Poser. Noun. 1. A baffling question or problem.
On Wednesday, 19th November, 2014, a young man and his fiancée were on their way to their wedding ceremonies scheduled to hold the following weekend when they and another girlfriend travelling with them were attacked by hooded armed robbers along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, somewhere between Ogere and Ajebo. It was just after one o’clock in the afternoon, and the robbers had taken over both sides of the expressway. After managing to stop the car in which the three young people were travelling, they stripped them of all their possessions – phones, laptops, travelling bags, handbags, as well as the man’s wedding suit and shoes. They ordered the two ladies to lie flat on the expressway, dragged the groom-to-be into the nearby bush and put a gun to his head, ready to shoot. Having noticed their “northern” accent, the young man began to speak to them in Hausa, pleading with them not to kill him. Finally, the leader of the gang decided he should be allowed to go; however, the gun-toting one was not willing to let him off without inflicting some injury on him. Using the butt of the gun, he began to hit, aiming for the young man’s head and face, but he, in turn, used his hands to protect himself from the knocks, and came away from the encounter with swollen hands and a good size bump on his head.
The young man, who had grown up in the northern part of Nigeria, was very sure who their assailants were – Fulani herdsmen. After I heard the story I quickly phoned an acquaintance who I was sure could easily contact the highest authorities in the south-western part of the country, asking him to emphasise to them the need to act speedily to deal with the terrible danger to which the lives of commuters along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway were being exposed. I was later informed that these “herdsmen” had actually set up camp along the expressway, from where they presumably launched their attacks. One can only hope that someone out there is listening and will take action.
Since that incident was recounted to me I have found myself singing some lines from the musical, “Jaja of Opobo”, written by the late Sam Akpabot, a gifted musician. I was part of the cast that performed that historical musical play in 1973 while I was an undergraduate at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and also toured several other towns with it. The portion which has been ringing in my head says: “Who will bell the big cat, who will be our head chief? … Who will lead this great house into fame and victory? Who will lead Anna Pepple house? … Jaja is our best man!” Just a few days ago someone said the following in my hearing: “Nigeria is just one good leader away from greatness.” Unfortunately, the situation in the country at this time is not like that in the musical, where the person who was asking the questions already had a good idea about who the individual was who qualified to lead them towards the fulfilment of their aspirations. I have been feeling like screaming over and over again: Who is going to take care of us? Who will deliver this nation from its many tribulations and usher us into a period of peace, security and progress?
Those who are currently in charge of our affairs are busy congratulating themselves, convinced that they are “doing it”, just like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and others “did it”. They are either so totally alienated from us that they neither see nor feel what we are constantly subjected to, or they are simply deluded and have chosen to believe a lie in spite of the many pieces of evidence staring them in the face. What is it, for example, that has made armed robbers become so daring, so brazen in their operations? It used to be that robbers operated only under the cover of darkness; now, they are bold to come out in broad daylight. What does that suggest about their opinion or, indeed, knowledge of our security operatives? Would they be so daring if they thought they ran the risk of being quickly confronted by a police force that was responsive, well equipped and competent?
The corruption at the top is devastating in terms of its effects on our lives. Self-seeking leaders who studiously adopt a lifestyle of pomp, pageantry and luxury, hermetically shutting their eyes against the poverty and insecurity in which their lifestyle condemns the rest of their people to live can definitely not expect to inspire feelings of patriotism or behaviour that demonstrates good citizenship. Policemen have been reported over and over as telling those who go to them for protection that they are just ordinary citizens too, like the rest of us. And indeed, why should they choose to risk their lives for anybody? What special treatment are they given to convince them that their work is valued? Are they even paid their salaries on time? If our leaders are primarily looking after their own interests, why would a policeman defend others at the risk of his own life? Indeed, that some of them still do is a great tribute to them. But the poser remains: Who will lead us out of this jungle?
