The halls of Ibadan have long whispered the secrets of Nigerian sovereignty, but few ghosts are as haunting as the specter of “Operation Wetie.” When Governor Seyi Makinde recently declared that this dark chapter of our history “started from here,” he was not merely giving a history lesson; he was issuing a profound, sobering warning to the modern political class. To the uninitiated, “Operation Wetie” — which literally translates to “douse it with petrol” — represents the absolute nadir of our democratic journey. It was a period when the “Wild, Wild West” earned its name, not through frontier spirit, but through the charred remains of houses, vehicles, and human lives. It was the visceral response of a frustrated electorate that felt its voice had been stifled by the arrogance of power and the blatant rigging of the 1965 elections. Governor Makinde’s invocation of this era is both strategic and necessary. By reminding us that Ibadan was the epicenter of this explosion, he anchors the conversation in the reality of our current political climate. We are seeing a dangerous drift toward the suppression of opposition voices and the perceived pursuit of a one-party state. History teaches us that when you block all legitimate avenues for dissent, you do not eliminate opposition; you merely drive it into the streets. However, the Governor’s reference must be handled with care. The “Wetie” method — a barbaric recourse to jungle justice — is an act that must be permanently discouraged and condemned in the strongest possible terms. It represents the total collapse of the rule of law, where fire becomes the judge and the mob becomes the executioner. We cannot afford a return to a culture where political disagreement is settled with a matchstick. The real lesson of the “Wild, Wild West” is not that violence is an effective tool, but that the subversion of the people’s will is a recipe for disaster. The arson of the 1960s was the symptom; the disease was electoral malpractice and political intolerance. As we navigate the complexities of our current democracy, leaders across all levels must understand that stability is not maintained by the absence of opposition, but by the presence of justice. We must discourage the rhetoric of violence while simultaneously demanding an environment where the ballot box is sacred. Ibadan has moved from the fires of “Wetie” to becoming a beacon of intellectual and political development. Let us ensure that the only thing we set ablaze today is our passion for progress, leaving the petrol and the matches in the dustbin of history where they belong. Post navigation ‘We Are Now Bandits Living In Darkness’ — Economist Sarah Ibrahim Blasts FG Over Economic Hardship, Security At Ibadan Opposition Summit Samson Opeyemi Fatola Blasts Makinde Over Alliance with “Confused Elements”
