Madam Nigeria and her own ‘issue of blood’

SIR: Nigeria’s problems have remained intractable and it is puzzling. Just when one is by the door, another is on the window. It is either fuel or water scarcity, and people are running around cities with jerry cans and buckets like men born before civilisation began. At another time it is power shortage and the light goes off leaving even supposed mega cities in darkness, then noise of cheap, over worn generators take over in spite of dangerous emission of killer carbon.

Where life is cheap many could die unnoticed.
Once in the past a Minister of Power, a Professor of Metallurgical Engineering, who has been a Vice Chancellor of two different Federal Universities and a senior clergyman in the Anglican Church, said the Power sector problems were caused by demons. Strange as it may sound especially coming from that level, it becomes worthy of consideration at least since everybody seems interested in a solution to the problems.

And who are demons even? Demons in a context are fallen angels. They are foul, unclean and evil spirits. They are subject to exorcisms. They could be dominated and stripped of authority to act and to perform or to control affairs.

Some have blamed saboteurs and maybe they were the ones that Minister referred to as demons, at least some humans do have all the characters of demons except none. The fact that they are not invincible is clear. The fact they are known is clear but the reason why they have been untouched is not clear.

More like the biblical woman with an “issue of blood”, it did stick with her for a long while and she saw many doctors who could not fathom the situation and how help could be rendered. But she did get healed in the end though not without making an effort and taking a high risk. And for “Madam Nigeria” and her own “issue of blood” her time to get healed ought to be now!
• Chibuzo Udolisa,
Lagos.