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

Published

6 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

Aiyedatiwa Proposes Death Penalty For Kidnappers

Published

49 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

In a bid to eradicate kidnapping in the state, the Ondo State Government has proposed a death sentence for whoever is found guilty of kidnapping in the state.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Dr Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, disclosed this while speaking with journalists on Saturday after the weekly state executive council meeting.

It was gathered that the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa presided over the meeting.

Ajulo said the proposal would soon be transmitted to the state House of Assembly for necessary legislative action.

He said, ”Kidnapping and cultism have become major threats to safety and public order and strengthening relevant legal frameworks would help deter such crimes and improve the overall security landscape.

”The proposals would soon be transmitted to the House of Assembly for necessary legislative action, including sentencing convicted kidnappers to death.”

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr. Abiola Olawoye, revealed that the Executive Council approved the construction of two major dual-carriageway road projects in the state.

According to him, the first is the construction of a 24.75-kilometre dual carriageway from Ugbeyin Junction – Okitipupa Market – OAUSTECH – Ugbonla Junction – Igbokoda Jetty.

“The road will feature a 9.3-metre wide carriageway on both sides, a 1.2-metre median, concrete line drains, walkways, asphaltic shoulders in undeveloped areas, a 3-metre utility area, and solar-powered streetlights along the median. The entire road corridor is 28 metres wide, with a total right of way of 40 metres. It will also include modern traffic lights at critical intersections and is designed to carry heavy traffic with a reinforced pavement structure.

”The second project is the construction of a 6.7-kilometre dual carriageway from Supare Junction – Akungba – Ikare Road in Akoko area of the state. The specifications are similar, including a 9.3-metre carriageway on either side, 1.2-metre median, reinforced concrete line drains, walkways, a 3-metre utility area, solar-powered streetlights, and traffic management systems. It is also built to withstand heavy vehicular movement.

“In addition to these, the council approved the provision and installation of 6,000 standalone solar streetlights across the three senatorial districts—2,000 each for Ondo North, Ondo Central, and Ondo South. This is part of the state’s agenda to improve safety and public lighting infrastructure.”

News

Sokoto Gov, Aliyu Met With Bandits, Gives Reason

Published

1 hour ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has said the government’s engagement with repentant bandits is a deliberate step towards achieving genuine reconciliation and lasting peace in communities ravaged by insecurity.

In a statement on Friday by his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Col. Ahmed Usman (rtd.), Aliyu said his administration’s peace efforts were guided by a genuine desire to end the cycle of violence, not by weakness or fear.

Usman was responding to recent criticisms by a social media commentator, Basharu Giyawa, who questioned the rationale behind ongoing peace overtures to armed groups willing to lay down their weapons in the state.

He noted that Giyawa had previously expressed willingness to act as a mediator between the government and the armed elements, making his current criticism contradictory.

According to Usman, the administration is not negotiating from a position of weakness, but rather implementing a balanced, human-centered approach to end years of violence that have devastated communities in Rabah, Goronyo, Isa, Sabon Birni, and other local government areas.

“Our meeting with bandits is for genuine reconciliation. It is a strategic decision aimed at restoring peace and rebuilding communities destroyed by years of armed attacks.

“Our people are living with the daily trauma of displacement. Farmers have abandoned their fields, food production has collapsed, and economic life has been crippled. The impact is visible in rising food prices and growing insecurity,” he noted.

Usman clarified that only those who show sincere commitment to peace, and agree to strict rehabilitation and monitoring, would be considered for dialogue.

He maintained that security forces remained actively deployed where necessary, and that dialogue was only extended to those who sincerely wish to renounce violence and undergo strict rehabilitation and monitoring.

Usman stressed that the dialogue was part of a broader security strategy that still involves the active deployment of security forces across volatile areas.

“This is not appeasement. It is a human-centred approach to peace and development.”

News

NNPCL Spokesperson Soneye Resigns

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Olufemi Soneye, has resigned from his position.

Soneye announced his departure in a Facebook post on Saturday, thanking his colleagues for their support over the past 20 months.

“I wish to inform you that I have stepped aside from my role as Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd.

“This decision will allow me to devote more time to my family and attend to personal responsibilities that now require my closer presence,” he wrote, drawing applause and commendation from his followers.

He described his time at NNPCL as an “honour,” saying he was proud to have contributed to the transformation of the national oil company.

Soneye pledged to remain a “steadfast supporter and ambassador” of the company and urged media professionals to continue their “robust, balanced, and constructive reportage” in support of NNPCL’s mission.

“It has been a profound honour to serve both the Company and our country, and to contribute in my own way to the ongoing transformation of NNPC Ltd. I am deeply grateful for the trust reposed in me, the opportunities granted, and the incredible professionals both within and outside the organisation with whom I have worked.

“I remain a steadfast supporter and ambassador of NNPC Ltd wherever I go. I enjoin you, dear colleagues, to continue your robust, balanced, and constructive reportage to support the Company’s noble mission and strategic role in Nigeria’s energy future. With sincere appreciation,” the note concluded.

Appointed on October 18, 2023, Soneye replaced Garba Muhammad, who was appointed in August 2021 during a management reshuffle.

Before joining NNPCL, Soneye built a reputation as an international journalist, having worked in Nigeria, Australia, and the United States. He previously served as Editor of the US Air Force One Magazine in Washington, D.C., and was President of the Nigerian Media Practitioners in the U.S. capital.

He is a member of several professional associations, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Society of Professional Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists, and the Guild of Corporate Online Media Publishers.

Soneye was named “Spokesperson of the Year” in 2025 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, following similar recognition in 2024.