THE REMEBRANCE OF A SOCIALIST FIGHTER

Remembering someone in life comes with a sharp meaning behind it especially when such a person made impact to advance the cause of humanity through breaking every day in profit hands. March 20^th, 2016 was the

day friends, families, relative; colleagues, co-workers, neighbour, comrades etc. remembered Uchenna Dike Chukwujekwu who was born 16^th September, 1981. Uche, as he was fondly called, was a member of Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) and socialist fighter who died on March 20 2015 under the sharp knife of corrupt government running an economy in which virtually everything is placed at the mercy of super profit hunters.   

His death has been a huge loss and difficult to bear among those who one way or the other had personal and political relationship and experience with him when alive. These are people who he had, through his exemplary and revolutionary life, impacted positively when he was alive both in political and literary discussion. And for those who have personal experience with him said he was one person, having the charisma and quality a human being have to effect huge difference amongst people; even in hours of struggles.

From those closed to him as friends and comrades, it was said he was a person whose intelligence and consciousness represent the scientific idea piloting for the building of the mass in freeing themselves from the shackles of the elites, which has been what Uche stood for. He never for once compromised to divert from this idea even in times of difficulties when the economy hit very badly has seen in recent time that ordinarily any opportunistic person without conscious clarity of idea will do because of the inability to understand the crisis confronting the human race.

Instead, in the thirty five years of his personal and political life he stood to defend and struggle alongside with the poor against the policies of enriching the rich; policies that are austerity and antis against the development of this country in order to resolve the social contradiction of improving the living condition of people who dig earth to feed. In fact, he participated in all the peaceful protests/rallies and struggles of the poor working mass in the organization he belonged (DSM), that has intervened and participated in all workers  struggles in this country of rape life to death.  

For example, he participated with other socialists, activists in one of the thundering protests of January, 2012 against fuel increment that lasted eight days in the Jonathan administration for government to reverse the pump price of petrol back to #65: 00, but at the end suffered a bad fate in the hands of Labour Leaders who before dawn of the struggle called the protest/rally off; while the protest was already an explosion. He also participated in struggles like against austerity measure, police brutality in the Ajegunle ghetto community which was classical in April 1^st to 3^rd, 2010 etc. because he believed in the ideas of better society against the system digging grave for people. 

Living by this commitment in his whole life, Uche patiently studied the scientific idea of bettering the society and correcting the mess digging grave for the poor class living below a dollar in a country that has enormous resources to turn around the dark age of poverty. He doesn’t have faith on the system of inequality to take forward this country out from the chains of profit economy. That is why in the years he spent in this world of inflicting social madness, and in the organization he believe on her ideas, he only knows that without fighting against policies of private economy impoverishing people, nothing good will ever come freely in a world knowing no freedom and equality for the working mass to determine the future of society.

As a fighter in the cause of revolution and for better society when with his committed comrades, he tried to listen attentively to fundamental issues being spoken in public discussions and made tremendous effort to delve into the ideas of revolutionary philosophy, method and strategy of Marxism. He did not like being distracted by worthless thing meaning nothing to him. He paid attention to discussion which was meant to build the mind and the mass to the height of consciousness and to sharply think through. He tried to follow the trend of activities even in the structure of where he groomed his intelligence by ensuring he attended all political meetings in the revolutionary organization he had spent his whole life with.

Because of this learning ability, he tried to be consistent to the cause of political struggles in order to learn faster the method and strategy embedded in the scientific idea of socialism to move forward society. This for him was the utmost necessity for any person that wants to ascertain intellectual development. There is nothing that can make difference for someone who wants to participate in political struggles consciously without such person getting ready to understand the philosophy holding revolutionary struggles and movement as spine to backbone to transform society for the better. For him, this is one fundamental point that meant a lot to him bold mind should be ready for.

And as socialist fighter, Uchenna Dike never hesitated to mold his intelligence to the climax of human reasoning to understand better the world of pain, empire expansion and domination held down by private economy. It is though building ones conscious mind can one’s intelligence climb the ladder of learning and never stops learning the art of revolutionary struggles. Uche saw this as tabloid in the heart of political struggles. In the heart of the organization he spent active parts of his thirty five years of life with. His death for some who were his friends, families, comrades observed this fact about him. Literarily, it was said by his closest relations and friends that he did not rigmarole with his potential and the ideas he stood for when alive. He always takes fundamental issues wholeheartedly very serious without blinking an eye for it.

For him, he took it upon himself as priority to direct everything he did towards this path in life politically with time commitment to the organization (DSM). Even after his academic graduation from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, Nigeria he did continue to keep the light burning compare to some hiding in the tunnel of weakness and ignorance. In 2006/07 before his admission into the university to study as public administrator in the cause of Public Administration, he had already gotten himself acquainted into the art of politics and participated in political and workers struggles against the iron government responsible to millions of people living at the edge of poverty and deprivation.

In this period of his life, an exception has been made with his potential compare to some youth in the community, which again can’t be accredited as their fault that they were drowning into the depth of ignorance and psychological frustration; the ruling philosophy and market designed for us to follow without frowning and questioning the fundamental. A philosophy that never stands for the building of people’s consciousness when it is necessary, instead it is to continue to enslave people, chain them and make people eat their heart as if psychologically they were the one responsible for the economy crisis grinding humanity especially in this 21^st century of market breaking itself.

Politically and even psychologically, he cast the stone of understanding better why this world was never originally made the way as some junky ideas preaches. He believed through the clarity of ideas consciously that youth roaming the street frustrated is centre on the cause of private economy responsible to the psychological trauma of people, running people into the tunnel of frustration that some belief tag superstitious. Through the scientific ideas of Marxism he groomed himself into up to the level of consciously arriving to the point of what he strongly believe as a way forward for human society was that; the existence of life can’t continue to rest on the shoulder of junky ideas, millions of people were cowed into. 

This junky ideas floating like kite in the atmosphere without being concrete to explain the backwardness of human civilization and destiny. For him, it is all trash and weightless to lift the reasoning of human thinking when inside the mud. That has been the attitude of those in the affairs of government who determine society’s future to tell the poor class; life is never made to be equal for people to live happily. While he was alive, he never for once patronized this ‘junky ideas’, even when some say is ‘private’. What he did was to remove the blindfold from his eyes and sailed in the boat of scientific idea to better the life of people. Sometimes, when he discussed these things with friends over the way the private economy of big shoes run millions to ignorance, he would say hunger creates illusion.

With this in his mind before his sudden death on 20^thMarch, 2015, he maintained the trend of padlocking out this idea responsible for not developing the human mind to think sharply and rationally, prompt him to move away from it like light from darkness. It is not an idea that can blow the trumpet of revolution closer. They are ideas which have perpetually locked million of people inside the cage of ignorance and darkness. Making people not to think outside the traditional ideas they were taught to believe all through their life, putting people in the lane of fear and quilt. Uchenna Dike Chukwujekwu saw this idea as chains in the neck of people around him. He sometimes made the point clear when he literarily discussed with friends about the state of this belief and the elites using it to rope human mind as it occurs in capitalist society.

Due to the fact of understanding better the weakness of this idea that represents the market of profit putting millions on the edge of unemployment, economic frustration, homelessness, poverty, psychological trauma, health crisis, lack of stable electricity and water to drink etc. that can’t breathe freely in the palm of capitalism. It is only through a socialist society can life be better for millions of poor people. Uche understood that the private sector economy can’t lift the mountain from the shoulder of the mass; made him to consciously in the political struggles of this country join movement of the working mass against government unleashing profit agenda. 

In many of this struggles like in the 2003 general election in this country. Uche, amongst some youth in the community he resided when joined the organization he groomed himself into the cause of revolution. He participated as polling agent for the NCP, the party that had welfare program, before it was taken over by rightwing elements, against the pro-rich parties which unleash anti-poor policies on the masses. He never compromises himself for an exchange of token as some desperate persons will do. Instead, all through the period of the election that year, he stood firm alongside with other socialist fighters who were DSM and NCP members to defend votes cast by the mass for better condition of living; entrusting their votes on party they believe and can trust. 

Even before the fixed date and month of the election in 2003, when the pro-rich caesarean parties like PDP, AC and APGA etc were investing stolen resources to return back to public offices. Uchenna Dike Thomas gave his time and commitment with other socialist fighters in the party (NCP), were busy day and night working and moving into the dense ghetto community to canvass the party program by pasting posters and leafleting people for why the pro-rich parties can’t really make life better for the poor. He never allowed things that weren’t fundamental to eat his time all through that period. He was always following the method and strategy of the organization to learn the art of this struggle.

However, it doesn’t mean in his entire life there was no mistake he had committed. Mistake has always been something every person will fall into. Even the most intelligent minds do fall for  it. But making a mistake doesn’t mean a crime to humanity. The most important thing is to sharply learn from it by also allowing the wind of criticism and self-criticism blow and penetrate into your consciousness as fighter. That is the only way to learn fast and faster in whatever we do. And the moment we begin to wear the coat of pride and exoneration disregarding mistakes, we left ourselves into the floating state of concussion. For Uche, as revolutionary fighter, it is a progress and an exemplary thing to learn from mistake especially when there is a cause of making better society lies ahead.

And not mention his later life, is trimming it off history. History remembers him not because of his name but what significantly he has committed his life, time, and mind to the struggle of bringing a better world. A system that makes life unbearable for people on minimum wage to live as he did exist in the Nigeria under private economy and corrupt government feeding those fat cats living on the sweat of the poor class.  We can’t have a world free from brutal assault of capital when people like Uchenna Chukwujekwu Dike didn’t sacrifice time in the cause of socialist revolution he strongly believe upon, to ensure the poor masses in communities and the Nigeria society at large, get all the necessary armour of consciousness to turn around this world of the banks stealing from us to enrich the elites.

In life, death and remembrance, Uchenna Chukwujekwu Dike was a symbol of discipline, consistence, and learning the art of struggle and revolution. A life of thirty five that he never allowed himself to be wasted but seized the opportunity of learning intellectually the scientific ideas of revolution and Marxism in order to better the world private economy ruined to disasters as it is has been doing then and now; digging more tunnels, pits and graves for millions of people living in the vortex of poverty. He will ever be remembered for his life in struggle. The great life that will live in the memory of history for us to read and learn from the significance believing the world can be made better by the power of struggle and revolution.