With the economic recession, there is no doubt that the rate of felony has been on the increase and the desperation to make ends meet has made some persons venture into dangerous schemes. No wonder the victims of the get rich quick adventure are being attracted to stake their luck on the numerous ways to over come poverty.
However, some have decided to go further, by threading the path of Satan who promises them juicy returns for doing his bidding. Some over ambitious young men and women have gone to the extent of eating the waste (shit) of people to make money in these hard times and people are now being advised to desist from excreting in public places because it can be used for rituals.
There was a story of how a woman was told by a prophet not to accept bread as a gift from anybody and for over five months she faithfully did not eat any bread given to her as a gift from anybody, but she would rather buy the bread she wants to eat with her money. But after five months, one of her son sent her a gift which included a loaf of bread that he bought for his mother. As she sat down to eat the bread, each time she deeps the bread in the cup of tea, it fell off from her hand and this happened three times before she recalled the prophesy given to her years ago.
She then requested that they buy her bread which she ate successfully and she kept the other bread in the cupboard. It was later in the day that the son came to the house, sobbing, “Mama why did you not eat the bread,” and it was discovered that the cupboard where she had kept the bread was full with blood. It was later learnt that the son had gone to involve himself in rituals to make money with the mother but it however backfired.
These and many more are true life stories caused by the desperation to make money by all means. The hunger in the land has made some people to damn the consequences of their actions. We recall the temptation of Jesus Christ by Satan after fasting for forty days, expecting that because of hunger, Jesus will turn stone to bread and when Jesus replied that man shall not live by bread alone, and refusing to succumb to the entreaties for Him to bow to the Devil, Satan left Jesus for a while.
If we dwell on the reason why there is so much hunger and desperation in the land we will not be wrong if we concur with the Holy Scriptures that the heart of man is desperately wicked, who can know it. If you want to know where wickedness resides visit a politician whose stock in trade are lies to get to power by any means including terminating the life of anyone on their way. While they are canvassing for patronage from the people who should be the leader, but unfortunately in Nigeria it is the other way round, they appeal with different kind of enticing gifts and make promises. At this stage, they become like jelly fish, obedient, simple, submissive and ready to do your bid. They surprisingly come down so low to your level of reasoning and if possible they practically make you see that without you they cannot exist. They are so gifted with sweet tongue and fake humility to the extent that you begin to reckon with them and believe their every word that comes out from their mouth. But when they get what they want, you hardly see them as usual, they soon build fences around themselves as their hangers on prevent you from seeing them.
Some Nigerian politicians are gifted liars, just like some so called men of God. They go to any length to convince their audience with promises which end up on their lips. They are everywhere and today you cannot tell who among them is worthy of being the true servant of the people which they have sworn to be on oath.
But when it is time for election the gullible masses stake out their necks, ready to die for the politician and some actually die in the process only to be forgotten as the days goes by. The electorates come out in their numbers irrespective of the scorching sun or heavy down pour to cast their votes for their preferred candidate. Sometimes, they brave the odds and take unnecessary risks to come out on Election Day when the thugs of the different political parties flex muscles as a show of superiority and opportunity to use the latest weapons of destruction in their possessions.
It is when they are eventually elected into the office or given appointments that the eyes of the electorates become open to the fact that they have only been used and dumped, however, with the solace that there is always a next time. But the irony still remains that these same politicians who have held political offices to enrich themselves and their kith and kin still come back asking for their votes.
It is however sad to note that some of these politicians have arrogated to themselves the birth right of certain political offices and they are ready to die if they are told to relinquish such positions for another person. There are those who specialize in causing confusion, name dropping and dragging the revered traditional institution in to politics just to get their way. From the score card of some of our politicians it is obvious that they are more concerned about their selfish interest and they do not keep to their promises made, thereby making the people to regret coming out to cast their votes for them.
The people have discovered that the preoccupation of some of these politicians is to enrich themselves to the detriment of the masses that elected them. The profligacy of our political office holders is beyond comprehension and the money meant for the development of our towns and communities, provision of infrastructures, employment opportunities have been diverted into their pockets.
It is however gratifying to note that with the implementation of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration blueprint to industrialize and create jobs for the people in the last few months in Edo State, there is a deliberate template to reverse the trend and all that is required is some patience from the people. It is only time that will justify the true intent of any man.
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Eubaldus Enahoro is Assistant Editor with the Nigerian Observer.
