Nigerians commenced 2024 with remarkable vigour, and the entire country unanimously decided to pick a theme for the year, “No Gree For Anybody.”
It’s the first time Nigerians would unanimously adopt a catchphrase for the year.
What originated as a trend on social media swiftly evolved into a ubiquitous mantra on the lips of nearly every Nigerian.
The phrase “No Gree For Anybody” essentially encourages individuals to reject any form of nonsense or resist being bullied by others.
Despite the widespread adoption of this trend, the Nigerian police have issued a warning on the supposed theme of 2024.
During a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, Muyiwa Adejobi, the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, said intelligence reports show that the catchphrase is capable of plunging the country into a crisis of monumental proportions.
Mr Adejobi said although the catchphrase is being seen as “normal talk”, those in the security community view it as a “dangerous” slogan.
He said, “And let me say again on this note that the new slogan, which is ‘No gree for anybody’, we have been informed from our intelligence unit that this slogan is coming from a revolutionary sector that will likely cause problems for the country.
“No gree for anybody has been seen as normal talk, but in the security business and the security community, we have seen it as a very dangerous slogan that can trigger crises.”
Like Sorosoke
In 2020, following the break of the deadly pandemic, COVID-19 forced the entire world into lockdown.
Shortly after the lockdown, in October 2020, Nigerian youths stormed the streets in a first-of-its-kind mass protest against police brutality. What had started as a rally soon became a nationwide revolution, as several states took turns to organise the End-SARS protest?
During the End-SARS, a slogan emerged, ‘Sorosoke’. The word Soro Soke is a Yoruba phrase which translates to “Speak louder.”
However, the protest was short-lived after the alleged Lekki Toll gate shooting on 20 October 2020, which has remained a controversy to date.
Like the ‘Sorosoke’ slogan, which became a social media buzz, ‘No Gree For Anybody’ has also gained similar and even wider prominence across social media, even in everyday lifestyle; this perhaps is the concern of the police.
