Photo credit: Toronto Star
Singing plays a very important role in the politics of where I come from.
There was this great politician in pre-independent Nigeria who bought a limousine. He was then a government functionary but did not belong to the ruling party. There was to be an investigation into the acquisition of the vehicle. Our politician then played a fast one: he presented the car to the masses and ordered the chauffeur to ferry the ordinary people in turns.
The poor people then concocted a song:
Ma na’wo wa sa (spend our money lavishly)
Igunnu loni Tapa (Iguunu masquerade own Tapa people)
Tapa l’o ni’gunnu (The Tapa own the igunnu)
Maa na’wo wa sa (Spend our money recklessly)
In the Second Republic, a song I’ll always remember is:
Free education
Awolowo lole se, which translates to only Awolowo could give free education to the people.
In the Fifth Republic of Nigeria’s democracy, a would-be governor campaigned with a very colourful Cherubim and Seraphim song about Daniel.
There’s a serious problem of whether the country’s national anthem which was revived from trash should be replaced with the anthem of the president: On your mandate.
People wouldn’t sing these songs for anything: they smoked all the smokeable, topped with all the various aphrodisiacs with embarrassing names like japata e, wa fe ku lale yi, fe nu ja, and all the bitters.
In their state of stupor, the politicians could then rape them without condoms, like the biblical thief in the night, only in that case it was always in daylight. They would then have to wait for the next election saying, e go better.
If people belonged to the right parties, they would always be in bread as long as the campaign lasted. However, once they were elected, the politicians would be unreachable. They would have disappeared into the comfort of their air-conditioned abodes and offices.
I’m so used to it that whenever elections are held in my country of residence, I miss home.
Ontario is having its election on February 27 and the campaigns started on Wednesday.
