Tuesday, 10 September 2019

THROWING STONE AT THE SATAN IN THE YAM-EATING SENATOR by SHABA Mafu.


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.