Virtue — or what we are taught to believe is virtue — is a principle we imbibe from the cradle, and many carry it to the grave.
But is it truly a virtue, or a subtle mechanism designed to suppress?
Is it an ideal, or a carefully crafted tool to silence dissent?
He, too, may have once believed in this virtue. Perhaps he never truly did, given his formidable role in student politics of years past.
Deciphering which was sharper — his pen or his tongue — remains a challenge.
With his tenacity and eloquence, he could have easily aligned with the oppressors, cloaking himself in inspiration while standing atop an Olympian pedestal.
He might have become a deceptive symbol of “grass-to-grace” in a land where deception thrives, another unbearable burden for the already burdened masses.
Yet, he pursued a goal — a dangerous aspiration in a country where such a pursuit can lead not just to imprisonment, but to a fate where ambition turns to anguish, and dreams are marred by brutality.
In a place where ideals are often crushed, his resilience mirrors the gadflies of history, ever stirring, ever resisting.
The cage may be vast enough to confine his body, but it is far too small to imprison his unbreakable mind.
His vision is clear, meticulously crafted, and immune to distortion or erasure.
Even if delayed, it will manifest and resonate when the moment arrives.
True virtue is not a hollow mantra; it must be demonstrated and upheld by those who claim to represent it. When the noble are absent, ignoble deeds fill the void.
History will chronicle his courage, inscribing his name among the pantheon of those who struggled for justice.
For in a world where silence is deemed golden, the hope of the common man diminishes — unless there are voices brave enough to shatter the quiet.
Idowu Awopeju Esq Writes from Agugu, Ibadan.
