The trouble with the People of the City is that they always think that history is the story of other people and not their story. They believe that all that have been written about the triumphs and travails of human beings, about the rise and fall of nations, have nothing to do with them. They are all about things that happened to strangers or at most, their ancestors. It never occurred to them that they may be the very ancestors whose history, whose tales they are reading and hearing. For this singular reason, they block their senses and refuse to learn any lesson from things that happened around them, from things they hear from and about others.
The People of the City could not even learn from the clock, a simple mechanisms that lets you know the time. The short and long hands of the clock move from one to twelve and repeat the process over and over. When the short hand gets to three, it never announces whether it is three in the morning or three in the afternoon. It is you who will interpret, using your other senses, what period of the day it is. It is the same thing, when it gets to four or eight or any other number. It simply shows that when events occur, we must reflect upon it to determine what good or bad it portends. But in doing that you must detach ourselves from the little self, that ego that blindfolds you and makes you think the world is created for you and you alone, to the exclusion of all others. The little self makes you think you can eat your cake and still have it, despite the contrary that meets your eyes. That is the same with the People of the City.
As the People of the Waterfronts gathered together in their Parliamentary Hall waiting for the appointed time to begin their deliberations, they ruminated over the silly ways of the People of the City and how their thoughtless acts have brought about terrible wastages, both of lives and money. The People of the Waterfronts wondered why the education of the People of the City endowed them with wickedness and lack of creative thinking, while educated ones in other climes build up their nation to enviable heights. The terrible ways of the People of the City gnawed at the intestines of the People of the Waterfronts as they sit down weekly to try to find solutions to redirect their straying footsteps.
At last the appointed time came and the Oldman of the Waterfronts dutifully got up, stretched his left hand and picked up the bottle of the local white brew, while his right hand picked up the little glass cup. He filled the little glass cup and walked to the door as if the ancestors would not hear if he performed the libation in the hall. The People of the Waterfronts immediately knew that a serious libation was about to take place.
“Take Odumodu. dweller at the domain between the Land and the Sea, great ancestor of the People of the Waterfronts” the Oldman began and poured a little of the local white brew on the floor.
“We call on you, Odumodu, you who makes himself available at the seventh promontory to your people, the People of the Waterfronts, as long as they remember to go along with the local white brew. Take and drink. The People of the City looked for you everywhere, but you never appeared to them, to avoid their corruptive influence. They have messed up the land and are earnestly searching for a scapegoat.
“Odumodu, you told the People of the City that it was not right for a thief to be pardoned and still be told to possess his loot, leaving the owner wailing for nothing. You told them, but they refused to hear. Now their senses are picking up and they are retracing their steps to do the right after causing confusion and untold hardship to millions of people. How on earth would you tell a governor that he cheated to win his election and so the election should be cancelled and yet you allow him to contest again with the others he cheated? Does it make sense? Again, how would otherwise sensible people allow a man to assume a position that is still in contention? Does it not give him upper hand against his opponents? Why not let him wait until the matter is disposed of within a specified period?
“Odumodu, the People of the City did not do that only. Can you imagine that after the supposed cheat of a governor is told to relinquish his position, not only is he allowed to re-contest, now obviously in an advantaged position after ruling for some time, when he wins again all his previous length of stay in the Government House is said to have vanished and he starts afresh from the day of the new victory.! Silly is the only word for it. There is no difference between that and allowing a thief to glory in his loot and giving license to loot more.
However, we thank you Odumodu for opening their eyes and ears to truth. They have just regained their senses and five governors are now in their villages, sacked by the Supreme Court. Take and drink and let them go ahead and enact a law that any ousted candidate by the tribunal because of any electoral malpractice be banned for life. Moreover, let the courts fix a time limit and dispose of any election issue before the winner assumes office.
“Otumo-Ogugu, Favourite of the Maidens, he who goes in and out of the Maidens, detecting the unfaithful ones, take and drink. We know that it is the combined efforts of you the ancestors that are letting in wisdom into the hearts of the People of the City. How they are going to solve the problem of the wasted months since May 29, 2011, is what we will like you the ancestors to guide them.
“Osokolo, another Favourite of the Maidens, take and drink. Join your co-ancestors and let sanity reign supreme”.
The Oldman of the Waterfronts refilled the little glass cup. This time he held it in his left hand and said, “For you malevolent ones, let it not be that we do not recognize your presence. We do. However, stay clear from us and take your drink outside”.
He then poured a little with his left hand and returned the little glass cup to his right hand. He poured the remaining local white brew inward, walked to the table and emptied all on the table. He refilled the little glass cup and sent all down his intestines and allowed the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup to go round the hall.
Arukulo, the man who says he is always at the front of the canoe, got up to speak as the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup returned to the table.
“People of the Waterfronts, I greet you. These are really trying times. They say it never rains, it pours. But we must all deeply reflect and guide against parochial tendencies. When shall we grow up? When shall we be matured enough to look at issues dispassionately and not with minds coloured by ethnicity and religious bigotry? When will a Muslim boldly condemn an act perpetrated by a fellow Muslem, if it is wrong and a Christian do the same if another Christian runs fowl of the law? As long as we do not discuss issues but keep on blindly supporting our kinsmen or religious brothers and sisters, peace will continue to elude us and the prediction of the disintegration of the nation would be hastened. We must avoid that.
“People of the Waterfronts, a new Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, has been appointed by the President. He is Mr. Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar. His singular appointment has shown that we do not learn from history or look into the files of would-be appointees before appointing them. It has also brought out the parochialism in all of us.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the 19 Northern states has rejected the appointment of Mr. Abubakar. They did not reject him because he is a Muslim. A statement signed by Sunday Oibe, Publicity Secretary of CAN in the north, said, “For him to be appointed as the Acting IG of Police, we wonder whether President Goodluck Jonathan knows what he is doing. To us, the appointment of Abubakar is an extension of terrorism in Nigeria?” Why? They said Hon. Justice Niki Tobi Commission of Inquiry into the bloody killings in the crisis in Jos in 2001, indicted him. What did Justice Tobi say of the new IGP? The white paper stated, “Religious fanatics should not be posted to head state police commands. The commission recommended that for his ignoble role during the September 2001 crisis which resulted in the loss of lives, the former commissioner of police, Plateau State command, Alhaji M.D. Abubakar, be advised to retire from the Nigeria Police Force and in the event of his refusal to do so, he should be dismissed from the service!”
“Now the question is, if really such recommendations were made, were they not presented to the presidency? If such recommendations were made, is the fear of CAN misplaced? This is the issue that some Northerners under the auspices of the Arewa Youth Forum, AYF, should think about. They should not just go ahead and describe the Acting IGP as a detribalized Nigerian. Even as Muslims, they should be bold enough to ask about the veracity of the Niki Toby recommendations.
“In the same vein, the Arewa Citizens Action for Change in their statement signed by Alhaji Sani Darma, the National Coordinator, was right in their anger against the Ijaw youths, their elders, leaders and others, for taking every criticism against President Jonathan, especially the fuel subsidy protests, as against an Ijaw son. No. President Jonathan is an Ijaw, but he is the president of Nigeria, not Ijaw nation. They should look at issues, irrespective of who is involved, to move the nation forward, otherwise, they would lose the moral right to criticize others after the expiration of the tenure of their son.
“Grandpa, my throat is dry,” Arukulo stated, and kept standing.
The Oldman of the Waterfronts allowed the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup to move to him. ###
By Kenneth Amabipi
0803 668 7846
Email: kennymaps@yahoo.co.uk
