The Prayers of the Heathens — @segalink

Long term freedom being sacrificed for temporary comfort is now confirmed as a culture in Nigeria without the consciousness that life begins at the end of the comfort zone, however beautiful or comfy, nothing grows there. There must be comfort in accepting the fact that everything is temporary.

A light Amala (Yam flour pudding) and a watery soup with two pieces of cow or goat meat pass as an “at all at all” (Better than nothing) as most of our people normalize their condition to digestion. This conditioning has been deployed as rationalization cum justification of our situation as a people under oppression. We have raised our kids likewise. Put meat on anything and the children will comply.

Unfortunately for us all the associated cost of the Cow we fall in south for our dead cum the ones we have conditioned ourselves to eat at each meal is rising. For the loss of same in the North and middlebelt, communities have been (and are being) decimated without sparing defenseless innocent women, children and even the Foetus.

How have we become this mindless? Why would those saddled with the responsibility of protecting the people having lampooned their predecessors fail us in such a biblical proportion? Why would a commander in chief of armed forces choose to pray when citizens of his country are decimated by Fulani Militia and he is powerless against this?

Many articles have been written by bright minds on this trajectory right from the lopsided appointments of cronies along tribal lines. It was justified and defended away by griots who explained it away that it is not against the law for the president to appoint those he can trust. Despite the fact that it is a contravention of the Federal character which the same members/supporters of this admin would have murdered for were it done under the last admin against the North.

The roller coaster ride of bad sorts is at play here. Identity politics weaken institutions. Sorting people based on their tribe, connection, association, gender, disability and religion is primitive, parochial and provincial. It will never bring peace, progress or prosperity to any country. This is why countries with the prevalence of this attribute remain poor, lack productivity and are always a hotbed of crime and terrorism.

A few days back many of us raised the issue with the Central Bank Governor hiring children of the highly connected via backdoor channels into the apex institution. To many it was brushed aside as a norm (na today?) without the keen consideration of future implication. When will meritocracy prevail?

When will expertise, attitude, skill, emotional intelligence, kindness, honesty, generous persistence, willingness to take risks, loyalty to the goal of institutions & ethics of the profession, perceptivity, competence, capability, care, selflessness and attention span be the watchword of decision makers in the workplace? When will these be the basis for promotion and qualification?

Nigeria has been deemed to have overtaken India as the poverty capital of the world while the Nigerian Police wallow in impunity and incompetence as the Worst Police Institution in the world. These two globally accepted facts were primitively discountenanced by the sub-literates at the helms attributing it to the plot by the opposition to make them look bad.

National security is in tatters, economy comatose, corruption perception index (148/181) is the worst since the advent of democracy in 1999 yet they pontificate and send forth a pathological lying pastor to lie them out of every disaster, while the amoral griots hail in praise and forlorn hope that by some fluke or accident, they will paradoxically fail is into progress in their game of grand contradiction. We can now watch how faith unfaithful kept them falsely true.

To me the most important work we can ever engage in today and the days that comes after it till the end of days is to influence this destructive culture and heal the future of our kids.

Foolishness can also be articulated as we have seen that titles and political positions don’t quite determine the wisdom or impact of a anyone in the Nigerian context for many frauds are abound.

“Abusers don’t abuse everyday. They have good moments. Days where they do the right things. Moments when they say the right words. When this happens, the key is to remember that it is just an abuser having a good day, but still an abuser based on all the other days.” — Shannon Thomas

Published first in Nigerian Tribune Online 300618