Let me start saying that our plights are neither unparalleled nor insurmountable; like most of you concerned and very capable FCT Natives, whenever these plights are brought to my consciousness, I’m filled with this exigent urge to do something about them; and I wish more than anything that we can all be challenged as well, some of the things I intend to share at this time.

A keen observation that I have made across several case studies is this; we mobilize easily whenever we need to clamour, either against injustice or to make certain demands of the persons in power, it is truly worth emulation I’d give us that, but, with these sorts of civil action naturally comes the need for certain people amongst us to rise as representatives, as leaders, and get called into tables as compensation and to protect our collective interests while there.

Our fight against marginalization has so far led to us having a senatorial slot, a ministerial slot and so on, however, whenever this happens, an outcome that should be considered a win and a step towards more, we immediately begin to feel that not enough opportunities were created for us to elevate, which is actually true, but in the most twisted of plots, we respond byfighting ourselves for the limited slots, instead of continuing to fight the powers that be to create some more slots for us; and it gets even worst, we suddenly stop seeing that win as our collective win, but as a personal win for the individual who got called up to represent us.
So, Instead of seeing the situation as FCT Natives now having a senatorial slot for instance, we see it as just Mr. A being a Senator; and then Mr. D begins to feel he can and wants to be a Senator too, but instead of getting us to mobilize and clamour for more slots as we did to get the one we currently have, he settles for a dirty fight with the current Senator, believing it is either him or that person, when it could be both of them, of even 3 or 4 of us as Senators if we fight for it.

This, fellow FCT Natives, is our indigenous Pandemic!

Now, this does not only happens in politics, it happens in various other fields, and in business as well; I mean, for a people who claim to be united in struggle, we do a horrible job of seeing our brothers and sisters’ wins as ours, we seem to be more concerned about being seen too.
I’m sure we all know the story of the crabs that were put into a bucket that was placed on fire, and how in pulling each other down, none of them made it out.

This is one of my deepest reflections this year, I plan to have this published in blogs, and perhaps set up an interview and get some of our most brilliant minds to discuss the subject extensively.

Our strengths should be thrown at our real enemies, which is the system; the reason you’re not a Perm. Sec. today is not because somebody else is, we have just one slot, we can get more, and while we’re at it, you can fight to become a DG, you can become another high ranking civil servant in the ministry, let us dare to expand and get more out of the National, instead of fighting ourselves for the little they give us.

Kindly tune into my interview with C1st Studios for more.

We can end this pandemic!

What are your thoughts? I’d very much love to hear them.

Cheers 🥂
Bitrus Atafache Lawrence.