By: Owolabi Khadijah Kuburah
It was tragic and embarrassing, watching the video of a drunk Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officer driving on the highway, few days to Christmas last year. The officer, from the look on his face though, seemed to be going through difficult times. He felt apologetic and remorseful as soon as he was caught on camera, and kept uttering, "I am sorry.", yet his apology meant nothing to the so called human who posted the video on social media.
The first question any reasonable man should ask, should be "Was it really necessary?". Fine the officer had done something wrong, he had done something I would call a mistake, as everyone make mistakes, but the price he had to pay for that mistake was just too high.
With the way the footage went viral on social media like wildfire, the man would sure suffer more than enough consequences. First he may lose his face, his friends and his job. He may be stigmatized in the society, he may live the rest of his life as an irresponsible drunkard, and may be tagged as a disgrace to his children, family and friends. All in the name of what? Likes? Comment? Fame? Credit? On what could be regarded enough to ruin a man's life?
Yet another similar incident occurred on the 1st of January, 2019 when a video of a woman who was stripped completely naked for stealing a chicken went viral on the Internet. In the video, she was badly beaten, tied with the chicken she attempted to steal and left with no cloth on her body - completely nude.
ndeed, it's very wrong to steal or take what's not yours but the price she paid was too high. I mean, we all know the current state of Nigeria's economy and how everyone is struggling to survive. Though it was wrong of her to attempt stealing, but who knows what she has been going through or how hard it is for her to survive?, but because humans can be so callous and unfeeling, she had to pay a price worth more than she bargained for. Now, she has to live her entire life branded as a thief. She has to dance to the lifetime tune of shame.
Truth be told, things aren't right anymore here on social media and it's going to remain that way, unless we do something about it, unless we stop ruining lives with things we post on social media all in the name of likes, comments, fame or credit. As the Yoruba adage goes "Ori bibè kó ni ogun ori fifó" that is "Beheading the head isn't the cure to headache." There are better ways to right a wrong, better ways to correct evil and not condemning someone who made a mistake to a lifetime punishment.
We all make mistakes, we are all victims, we are all humans and humans by nature err. So why will you be so unfeeling and uncaring about other lives?
Why would you choose to make someone a living corpse over the likes and comment you'd get on social media?
We should be sincere with ourselves and stop being hypocrites. Most people do something worse, yet they go scot-free, while you condemn people who do something less to a fate far worse than death itself.
Two wrongs they say don't make a right. We can simply correct this evil doers, rehabilitate them, mildly admonish them and show them how beautiful the world is. But condemning them and discriminating against them would only breed more evil than the seeming action of their hands. Let's put ourselves in their shoes sometimes and find out how painful it is, to be subjected to a lifetime disgrace.
It is my hope that we stand today against inhumane humans, that seek to rip pride off their fellow human.
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