THE GATHERER

A group of irate men. Machete. Fire. Dead bodies. Supposed chieftaincy and land tussle in a tiny Cross River community , Southern—Nigeria.  If we've debunked false-dichotomy of Muslim-North and Christian-South, we’d agree that in all communities across Nigeria’s entire 910,770 sq. km landmass, corrupt practices are intolerable. And we punish them. This social desire to purge actions we find immoral, political-speak ‘corrupt,’ weighed heavy on my young mind. From mom’s, relatives’ and teachers’ firm whips when I deviate from expected path. To fear of the mob, after seeing a lady stripped naked at Ikeja for revealing too much flesh; again, shouts of ‘Barawo! Barawo!’ at Agege as crowd encircles a zombified burning man; then, a pleading driver being lynched at Apongbon for hitting a passerby.  I quickly learnt to behave myself when out and about in my birth state, Lagos. You’re one neurotic scream [ help he’s stolen my breast! ] away from ‘justice’ descending upon y...

Freedom from ‘ignorance, disease, superstition and want,’ was urgent mission of strivers for Nigeria’s Independence. Anthony Enahoro was shaken when as a boy he observed that, rather than witchcraft as all thought, hole dug in ground to collect rainwater was cause of frequent ailment and child deaths in his paternal village.     Today, many years later, it’s clear their mission failed. ‘Superstition,’ and its companions still permeates the Nigerian social psyche, even with foothold in Aso Rock, as detailed by Rueben Abati, Special Adviser to Nigeria’s ex-president, in: The Spiritual side of Aso Villa . Rueben buttresses with ‘testimony’ of fire incidence at his apartment. Shocking. As it’d seem, like his other ‘examples,’ he’s unaware of how commonplace fire, started by cooking or electrical appliance, is, in homes across Nigeria. With heavy usage of candles, diesel and kerosene, Nigeria ranks number 1 on WHO data for deaths caused by fire. Even England, with safer e...

Pointing finger of blame when looking into history is tempting. But, reading two or more accounts of same historical event, by different witnesses, it becomes clear that there are no absolute-truths in history: just points of view. And requires discipline on our part to piece together for better understanding of the past, to build upon the successes, learn from the mistakes, and where possible and desirable make repairs. From accounts of Ahmadu Bello (My Life), Nnamdi Azikiwe (My Odyssey) and Obafemi Awolowo (Awo), we know the slogan ‘Self-Government for Nigeria NOW’ was demand of the ‘politically conscious’ indigenes. Demand continuously watered since 1923-elections in Lagos and Calabar Provinces, when only Nigerian men who earned £100 annually were allowed to vote. People who constitute Nigeria were never consulted if they so desired to be a ‘nation,’ let alone, be independent. Action Group (AG) would go further, at its Owo Conference of April 1951, declaring ‘SGN in 195...