Random Rhapsodies for the New Year
PEOPLE2PEOPLE OKE EPIA
The timing of government’s ghost appointments ensured that both the living and the dead crossed into the new year in Nigeria. However, what started as eerie conversations sparked by the mortifying release from the SGF office, of the Boss Mustapha, (a celebrated replacement for the shame-sunk grass-cutter) quickly evaporated into a gruesome reality with the gravely disturbing killing of scores of citizens in Benue, Rivers, Kwara and Kaduna States by both ‘known’ and unknown gunmen. Who does not know of the marauding exploits of nomadic gun-wielding herdsmen all through 2017 and before? Or don’t the cultists’ suspects in the rivers of blood live among us? Maybe the N200million bounty declared on the heads of the Omoku gangsters is to immolate the spirits behind the resurgent blood-letting cultists; and that would be good business for local dibias, exquisite exorcists, and their expatriate collaborators in the queer world of medium.
On a serious and very sad note, the dastardly killings rankle to no end: the brutal hacking of innocent worshippers exultantly exiting the ethereal realms of a cross-over service is simply unforgiveable; the dreadful slaying of a monarch and the complete annihilation of his household including a pregnant wife can only be thought to be a scene from a horror movie; and the horrendous carnage visited on Guma in Benue is only a brusque reminder that it is one thing to enact a law but another to stop those who have openly declared disobedience to it.
And we are being told that sorting the ‘processes’ will address the unending clamour for restructuring! Even though it all seems like dejavu, the grand appointer of both the living and the dead was prompt in issuing a vague condolence dirge this time, unlike the uncanny mute mood adopted in series of past horrors. In the spirit of the season however, we can perhaps expect some recompense for the slain souls; and it does not have to be as generous as the board mishap nor as miserable as the vacuous attempts to defend the reprehensible. Apprehending and bringing the damned masterminds of these yuletide killings to book is a minimum expectation- whether they are cultists, herdsmen or huntsmen. The blood of the murdered innocents cannot continually be spluttered in vain.
In much the same way the sweat of the tormented living should also not be in vain. If it was in 2017 and before, God Almighty will not allow it to be so in 2018. You don’t have to say amen. The pain of being a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria constitutes a contribution to the collective agreement for any prayer of liberation. But we must take the quest for freedom beyond the humping and thumping at prayer houses and religious grounds. Even the Bible says faith without works is dead. Get up from the ashes. Take off the sack-cloth. Ignore the bruises. Brave the odds. Ride the storms. It may be rough but don’t forget, it takes the tough to keep going. I know we have heard this before but it is good to hear it again as we start off on a new year. But we must not be hearers only; there is a time to act. And that time is now.
Our collective destiny has been jeopardized and twist- ed for far too long by vampires commanding the political scene. We now need to put an end to that. This resolve must go beyond mere agonizing to deliberate organizing. Mind you, this task cannot be trusted to the old brigade who has been integral and instrumental to the derailment of our collective and individual destinies as Nigerians. Forget those meaningless political slogans, opportunistic posturing and propagandist blind-folding employed to deceive impressionable minds and prosecute cash-laden hash tags of division and hate. We must determine that it will not work this time as it did in 2015 and before. The truth is that the political cabal (whether in or out of power) and their external enablers and collaborators are just a bunch of greedy bones unrepentantly intent on advancing their selfish interests and securing the future for their children and generations unborn. The earlier the younger generation realizes this, the better for them; and the more hopeful the horizon can light up.
But can we trust the ‘tweeting children of anger’ who care less about PVCs (Permanent Voters Cards) but more about their PRR (Permanent Ranting Rights) on Twitter and Facebook with the desired change? If only they can transfer the influence they wield in the virtual world into actual spaces, our leaders would not contemplate using the disingenuous guise of ‘hate speech’ to want to shush their mouths.
With a PVC in hand, the value of your PRR will be premium and you will be taken much more seriously on those cloud-based advocacies. Enough is enough is a slogan. It is now time to translate that to action. It means you should start to dust up your voter’s card if already registered. If you are not, please find the INEC registration team and do the needful. If you can’t find them at designated centres, go to their offices: take no excuses; bug the officials until they have your name on the voters’ roll and issue you a voter’s card. And importantly, be sure your registration is not inconclusive by going out to vote on election day. There will be several of such this year – Ekiti and Osun- are examples. Voting on Twitter and Facebook is futile. Meanwhile, thanks to the ubiquitous social media and of course folks in the mainstream media: the buzz and razzmatazz churned out concerning the ill-advised Gestapo arrest and detention of online publisher, Daniel Elombah by the notorious SARS unit of Ibrahim Idris’s Police Force, ensured his release from custody. But this is a matter for another day. Happy new year, friends!