#1 The YouTube link spread faster outside Nigeria, mostly because few had the broadband width to stream video, but the gist eventually caught on... Bishod David Oyedepo was filmed hitting a young female member of his congregation, who had been brought before him for deliverance.
#2 In the aftermath of the Christmas Day Bombings (by the group better known as Boko Haram), President Jonathan made a statement to the effect that 'this too shall pass'.
#3 In response to the announcement by the Petroleum Products Price Regulating Agency (PPPRA) that the subsidy on imported petroleum products had ceased, fuel stations promptly hiked their prices and consumers commenced panic buying.
In the case of the Pastor, so many things were wrong, spiritually, biblically, socially, morally and legally. However, three things struck me 1) It was hard to find any comment or commentary (by Nigerians) that empathized with the girl in the video; how demeaning and traumatic it must have been to be forced out before a crowd numbering in the thousands, labelled a witch. 2) It was personally humiliating to view the second video showing the same Pastor recounting the episode and claiming that the 'witch' came back to apologize to him 3) It was appalling to see too many of my compatriots struggle to explain the man's actions, or exculpate him, or declare him to be answerable only to God (and thus above the laws of the land)
The #2 story merely illustrates that the government of this country is besides itself on the issue of leadership. It is a glaring revelation of the opinion, value and regard with which the presidency holds the citizenry.
The #3 story is the most significant of all. It portrays in real terms the Nigerian response to adversity, despoliation and economic enslavement. When I ran the possible outcomes of the fuel subsidy issue using Game Theory modelling, the first potential flash-point was the response of the immediate actors to the policy change. These actors include the product marketers, the transporters and the fuel station managers. Any of these groups (or all in unison) could have refused to play ball (after-all, they were well served by the status quo), but alas, the temptation of the short-term gains was too alluring.
Had fuel stations declined to discharge fuel at that landing cost, the ground swell of support would have been spontaneous and civil disobedience would have followed naturally and peacefully. Rather, what we have is the 'business as usual' 'dog-eat-dog' rat race. Outlet owners making a killing, black marketeers swinging into action and mass transit operators cashing in at the peak travel period for returning holiday travelers.
This leaves me convinced that had Mohamed Bouazizi been a Nigerian and pulled his stunt on the streets of a Nigerian city, the news would have been that his push-cart laden with vegetables was looted... by citizen by-standers.
Once again, I have glossed over several significant events in recent history; the Inaugural bomb blasts, Indepence Day non-celebration, Sallah Day Bombings, NDLEA (The State) Vs. Baba Suwe, Lekki Toll Protests, Supreme Court Ruling and the Christmas Day Bombings, again this is because these events were highly predictable to me and I was not caught unaware. Moreover, they are merely incremental incidents in an evolving drama.
If anything has changed since I typed the first part of these series, it is the emergence of a sinister subversive plot to rape this country. This was heralded by the emergence of GEJ as president, although his 'victory' merely presented a chance for the directors of this moving theater. For the umpteenth time, I will say again that the statement that by 2015, Nigeria will be a failed state was not just an Intelligence Analysis Report, it is a Plan in Action. There are a lot of parties; individual, corporate and state that will benefit enormously from civil strife and turmoil in Nigeria, and we the People have presented them with a golden opportunity and ample motivation to take advantage of it.
Several friends who have engaged in discussions with me have urged me to speak up, believing that something can be done in the nick of time. We have a Messiah Complex as Nigerians. Recall Bishop Oyedepo, revisit the 'Ordained President'. Yet we do not trust God enough to provide for everybody's need, thus the dog-eat-dog conundrum. The plot against the Nigerian society is masterfully crafted and powered by greed. We do not have a chance to stop it. It shall run its course. What can be done is to deflect the impact, mitigate the effect on the hapless citizen and this is what I strive to achieve. It is very instructive that just six days ago I was cautioning (highly sentimental) Christians against posturings of inter-religious conflicts! Now with the fuel subsidy removal, we have all been dealt a common blow and Nigerians (for now at least) see themselves as they truly are - hapless pawns!
Yet, does it mean that the Boko Haram threat is over? No.
Did the Niger Delta militancy end?
Do we know the date UMY died?
Did Turai really deny the VP access to the C-in-C?
Did GEJ truly win a landslide victory?
Is BH truly affiliated with Al-Qaeda?
What does Al-Qaeda want with Nigeria?
Shouldn't Saudi Arabia be the prime target for the Islamic Republic?
What is the real landing cost of PMS?
How did we go from this Boko Haram?
To this Boko Haram?
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Here a couple more...
What do you see; a 'Big man' or an abused girl?
And (did they truly) sacrifice their reputations for the sake of our nation?
Until, we square up and answer these questions collectively, Nigerian shall be easy prey for exploitation, and she is ripe for the picking...
The succeeding paragraph was written 8 months ago, (and is) still valid and true till tomorrow! [The single thread that connects the UMY saga to the current outbreak of violence is not the involvement of the ethnic North, but our penchant for disregard of the law and due process. Demonstrated first in high office and manifested later in the streets.]
This penchant disregard of the law and due process has denied us a system for social justice. The absence of social justice has laid bare our social fabric. There are no safety nets; the President, fearful of domestic terrorists now cowers under a rock, tired of an oil cabal, has dumped the full burden on the People. The People, fearful for their little lives, call on God for protection. Greedy for their lot in life, readily trample on others for little gain. The petrol marketer has raised pump prices so that the bus conductor can charge more and the meat seller double while the shoe shiner increases his prices.
So we buy less fuel and 'lap' more, eat less meat and walk farther. When will the madness stop?
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