nigeria’s complex journey from the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism through various periods of political upheaval, including decades of military rule and the present democratic dispensation. Reviewers noted that Oroh’s storytelling resonates with the rhapsodic critiques of Nigeria’s socio-political landscape famously delivered by music legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Dr. Wale Okediran, Secretary General of the Pan African Writers Association, lauded Oroh for “balancing the delicacy of a gripping story against the brutally harsh realities of democratic struggle and political activity.” He added that the book “did not hold back in any of its ugliness and neither forgave nor did it provide leniency to those who were complicit,” predicting its rightful place in Nigeria’s history.
Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, a professor of Communication at Baze University, Abuja, described the book as a “deep-seated, fact-packed, and periodised rendition of an activist account.” He highlighted Oroh’s integral role in the nation’s evolution, noting that the author was “nested with drivers of change and a witness to a mix of consequences, without pulling punches.”
Brigid O’Connor of the British Council said about the book, “An answer to the question, “what propels any sane and decent individual to enter Nigerian politics?” is provided by Abdul Oroh’s memoir, a narrative that is partly an apologia pro vita sua, partly also a step-by-step account of ‘How to Get Elected’, and in their entirety, the memoirs lay bare in eye-popping detail the Who, the How, How Much, and How Many Bodies, are involved in acquiring and retaining stupendous political wealth and power in Nigeria, a process in which the highest bidder always prevails.”
Professor Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Head of Department of Political Science, Lagos State University and Former HoD and chair, board of trustees, Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarisation had this to say about the book: “This is a racing narrative, essentially autobiographical, but weaves a thread that traverses historical aspect of the author’s nativity, the epochal anti-military struggle of the 1990s, and the embedded rebirth of civil society that foregrounds the role of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), as well as the author’s foray into partisan politics of the Fourth Republic with its disconcerting intrigues, prebendalism, and authoritarian temptation, that hobbled the collective expectation of socio-economic progress.”
Abdul Oroh is a veteran human rights activist, lawyer, and journalist who served as the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO). He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and later served as the Edo State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry. Oroh’s memoir, “Demonstration of Craze,” chronicles Nigeria’s fraught journey from military rule to democracy, offering insights into the country’s complex history and struggles for democratic governance.
