On the last Sunday of the month of June in 2016, I was early enough to make it half way into the Sunday school class. I sincerely can not remember the topic of the Sunday school lecture, but I can remember quite vividly that i heard the words "Buhari" and "Change" more times in a Church environment than I have ever heard before in one place. At some point, I found it hard to differentiate between Church and the newspaper stand at Okokomaiko bus stop.
"That is the change we are all suffering, because we have refused to read our Bible". Unsure of the relationship between the Bible and our now predicament with change in the country, I paid absolute attention to what the Sunday school teacher had to say next. " The book of Proverbs chapter 24 vs 21 made it clear to us not to meddle with people who come to us with change, because their calamity is sudden, just like it is in Nigeria now, but we refused to listen. Some did not even know that the all knowing God had warned us about APC long before now because they refuse to read their Bibles and understand God. See this Bible " as he raises his very big and 47years old looking Bible over his head to show the whole church, "it is full of empirical facts, the bible will arrest and convict you of your sins, with empirical facts and strong evidence you can't deny, unlike the EFCC under this Buhari man, who arrests you first puts one on media trial, and then scramble for the first piece of evidence lastly. " At this point I left like asking the Sunday school teacher, if we were still church, but it seemed an unforgivable thing to do, interrupting a man in his zone. Moreover I was enjoying his outburst, it seemed laughable then, his verbal and non verbal expressions, so I just watched him continue.
"Osinbanjo is regretting it now na, this is a man that God had ordained for the work of peace, given him a job as a pastor, a shearpherd, but he left his God given assignment to follow the agents of change and disaster. Pls somebody should open to the book of John chapter 14 vs 21 as I read. 'Peace I give unto you, not like the world giveth'. Children of God, this is Jesus speaking here ooo. Why did he say that? It's because the world does not know peace, the world can't give you peace because the world does not have peace, just like Buhari and his APC people do not have the change they so promised loudly. How can they give us the good change we so desire and deserve? Can you give what you don't have? The change they have is the change of calamity, like the book of Proverbs mentioned, and that is what they are dishing, a dish that tastes worse than prison food.
Have you forgotten what the Bible says about an ungodly King?" short pause, he looks around, satisfied with arresting all our attention, he continues. "The country which an ungodly King rules, suffers. Just like Nigeria is suffering now, because Buhari is an ungodly King. My brethren, Buhari is Ahab, worse than Ahab sef, or what do you call a man who claims to be fighting corruption but only arrests and molests members of the opposition. He lets stinkingly corrupt members of his own party walk around free, like a street girl with no home training, and even blesses some "epitome of corruption" with ministerial posts. " There a member echoed "onyiye ekwensu" from behind. He continues "Yes you are correct" pointing to the young man who echoed. "That is a blessing from the devil, a blessing that brings nothing but sorrow and turmoil, unlike the good luck blessings of God that maketh rich and causeth no sorrow. Look at the contract wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, in less than one year has converted more than 39billion pounds of money that belongs to me, you and every member of this Church, into the account of an ex- convict in America. This is the wife of a man who arrests people in the name of righting the wrongs". At this point, I started to wonder, has the effects of Brexit reduced the value of the UK Pounds sterling so much? That one person without a constitutionally recognised office, would steal that much. Hmmm, its either this pastor is talking about what is yet t0 happen or he is getting this kind of wrong Intel from a sacked, roaming angel, who is neither wanted in heaven or hell because of the amount of damage his false Intel had caused both fronts. However though, this colossal mistake by my sunday school teacher does not change the fact that Buhari's chnage has succeeded in changing our church services into Kaakaki the African voice, a place where politics is now discussed, because it has affected us more deeply, now than before.
With each passing day, the word "change" gives it self a more revealing meaning. This might not be the change we asked and voted for, but it is change nonetheless. Now, almost every gathering of Nigerians, whether well meaning or not, is a hot bed for political analysis.
Especially in a market environment, anywhere something is to be sold or bought. On occasions where the buyer is one who has decieded to keep mum and not indulge in arguments about the political and economical mishaps of his environment, he won't know when the new price of Val-u bread would propel him to exclaim the words "Buhari" or "Change" as many times as possible, there and another round of political analysis shall begin.
"Oga, na the change be that ooo" said Iya barakat the bread seller. "Which kind rubbish change be that one, no be 230 I dey buy this bread bfor? " "Oga thay one na bfor oooo, na this bread wey u dey buy 230, we na dey buy am 280 to sell 300 so,, no gain inside this cause we gan no dey fit buy am plenty like bfor, na change do am ooo" Iya barakat's customer, stood, gloating at the loaf of bread that is now even smaller in size than when it was cheaper in price. "E good, make we suffer small, weda we go get get small sense. Igbo pipu say,.... vote goodluck una no gree, make we suffer small na, hu no suffer no dey gey sense. But no how no how, God must punish this buhari for this suffer wey him dey suffer person ooo. After 3times wey him commot for President, we no gree am, e come na dis fourth one say if e no win e go kill evrihh body. Upon say e win, him brodas still dey kill pple for Enugu, Onitsha enter Benur sef" Iya barakat cuts in "Shay na those fulani malou pipu ni? Dem don dey kill pipu enta Ogun state and Ikorodu here for Lagos." "Oh hooo, u see am na, dem don dey enter evri where na, dis man enter sit, con siddon kakaraka on top pipu money, evri thing dey cost. We wey dey send bag of rice bfor no dey fit buy full bags for out own house na" "rice na 16500 one bag naw ooo" "hmm.., shabi we dey see light small small b4, now no more, fuel to take on gen no dey abi e go up. Madam gee me my change make i dey go, i don tire for this country." She seeks through her the purse tied around her waist in search for what looked like the last 200 naira note. She continues the conversation with a question as she stretches to had over the dirty 200 naira note to her customer, " e con be like say na military pipu go fit help us for this country now ooo" he collects his "change", " madam no be only u dey think of coup ooo, seeing this country na, everything wey go invite coup to happen for any country, dey happen for Nigeria. And rumors of say some army pipu dey plan coup dey evri where, and any where wey rumors of coup dey, coup no far again be dat again ooo. "
Average Nigerians airing their views, some are wrong, other are close to being right, but what we all have in common is the notion that or system is dirty, dirtier than that 200 naira note change. The country has a President who throws caution to the wind, embarks on endless trips and an equally endless personal vendatta parade on every thing and every one who is not in his corner, in the most foolish way known to mankind. I am not saying our dear president is foolish, however a wise President will find a smart way to check names of your "must jail list" and still make the whole process look like a wholistic fight against corruption without making Nigerians suffer. Check OBJ and Al-Mustapha.
Unfortunately enough, the President forgets that times have changed, years ago he was young and a military dictator, he could do just anything, now its Democracy and he's old, or maybe maybe his age is the reason why he is having his young wife fight is wars with her Twitter fingers. Who knows. Change I guess.
However though, a type of change is here and we are living it the best we can. We will still get rich and richer, no thanks to their numerous uncalculated policies. We are Nigerians, cope and excell, no matter the situation, its what we do, even if it turns us all into political analysts.
Chukwuemeka U. Chinyere
No comments:
Post a Comment