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The Bible, to me, is more than a literary text like some prefer to call the Holy Book.
Apart from being a tower of strength for the discerning, there are many stories there which are quite relevant to the modern day.
One of them is in the book of Exodus, chapter one, verse eight.
It talks about a king who comes to power and fails to recognise Joseph.
The commonsensical meaning would have been that other Pharaohs had been recognising Joseph and taking care of the people of Israel – Joseph’s people – but the Pharaoh in reference never cared a hoot about the Israelites.
Let’s relate that to Nigeria!
Apart from some exceptional leaders who felt it was their responsibility to care for the common man, most of our leaders have been nothing but political dealers.
However, I don’t really blame the so-called leaders. We, the people, are in the habit of colluding with them. Like the Yoruba would say, the person who indulges in stealing oil palm from the ceiling is not as guilty as the person that aids him.
Once we’re pacified or settled or empowered with some miserly gari and kulikuli, we tend to lose our sense of discernment. We end up forgetting that if the politician gets there, he remains our servant.
The Yoruba would say, if one’s mouth eats, one should be ashamed of spilling the beans as far as the giver of the food is concerned.
But pray, where did the giver get the money in the first instance? Would I be right to say it’s from the commonwealth?
That was why Chief Obafemi Awolowo asked members of his party (UPN) to receive the money the rival NPN was offering them but they should vote for the UPN.
I still believe there are patriotic citizens that can effectively change the fortune of Nigeria. However, such men would not touch the present “conscience for sale” which characterises Nigerian politics with a ten-foot pole.
For those who are in power, they should go on enjoying their spoils of office without a care for the masses. They know how to get them at the end of their respective tenures.
I’ll repeat once again that even the blind could see that a massive investment in agriculture would go a long way to solve our problems. A serious clamp down on importation wouldn’t be a bad idea.
However, it remains to be seen if this government can bell the cart!
I’ll end this by saying, we’ve been catching some smaller animals and eating them alone. However, it seems we’ve gone beyond our bonds because we’ve killed a monster, the aro gidlgba, it’s now our collective business!
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