HAVE WE LOST OUR MINDS?

The methods used by rulers and tyrants, or the most savage of people in keeping their subjects in eternal servitude are worthy of study. The most appropriate for this discussion actually is by Lynch. What he did was simple. Catch a rebellious tireless nigger. Strip off his clothes in front of his male and female nigger counterparts, Tie each leg to a horse facing an opposite direction, set him on fire and beat those horses until they tear him apart. Bull-whip and beat the remaining (rebellious/observing) niggers within an inch of their lives. He never killed them, but he put the fear of God in them so their minds can remain under lock and key for as long as he wanted; and so they can be useful for future breeding. He was a vicious slave owner in the West Indies. The slave owners in Virginia had actually been having troubles controlling their slaves so they sent for him to teach them his methods. He is Capt. William Lynch (1724-1820). The word “lynching” came from his last name. He had a simple but diabolical method: keep the slave physically strong, but psychologically weaken him; keep the body but take the mind. That, my brothers and sisters, is the sad but true story of the Nigerian people.

SLAVES. Most of us. Better put, you and I. Pastor Tunde Bakare called it “Idiots ruled by fools”. Nigeria has suffered two forms of slavery: Colonial and Post-colonial. The post-colonial, if you like, you may term as the MILITARY/DEMOCRATIC SLAVERY. Some of you, in your very religious minds, may argue with me. Certainly a large percentage of you may use your religious (mostly Christian) mind; rejecting the notion, casting down negative thoughts and all forms of principalities and powers (pele o Pastor!). Nothing will change the fact: we are under BONDAGE, not of spiritual beings, but of our own kind; held in chains and Captive.

The Gallup World Poll of University of Michigan’s World Values Surveys (WVS) 1999 – 2002 puts Nigeria as number 1 in the World’s happiest countries. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s rank for populated religious countries, ranked Nigeria as no. 6 in both religions (Christianity and Islam), while Transparency International ranked us 134 (out of 178 countries) in their Corruption Perception Index 2010. My headache is: how can a country with the sixth largest population of both Christians and Muslims in the world be ranked 134 of 178 countries in corruption? Aren’t the tenets of both religions based on truth, integrity, honesty, and love for oneself, neighbor and country; amongst other virtues? We are the happiest people in the world. Why? And what’s our premise for the cheerfulness: is it our economic woes or clueless leadership at almost all levels? Why are we referred to as the happiest people on earth, in the midst of untold human suffering? Why are we so complacent amidst never-before-experienced slave methodologies? I guess you do not understand my point still?

In foreign countries, leaders act decisively knowing any act not in the interest of its people will generate untold backlash, not Nigeria. Our leaders act like primitive dictators, most often to the whims and dictates of their cronies and not in the interest of the people. After all, the people will never act; they are happy, forever suffering-and-smiling! Libyans did not fight Qaddafi because they were suffering economically. They just got tired of being Qaddafi’s slave. They had been governed for 42 years and they required change. Libyans lived better lives than we do yet they took to the street because of a tyrant who had been in power longer than most of them had lived. This was the same in relation to Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen.

Nigeria casts a pitiable look. We have more statistics and facts, astounding ones, explaining the sad levels of living of the average Nigerian, not to talk of the worsening state of condition in the country. We pay our leaders (at all levels) so much money and they deliver little or nothing. Worse, they plunder us dry. This is happening on our very watch. Congrats we have democracy, and yes we cannot ask most of our elected leaders to leave. But can we ask them to do better? The people suffer, there is massive unemployment, we are impoverished, our education is sub-standard; many children now destitute, some of our ladies turned prostitute. Are these reasons to smile?
We celebrated 51st of our Independence recently, but the real question is: Independence from what? From colonial slavery when we are yet enslaved by our own people? Ironic! Ridiculous!

Since we will ask no questions, or better, translate our questions into actions; the wife of the president can hold a conference of “First Ladies” at Obudu using government funds. Or is it her fund? Should I ask what exactly we are paying these senators (109) and lawmakers (360) for? What have they done? What are they doing in our interest (if they hold sessions at all)? Why are we paying these looters so much for doing almost nothing? We are suffering amidst plenty yet we do nothing! Can we act? Will we act? NO. We are enslaved! Our bodies active, our minds LOST! “Make them active physically, but keep their minds in chains”.

We are enslaved, most of us don’t realize yet. How can we allow high cost of running the government everyday when nothing works, how? How long will we allow this servitude? How long will we allow the people to suffer and be impoverished? How long shall we keep smiling and be happy and wait till “e go better”? If the salaries of these lawmakers for the 2015 elections are announced to be 1 million monthly, how many of the present do you think would re-contest? Have you gone around your local government of late? Do you know the revenue entrusted to a Chairman monthly? Do you know how much a councilor earns? I heard the wives of the local government chairmen earn fees? For what? Who elected them? Who elected the “First Lady” of the nation? Why must she spend our resources and squander it on useless schemes? Certainly, the new Nigeria needs a new charter. There is no reason yet to smile. We are paying so much for GOVERNMENT UNDER-PERFROMANCE! Have we truly lost our minds?

We have several offices with duplicate functions, what the hell! We have various unelected offices in the government which are sources of money laundering and untold corruption. Yes, I mean the offices of the first ladies (and their cohorts). If I were a Governor, it is the first I’ll scrap. If my (hopefully not jobless) wife will have any humanitarian platform as the wife of a serving public leader, she had better seek the help of foreign aids or philanthropists who support such cause to finance her activities. It also shows the depth of thought and shallowness in these so-called “first ladies”; the “first lady” of corruption! For crying out loud, if you had something worthwhile before your husband’s public service, then you have an opportunity to use the frontier to advocate such cases, not to extort the people and exploit state resources. Clueless lot!

How would we elect people who have the least idea about governance in the first place? People who had not been successful in their personal/business lives who suddenly want to prove they can be in politics? People who had no business being in government? People who are basically opportunists? And yet we siddon-smile? Slaves!

Like I said, Lynch had a rule “Keep them fit in their body, but incapacitate their mind to act”. Promise them heaven on earth on the platform of “I had no shoes” and keep them inactive for four years. Shioor! How can lawmakers earn $3m a year for nothing? Only In Nigeria! Do you realize that with just one million people: a non-violent movement; we can push reforms at the gate of the national assembly for as long as it takes? Will we rise and act peacefully yet firmly, or like the slaves under Lynch, remain under serfdom?

Have we lost our minds?