The gods are angry again

I featured in a local movie where I played the role of a Chief Priest. In that kingdom, the king was imperious, callous and had no regard for the custom and tradition of the land.

The land, on several occasions, was inflicted with calamities as a result of the insensitivity of the king and the people would run to me for succour from the gods. On those occasions, the gods were silent and the people continued groaning under the weight of the calamities.

As long as the gods had not spoken through me, the king was on top of the world. Then, one day, the gods spoke angrily. The king had bitten more than he could chew. He had abused the long time the gods gave him to retrace his steps.

Therefore, he must be dethroned for peace to reign in the land. That was the tragic end of the king.

This story introduces us to the whys and wherefores of this work. The gods approve and disapprove kings. Their bidding must not be questioned but accepted. Our former President Olusegun Obasanjo is the personification of the gods. He was instrumental to the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the President of Nigeria. He stood by him until he served out his boss’ tenure.

When Dr. Jonathan wanted to contest the presidential election for his first tenure, there were some obstacles but Chief Obasanjo gave him unflinching support. He contested and won and in the course of his first tenure, he goofed. Large-scale corruption reigned in his administration. Other vexatious issues also flared up.

The majority of the people were dissatisfied with the way the government officials and those connected to them flaunted their ill-gotten money while the hapless citizens wallowed in abject penury. The remonstrations of the suffering masses fell on deaf ears. Chief Obasanjo might have appealed to Jonathan to be sensitive but to no avail. He was surrounded by sycophants.

When Jonathan thought he could do without the gods who cleared the way for him, they broke their silence. As he threw caution to the wind and began to strategize for a second tenure in 2015, Obasanjo wrote him a public letter where he exposed some of the evils of his administration. He also warned him to desist from nursing the ambition to succeed himself in 2015 because the gods had rejected him.

Jonathan, a mere mortal toyed with the verdict of the gods and basked in the assurances of his sycophants. He contested the election and the aftermath of it was a resounding defeat from the opposition party. It was the first defeat suffered by a sitting President in the annals of Nigerian history. Another remarkable thing Obasanjo did to prove that the gods had rejected Jonathan and his party was the tearing of his membership card.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari found favour with the gods as a replacement for Jonathan. In spite of remonstrations from many people about his antics as military Head of State from 1983 to 1985, the gods stood by him. He eventually emerged the President of Nigeria. There was a sigh of relief in many parts of the country because we were desperate for a messiah who could take us out of the woods.

President Buhari started on a good note. I can vividly recollect one thing that occurred few weeks after his inauguration. There was unprecedented supply of light. We enjoyed light for almost 20 hours a day and this lasted for some days. His corruption and terrorism war was serious at the inception of his administration.

Now, things have fallen apart. Our heartaches are multiplying on daily basis. Hunger, unemployment, corruption, kidnapping, highhandedness, herdsmen’ rampage and other social ills are the order of the day. We are yet to experience the fulfillment of any of his redemptive promises in 2015. Now, he is desperate for a second missionary journey in 2019 when the first one is about to go up in smoke.

The gods, through Obasanjo, have broken their silence. A strong letter of discontent and warning has gone out to President Buhari to channel the remaining days of his administration into amending the country, not scheming for second tenure.

Buhari should, therefore, heed the voice of the gods otherwise he may end up like his immediate predecessor. The country is really in a bad shape. The hallmark of a good leader is not how long he is in office for or how much wealth he amasses but the magnitude of smiles he is able to put on the faces of his people.

• Ijeoma, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Sapele, Delta State.