Lessons from Natufe’s redemption

In the past three weeks I generously yielded this column to the direct voice of Professor Omajuwa Igho Natufe – as I yielded it in the distant and not too distant past to several thinkers and scholars of our clime and time. The scholars and thinkers rightly can be described as some of the cultural, literary, scholastic, academic, journalistic flowers and heroes as Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, Jacques Derrida, Michel Focault and the other great minds, dead or living, outside our country and continent would describe them.

Professors Olu Obafemi, Ademola Da Sylva, Ibrahim Bello-Kano, Godwin Sogolo, Omajuwa Igho Natufe (and other un-named ones) belong to the category of our refined minds that ever flower with ideas that are ideas.

In doing what I did with each one of the splendid men of splendidly splendid thought, the column was simply trying in its own peculiar way to follow the tradition of the famous The Paris Review founded in 1953.

This is a subject for another time. The last named scholar of political thought, whose insights into the obscene danger of the inhuman characteristics of our political leaders who in fact are in opposition to the rationalistic order of our society and polity officially terminated last week – although we inadvertently announced that there would be a continuation of the subject.

Let me be modestly clear: Professor Natufe’s direct voice terminated last Friday in a manner that was lucidly satisfactory to me. I say so as his primary listener and reader, and fellow conversationalist in word and exchange of rhetoric.

What I want to do now is an attempt to draw some lessons for us all but especially for those in government and politics, and for our reactionary labour folks who – often pretend that they are champions and heroes of our workers, masses, and compatriots.

Professor Omajuwa Igho Natufe’s “Path to redemption in Okpe Nation” is a text of political and philosophical redemption beyond the Okpe nation in its thrusts. It is a text the author intended from the prism of my understanding to stimulate thought in others beyond his Okpe nation’s confine to our broad national outlook and colour that must rebelliously re-robe itself or be made to re-robe itself in rebellion against the stultifying political interest of the ruling few who at best and at worst are forever groping at the tragic desire of their greed.

Even though they selfishly and greedily have so much, they hungrily crave for more to their detriment and to the detriment of us all. Their understanding of wealth and progress is of no benefit to their personal or clique or ethnic interest given the rivalry and competition among the hungry wishes, wills and longings inhabiting the nation. Natufe’s lucidity in his composition is a deceptive one which lies in the unconscious psychoanalytical politics of those at the helm of affairs.

When President Tinubu, now going into Nigerian history and the politics of politics of Nigeria as its foremost breaker of electoral promises, announced the removal of fuel subsidy in his first presidential speech, was he conscious of the identity, the true identity, of the economic and political problems he was unleashing on the polity without preparing for them even unconsciously? And the labour folks who should have reacted immediately and rebelliously in opposition to the birth of the new national tragedy that the president had unconsciously (or consciously) created, were they alive to move movingly against the president?

And up to now, are these tough mouthers of slogans fully conscious and powerfully alive, truly speaking, to use their power in fierce opposition to the president on behalf of the people? We cannot but answer this and other related questions by saying that the labour folks’ idea of economic or social battle and war to lead the people to the path of redemption in every corner of the nation is a myth that will keep on birthing myths. All the topical issues and problems of the day and those that precede today will keep on reverberating between the extremes of our unconscious and conscious spirits of progress that is progress-less progress.

Regionalism, restructuring, justice, fairness, equity, empathy, war against buying of votes and against financial and moral corruption, un-ethical ethics of all kinds, freedom, liberty, security, love, decency, happiness, wealth distribution, selflessness, ethnic minority rights and survival, good health for all, education of our children and youths and all good things that human life needs for redemption will remain as mere myths in our current state of things in our polity where the quality of existence has negatively, radically and tragically declined.

Everything has been perverted in Nigeria. Even tragedy itself has been perverted in Nigeria of the present time. Indeed, even perversion itself has been humiliatingly perverted.

Natufe’s communicative rhetoric of truth – or better of redemptive truth – that is meaningless in our current circumstances induces these lessons and more in my sub-conscious and overt consciousness – as Olu Obafemi’s or Ademola Da Sylva’s or Ibrahim Bello-Kano’s or Godwin Sogolo’s or Owojecho Omoha’s – all scholars and thinkers of distinctive value and virtue. Their respective imaginations possess the ethics of ethics.

Now let me make a pertinent derailment. Martins Oloja, a distinguished personage of The Guardian and a high profile columnist of the paper of the weekend edition had two interestingly patriotic essays on Weekend September 7-8, 2024 and Weekend September 14-15, 2024 respectively. The first was entitled “Five Tactical Errors Tinubu Must Clear” while the second one was entitled “Tinubu and the Writing on the Wall.” Let me pointedly refer to the first essay. “Weak(ened) presidential bureaucracy,” ‘The NNPCL conundrum, ‘Electricity Distribution Company’s ‘Toxic Band ‘A’’, ‘A cabinet of many mediocrities’, Absence of robust civil service.’

These are the “five tactical and strategic errors,” according to my reading (or misreading) of Martins Oloja, that are currently crippling Nigeria, and which “can consume (Tinubu’s) presidency.” Martins Oloja is on point and he reminds me intriguingly, in different guises, of Omajuwa Igho Natufe’s concerns. So long as President Tinubu turns his eyes against Martins Oloja’s admonition, Nigeria will not be on the path of redemption.

As things presently are, Tinubu’s presidential bicycle has no derailleur. And this is why President Tinubu will pay no heed to Martins Oloja’s “The writing on the wall,” and “beware of the ‘Ides of October.’” I endorse Martins Oloja’s concerns and fears. At the end of the day we truly will see if the government we have at all levels of governance in Nigeria is rightly the government our people deserve, to allude to Natufe again.

As I am trying to put this essay to rest, I can foresee medievalists and fascists in the presidency and elsewhere labelling Natufe, Martins Oloja and myself, and other gifted, great and fabulous columnists and thinkers in the land as pernicious thinkers whose rhetoric, writings and thoughts in general are not beneficial to our people. But the polity will not yield to those who are degrading it. There must be an end to the degradation and degeneration of Nigeria and the people.
Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.