I have been quiet for some weeks. I have been observing the polity very keenly, praying for Oga Emilokan to surprise me and many other critics of his. I wanted him to prove us wrong. In fact, I had imagined that he would somehow wave a magic wand and prove his traducers wrong; especially having considered the backlash he received from millions of Nigerians owing to his many gaffes during the electioneering campaigns. You know the “bala blue bulaba” and “cassava, garri, ewa and agbado” yarns and other faux pas.
Today, a thousand Naira is almost worthless. It cannot afford a satisfactory meal in a decent restaurant. The plague of kidnapping has heightened astronomically even in the FCT. In Ekiti state, a bus conveying pupils was hijacked by kidnappers, not in the dead of night, but in broad daylight a few days ago. The captives regained freedom this morning except the driver whose live was cut short while in captivity. How grotesque! In Abuja, Kubwa, Bwari and Lugbe towns have become major flashpoints. In Kwara state, two traditional rulers were murdered recently.
The man whose turn it is (Oga Emilokan) is obviously out of touch with present realities. He is holidaying in France at a time he is supposed to be sternly quizzing the service chiefs as the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. APC throws up presidents who are hardly ever present in Nigeria.
Poor governance knows no tribe, creed, region or religion. Oro festival was used to disenfranchise, hound and stifle voters, principally non-indigens in Lagos state. Fetishsm and thuggery prevailed. Security agents were compromised. There was no better time to observe the festival than during the elections. Oluomo and his goons issued and meted out threats to potential voters not in support of his principal.
Even though it is crystal clear that the election was terribly compromised, I know that some poor and vulnerable Nigerians voted for the present government whose heist was ratified by the courts. There is no shortage of good and competent hands to pilot the affairs of Nigeria, but we love mediocrity a lot. Suffering no go ever tire us! In 2025, the jostling and permutations for a second term will begin and I am sure that many of those crying and gnashing their teeth now will reinforce failure at the sight of envelopes containing N5k, cups of rice, maggi and salt at the polling units. They will momentarily forget their predicament and vote for another phase of renewed hope.
Chubby Chinanu Reuben.
February 5, 2024.
