Soludo: The Audacity To Say What People Hate To Hear!

— MAZI EJIMOFOR OPARA 

I have lived long enough to understand a few things about life, events and history. Truth is, nothing of worth begins from a popular opinion. It is convenient to sail on calm waters, flow with the crowd and advance popular opinion — this is actually the place of conformists and those who live life on the terms of others. Many people fall under this bracket.

People are easily excited by stories of platitude, excuses for how things should be and loads of reasons for not doing them. The audacity to stay different and authentic to one’s informed opinion is a path least travelled. A few persons of historical significance have lived this unusual trait to the chagrin of the multitude who existed in their era.

For a moment, imagine the audacity of Christ at the synagogue, His unpopular message and His failure to even coordinate His twelve apostles. Remember, one betrayed Him, another denied Him and none walked with Him to Golgotha. In all of this, the excellency of His message stood out due largely to its authenticity. Today, the multitude is gone, the leaders who were influenced by the mob have become historically insignificant. But the man who did not keep silent when history beckoned is the King of Kings today.

For a few of us who tout ourselves as Soludo’s apostles, we are convinced by the sheer distinction of his logic and his audacity to stay authentic regardless of the mob. You may fault Soludo for his clear stance on issues, but you cannot ignore him or define him as a coward.

A lot of us will be here to tell the story when this episode in history wraps up. He will become, for generations yet unborn, the reason why they must dare to be different!