The yearly festival of the Muslims usually
culminates in a hajj to (the pilgrimage) to Mecca as not just a fulfillment of one
of the cardinal beliefs of that religion, but also to stone the devil in such a
celebrated visit. This has been the desire of every Muslim despite the fact
that not all could realize this because of the financial cost implications. It
does not make one less a Muslim if such one can’t afford to go on a pilgrimage.
One of the things that had interested me
most in this pilgrimage experience is the collective resolve to throw stones at
Satan. Millions do this. In both the Christian and Muslim religions, Satan and
his activities are always denounced because they are an anathema to human
existence. While Satan is disdained with passion in the Christian faith, the
Muslims go further to show their own morbid hatred by practically readjusting the brain-setting
of Satan every year through the symbolic stoning by millions of Muslim faithful
on this recalcitrant Satan. This is a practical lesson for those who align with
Satan and his activities in the midst of a decent society such as some of our
disgruntled public officials.
Recently, one of the distinguished Nigerian Senators
and the longest-serving one in the Nigerian federal Parliament was invited to
Germany by the Ibos living there for a festival. The Ibos are one of the major tribes in
Nigeria. The Senator was invited for their new Yam festival celebrations. Ike
Ikweremadu, the man in question joyfully accepted the invitation. He practised
the dancing steps several times at the backyard of the Senate House for a
peculiar display over there in Germany. He may have also conducted more rehearsals
during the breaks by the Senate; because it appears the Senators can even meet
less than 80 days out of the constitutional 180 days to meet, without anyone
holding them to ransom. These are the bourgeoisie in the impoverished Nigerian
society who purchase their official cars with 5.5Billion Naira in spite of
biting poverty amongst the majority of Nigerians.
Ekweremadu got to Luxemburg - Germany, the venue
of the celebration. He waited patiently for the time the traditional Ibo music
will rent the air and the exhibition of his practiced display of his imported dance-steps
right away from Nigeria. His smiles broadened, reminiscent of the period when
the Senators are about to share the booty – the National Cake! As the stage was
about to be set for the dance, Ekweremadu treated to the preface of the
programme, a programmed slap. He was first confused and tried to figure out
whether the Ibos have a mixture of the German culture of introducing a
particular ‘ceremonial’ slap in the Yam festival. While musing on the sudden
development, another slap from the opposite direction greeted his fleshy cheeks.
He knew that what was about to befall him was an introduction to a hellish
treatment. Before he could think out an escape route, he was drenched in a rain
of foreign blessings of German-customised blows wrenched out viciously by the
foofoo-powered muscles of the IPOB members. The Senator turned round as to
sample who might be sympathetic of his newly-found predicament. He saw everyone
with clenched teeth of no mercy. He quickly remembered his athletic skills when
he was in secondary school. He ran like a wild hog. At this time, he knew
that the yam he was invited to come and eat will never be served, but even if
served, he would be left with no tooth to masticate the memorial yam celebrated
in strange blows.
Ekweremadu attempted to run to safety. But being
that he was not familiar with the terrain, he hit brick walls. If this beating
was in the Senate chambers, he knew every corner where he would maneuver to the
chagrin of his assailants. But this time around, he was beaten to the game.
More blows rammed his head, not actually knowing when and where the next blow
would fall. It is said that when the need to run had not come to a woman with a massive backyard, she would think she is highly gifted. The gift becomes a
curse if she is not able to maneuver for escape in trying times. The Senator
forgot his chieftaincy title and his distinguished personality of a Senator on
which he rode to swagger into the venue of the ceremony. His pontification soon
faded to vanity when it was dawn on him that serious troubles awaited him... He
flung away his walking stick and ran like a conventional mad man escaping from
traditional flogging. He was “stoned” like Satan in Germany by his own people.
While this action is roundly condemnable because
there are civilized ways of addressing grievances by not humiliating ourselves
in the open glare of the international community but a lesson has been drawn
from the action. But like stoning the Satan we need to also glean some lessons
from the Acts of Ibos in Germany on the visit of Ekweremadu, the “I Yam that I
Yam”. The lesson to others in authorities is that leadership is wholly about
responsibility and accountability, and not by deliberate social segregation
between the haves and the have-nots when elected to power. The Nigerian Senators
are said to collect a whopping monthly salary of 13.5Million Naira. This is an organized
and legitimized corruption especially in a society where even Master’s Degree
holder would be offered a job of paltry N50,000 monthly salaries with stringent
conditions of service. The constituency votes, funds allocated for the
development of geo-political delineations which runs into millions of Naira
never translate to any developmental projects of any constituencies. Some few
years ago, a Local Government Councillor commissioned one electric pole in his
community with millions of Naira budgeted for that sick project. A governor launched Wheel Barrows for his
citizens as part of alleviating poverty programme. Recently a Councilor from
Ondo State commissioned four motor tyres. This is all they can do with public
funds. An audit to these kinds of
projects would reveal that millions of Naira have already been sunk into such a
‘project’. This is the level of decay and grand corruption on the political
scenario in Nigeria encouraged by the so-called law-makers.
Ekwemadu’s Germany-treatment is just a
foundation-laying legacy of how these public officers would be beaten and
stoned as they do to Satan, in coming days. The beating has started and I wished
that the lesson learnt from Ekweremadu’s
treatment by the malevolent IPOB members will go a long way in addressing the
decay and lack of accountability of Nigerian public officers. If these
money-bag politicians are treated to legal action, they have the means and
ability to bail out themselves especially if they, fortunately, come across a
corrupt Judge like them. In the interim, Ekweremadu’s treatment might be the
immediate potent solution to the thieving officials.
