Being Nigerian is a strange affair. The successful among us (not to be combined or confused with those who are successful as a result of corruption) have become so despite the country's best efforts, but we love Nigeria because we have no other reasonable choice. To live with hatred is to choose to live with a cancer. It is a waste of precious breath. So we love it despite itself. It is our prodigal son and our black sheep. I have never known anyone to thank it in a speech. If I ever win anything, I could thank my ancestors who are mostly Nigerian, but the country itself, never. I am alive in spite of it. As long as I live here it is likely that I will die because of it.
In Nigeria, there's a trans-woman called Bobrisky. She's a social media sensation, a personality as famous as the country's president, Muhammadu Buhari. She'd been planning an all white birthday party for ages. To stop Bobrisky's birthday party, Nigeria's Police Force deployed 100 policemen and several vehicles. I find this fact heart breaking.
Where were the 100 policemen when I got kidnapped? Where were the 100 policemen when two men attempted to rob me in traffic? Where were the 100 policemen when my family got robbed? Where were the hundred policemen when my grandparents got robbed in their old age? Where were the hundred policemen when my aunt was almost raped at the end of a robbery? The answer is nowhere. This leads me to ask another question I find uncomfortable. Why is the policing of Bobrisky more important than my safety or that of my family? Why is it that the police are nowhere to be found when they are needed, and then, suddenly, everywhere, when they are not?
Bobrisky may not be Nigeria's first trans-woman, but she is its most relevant in this day and age. It is said that she made her fortune the patronage of a rich gentleman and a thriving skin lightening business. People often use the skin lightening business as the foundation of an explanation of why her morality is questionable, but they forget that skin lightening products are perfectly legal in Nigeria. These people then move on to discuss how she's setting a bad example for the young, but she isn't really. I don't know much about being transgender, but there is one thing I think is true. Only a trans person could truly endure everything that comes with being a trans person. The existence of Bobrisky will not create more trans people. And in any case, cosmetic surgery is beyond the scope of any of Nigeria's laws.
As the Police Force is funded by my taxes, I need to know why 100 policemen were sent to stop her birthday party from happening. The police say that they acted on intelligence. I want to know what the intelligence was. In an interview with the Vanguard Otunba Runsewe the Director of Nigeria's National Council for Arts and Culture threatened Bobrisky. He said, "if he is caught on the streets of this country, he will be dealt with ruthlessly." I need to know that this was not the attempt to deal with him ruthlessly.
Am I a fool to want what I will not receive even when I am owed?
If Nigeria were a true democracy I would say that a police force that cannot be held accountable has no reason to exist. But Nigeria is not a true democracy so I dare not say that. For Mr. Runsewe, it's a different matter. We know his name. We know his job. We know people that know him. We know where his office is. He must be held accountable for his callous words if nothing else. This is the email address of the government agency that he works for. Please drop them an email in your spare time: info@ncac.gov.ng
For Bobrisky, I have nothing but a quote by Rob Silaten.
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
I am sorry that this happened to you.
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