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OPINION: ‘An Enemy Of The People’ [Monday Lines]

Published

11 months ago

December 16, 2024

By Lasisi Olagunju

“The water is poisoned! The whole of the water system is tainted and absolutely unusable for its purpose,” Thomas Stockmann, medical doctor, accomplished scientist, informs the people around him. He is employed to look after the health of the people and the public baths, the mainstay of his town’s economy. It is in the course of that job that he makes a scientific discovery that the baths are dangerously polluted, and that they spread typhoid. And he says so.

Dr. Thomas Stockmann is the protagonist in Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play, ‘An Enemy of the People’. We were taught long ago that literature is a reflection of life. We were also taught that literature is the lamp that lights the way of life, past to present – and back to the past. We were taught that drama as a mirror shows us what life truly is. Life itself is a drama, a stage on which we all fret and strut until the light goes out on us. Ibsen’s Thomas Stockmann, public enemy number one, is used here in my celebration of the near end of a particularly dramatic year, our love for false gods and our stoning of the wrong Satan.

I have skimmed through Gabriel Fallon’s ‘Prophecy in the Theatre’ (1956), his quote on drama as a member of the human life – human thought and morality. I have scanned J.C. Kamerbeek’s ‘Prophecy and Tragedy’ (1965), his discussions on dramatic structure and tragic meaning. There is a sense in which the dramatic can be prophetic.

Back to ‘An Enemy of the People’. The drama is in the plot. The setting is a coastal town in southern Norway. Authorities of the town get a hint of Dr Stockmann’s findings on their polluted water. Alarmed and agitated, they meet with him for negotiations. They ask their medical doctor to keep quiet, to shut up. The public must not hear what he is saying. It will create a panic in the town. It will hurt the town and its economy; tourists will stop coming, investors will lose money.

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But this doctor is a loud-mouthed stubborn dude. He insists on speaking ‘the truth’. He thinks he has a moral obligation to protect the community from avoidable diseases, from even death.

On more than one occasion, Doctor tells the people that previous unexplained deaths are due to the poisoned water: “Last year, there were people who died from a disease that spread through the town, and I am certain that the cause of it was the poisoned water. I told you then, and I tell you now—this water will kill us all.” His decision to talk, he is certain, is the right course of action. “It is my duty to lay bare the facts in the matter. Every conscientious man must support me in this!”

But the system supports only the “moderate.” Dr Stockmann’s own brother, Peter Stockmann, is the mayor of the town. And it is this brother that openly leads the opposition against this doctor, against his discovery of the pollution and against his audacity to tell.

When the state is on your case, it doesn’t rain; it pours. The press soon shuts out our doctor. His editor-friends renege on their promise to publish his findings. They claim they can’t offend their funders. The stubborn medical doctor turns to himself. He resolves to speak directly to the people “in a way that they shall understand” and “drive all the wolves out of the country.” There is a town hall meeting where Stockmann proposes to officially announce his findings: “I am telling you the truth! The entire water system is tainted. People are going to die from this. We must close the baths and have them disinfected. We must stop this typhoid epidemic before it spreads further.”

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His brother, the Mayor, hijacks the town hall meeting from him. The Mayor addresses the people. He tells them that his brother’s proposal is injurious to everyone in the town. The repairs he proposes will cost ratepayers “an unnecessary expenditure of some thousand pounds.” From the crowd comes a voice suggesting that the doctor be officially declared a public enemy.

Dr Stockmann watches as the townspeople he is fighting for respond with shouts:

“Yes! Yes! He’s an enemy of the people!”

“He hates his country! He hates his own people!”

“We can’t have someone like him in our town!”

Then a motion follows from someone our medical doctor trusts as his key supporter:

“Dr. Stockmann has shown himself to be an enemy of the people. Therefore, I propose that this gathering officially declares him an enemy of the people.” The vote is by ballot; everyone votes. Dr Stockmann gets one vote – the lone vote comes from a drunk attendee, the village drunkard.

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Our man is defeated but the crowd is not satisfied with what they have done to their doctor.

“Let us go and break his windows! Enemy of the people!” The whole crowd yells.

The consequences are grave. He is dismissed from his job. His daughter loses her teaching job; his landlord ejects him; his little boys suffer bullying in school and are told to excuse classes until further notice. Everyone who should help him avoids him. They say they dare not annoy “the majority” and their “public opinion.”

The play ends without a reprieve for “the enemy of the people.” But the man insists that he is the strongest man and that “the strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.” I think he is naive. That is not what the world is. The one who stands alone stays alone and lonely and without power. Power resides where people stand. The people stand where power is. That explains, perhaps, why Donald Trump is Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’.

We started 2024 eleven and a half months ago bitterly divided over what was truly evil and what was godly. We are ending the year divided still over who is angel and who is Satan. In the next two weeks, it is almost certain that we will roll over into the new year the raging Dele Farotimi vs Afe Babalola war of ‘justice’. There is also the tug of war over whether the tax reform bills potentially threaten or benefit the poor. In those two cases, we will be made to state who our “enemy” is. Unfolding also is the Kemi Badenoch/Yoruba vs Kashim Shettima/ Northern Nigeria debate. In 2025, Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of The People’ will be staged across the entirety of our court and political systems. May God keep us alive – and well.

News

Osun, Imo, Kano Lead As INEC Reports 2.3m New Voter Registrations

Published

6 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Editor

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday released the new voter registration figures totaling 2,316,232 nationwide, showing wide variation across the states, with Osun topping the list.

INEC reiterated in its notice that “registration is suspended in Anambra State until after the governorship election on 8th November 2025 in line with Section 9 (6) of the Electoral Act 2022,” leaving the state without figures in the latest update.

INEC described the update as part of its ongoing effort to maintain transparency in the continuous voter registration process, stating that the figures represent “completed online and physical registration for Week 12.”

According to the commission, Osun posted the highest total with 185,089 completed registrations, followed by Imo with 143,386. Kano recorded 132,290, while Sokoto reached 123,320.

Lagos followed at 109,693; the Federal Capital Territory at 106,855, and Borno at 106,376. Kogi registered 91,573; Jigawa, 88,209; Zamfara, 84,268; and Katsina, 80,425. Kaduna recorded 78,282; Kebbi 74,159; Delta 72,311, and Ogun 71,091. Niger posted 69,739; Akwa Ibom 65,446, and Oyo 64,561.

Adamawa recorded 49,853; Kwara, 47,241; and Yobe 46,986. Rivers documented 57,251, placing it above many mid-range states, while Benue had 42,557, and Bayelsa had 38,627. Bauchi recorded 36,166; Ekiti 32,096; Gombe 31,542, and Nasarawa 30,348.

Ebonyi followed with 28,310; Edo with 27,130, and Plateau with 24,077. Taraba recorded 17,803; Enugu 16,304; Ondo 16,012; Cross River 14,559, and Abia 12,297.

The CVR is scheduled to end in August 2026. Since the exercise began on August 18, 2025, states in the South-West, particularly Osun and Lagos, have consistently led in registration numbers.

Recent updates indicated a rising trend in participation from northern states, driven by intensified mobilisation efforts.

Community-based organisations, religious leaders, and local officials in several northern states have been actively promoting voter awareness and encouraging eligible residents to register.

News

Netizens Seek Probe Of Assassination Attempt On Yerima

Published

7 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Editor

Nigerians were last night divided over the report that Navy Lieutenant Ahmad M. Yerima narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Abuja, with many now questioning whether the incident happen exactly as described.

Initial reports from multiple news platforms claimed Yerima was trailed by two unmarked Hilux vans without number plates, prompting a high-speed chase and a “tactical manoeuvre” that allegedly saved his life.

The report quoted military sources who said the vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way at about 6:30p.m.

The source added that the matter is under investigation and is receiving “the seriousness it deserves,” noting that further details are being withheld so as not to compromise the process.

The development comes days after Yerima, while on duty with other security personnel, engaged in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The clash, captured on viral videos, sparked widespread public debate and prompted intervention from the Presidency, which subsequently halted the demolition exercise at the site.

But as the story spreads, so do doubts. Critics argue that the details remain vague and rely heavily on Yerima’s personal account, with no confirmed CCTV footage, eyewitness statements, or official security briefings to back the claims. Some security analysts say the descriptions sound “too cinematic,” raising the possibility of misinterpretation or exaggeration.

Adding to the skepticism is the timing of the report, coming just days after Yerima’s viral confrontation with Wike over a halted demolition exercise. While social media users have tried to link both events, officials insist there is no evidence connecting Wike or any political figure to the alleged chase.

Already, military veterans nationwide have criticised Wike for verbally insulting the officer and rejected calls for disciplinary action against Yerima. Spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, warned that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the officer faced any punishment.

Many others want clarity: Was the officer truly targeted, or is this a case of panic amplified by public emotion and online speculation? Investigators are yet to provide answers.

News

FCT Police Reacts To Alleged Assassination Attempt On Naval Officer Yerima

Published

7 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Editor

The FCT Police Command has dismissed publications circulating on social media alleging an attempted assassination on Lt. Ahmed Yerima, the naval officer who engaged in a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over a disputed land in Abuja.

In a statement on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer for the command, SP Josephine Adeh, said no such incident was reported or recorded anywhere within the Federal Capital Territory.

Adeh advised the public to disregard the information as false and desist from spreading unverified claims capable of causing unnecessary panic.

“For the safety of all residents, the Command urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the nearest Police Division. You may also reach the Command Headquarters through our emergency lines: 08032003913 and 08068587311 for prompt response,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Defence, Hon. Bello Matawalle, Yerima will not be punished for any offence concerning the confrontation with Wike, which was captured in a video.

In an interview with DCL Hausa, monitored in Gusau by The Guardian, the minister dismissed public assertions that the soldier might face disciplinary action, noting the incident was being exaggerated.

The video, which surfaced on Tuesday, showed Wike in a heated exchange with Lt. Ahmed Yerima at a disputed land site in Abuja.

The minister was seen trying to defuse tension between the security operatives and the soldiers present at the location.

Matawalle explained that the Defence Ministry values mutual respect between civil authorities and the military, adding that the matter has been resolved without any need for punitive measures.

In the video, the FCT Minister was heard demanding to see the approval granted to the landowner, insisting the development must have official authorisation.

In other news, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has tasked President Bola Tinubu to compel the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to apologise for using uncomplimentary comments against a serving naval officer, A. M. Yerima, over a disputed piece of land in Abuja.

While saying that the Minister was lucky not to have been shot during his confrontation with the soldier, the senior lawyer, however, stressed that both parties erred in law.

This is even as he faulted the Federal Government’s move to have former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.