People everywhere constantly preach against violence,but on 2nd thought if you carefully examine the issue with a magnifying glass,some have actually used it to their advantage and some are still using it.
Violence according to the Encarta Dictionary is the use of physical force to harm somebody or damage something. It can also be described as a destructive force, or an intensity of feeling or expression. Respect on the other hand is a feeling or attitude of admiration, a state of being admired, not to go against or violate something, be considerate toward somebody or something. As different as the two terms are, man has found a way of closely linking the two acts together.From time immemorial, violence has constantly been used as a tool to gain respect. For example, ancient world powers like Rome, England, Persia, Sparta used violence to their advantage to attain their status and hold the world to ransom. Famous dictators like Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko, Saddam Hussein, Sani Abacha used violence as a tool to retain a chokehold on power.
In Nigeria, it is official and safe to say that the fear of military men or the police or anybody in power is the beginning of wisdom because if you don't have an equal stand with them and you try to do anyhow, you will certainly see anyhow. An average "omo boy" who can't stand his ground when around friends or people in general will find out that everyone will look at him like a typical fool and a chicken of the pack so he tries to hold his own in order to avoid being treated with disregard. It is even a known fact that babes are more loyal to boys who are violent or show violent traits. An average naija man who feels cheated, shows his street credibility by issuing threats in order to get respect, area boys on the street get respect from individuals who fear what they might do, even people that are orally muscular never fail to shut up when steered in the face by violence. I get enthralled by the actions of the Yoruba man whom when faced with a fight goes about to threaten fire and brimstone about what he'll do only to end up doing nothing.
This principle equally applies to the highly placed men as Dimeji Bankole recently, charged against his fellow member Independence Ogunewe, so as to help him arrange his mouth, he even extended the violent courtesy to the ogun state governor Gbenga Daniel and Daggash when they tried to play a fast one on him, Daniel proved himself to be an executive "omo ita" by comporting Bankole. In higher institutions and polytechnics, students with shallow minds join cults to gain respect from other students. Law and law enforcement in general rely on this principle of violence to keep citizens in check, so most law abiding citizens are afraid of the violence that exists in the law or who wants to spend time in "kirikiri" for committing crime. Rappers rap about violence to scare off beefers. Spouses threaten each other when they fight.The Nigerian government initially didn't focus on the Niger Delta until the youth in the region picked up arms and started causing mayhem. Our dear president Goodluck Jonathan got the NFF peeing their pants when he issued a 2 year ban. In the bible, it is also written that since the time of John the Baptist, heaven suffereth violence and the violent taketh it by force.
In this vein, i say to you if you test me i will throw decorum to the dogs and blast you to smithereens!!!.The power of violence as regards respect as we can clearly see can't be overemphasized.
AY0 Babatunde.
