In reactions to calls for Nigerians to remain and build the country despite worsening conditions, one comment stood out for its disturbing tone: “I say even if na slave trade them wan do for this country again, I go come with my own chain.” This statement is deeply troubling. It trivializes the horrors of slavery—a brutal history marked by dehumanization, violence, and generational trauma—by turning it into sarcasm or exaggerated frustration. While anger and exhaustion with governance are valid, invoking slavery as a casual metaphor reflects how normalized despair has become. Such comments do not challenge oppression; they surrender to it. Normalizing extreme suffering, even as a joke, lowers the bar for dignity and justice. Protest should demand better futures, not joke about returning to humanity’s darkest past.
