Almost every week, the public is inundated with yet another shocking social media report of ritual killing perpetrated by individuals known to the victim. The recent case in Ogun State involving teenage boys who hacked off the head of the girlfriend of one them, after he had strangled her, trended on social media. They were caught by vigilantes where they were attempting to burn the head. While the number of clicks by Nigerians, who visited the Youtube channel to watch the video of their arrest, was yet to fall, another incident was reported, in the northern part of the country.
In the instant case, two young boys, aged six and seven, did the unimaginable. They took another little boy of about three years into a nearby bush and tied him to a tree, like you would tether a goat. Only God knows what their intention was. The question begging for answer is: how did the very young minors conceive such terrible idea? These were children you ordinarily not expect to think up and execute such act. Yes, children play pranks, but the incident in question was way beyond the ordinary things children do. Could it be that they watched a similar thing on television played by adults or even seen a near kin who was supposedly insane tied to a pole and therefore tried out the same with the little child. Was it a joke or act of mischief? The victim looked in awe, and clearly did not understand the import of what happened. He could have died there just like that! What a world we live in these days. The toddler could have been crushed by a higher animal, bitten by a snake or some other terrible thing could have happened to her.
Remarkably, we must agree that the societal values are rapidly being eroded. Today, the inordinate quest for money, by both the young and old, is driving them things that were very unthinkable about 30 years ago. Today, people commit heinous and gory crimes, to make money, brandish wealth and be given recognition. The belief among such Satan-driven individuals is that everything now is possible in life. Kidnapping for ransom, stealing refined petroleum products from underground pipelines, committing identity theft to steal funds from bank customers’ accounts, pen robbery by officials of government and even in the private sector, corruption of time-honoured academic processes in tertiary institutions, whereby lecturers now commonly expect students to pay hard cash in large sums for good grades, virile young men turn themselves into sugar boys for rich married women, all these things have one common thread that uns through them: the quest and hunger for money and wealth. Everyone wants to be identified with wealth and luxury, no matter how one makes it. This is the simple reason ritual killers are on the prowl.
This was not how we were in the good old days. I still recall what Otunba Femi Deru, the 51st ICAN president told me in an interview. He said that as the Financial Controller of BEREC Industries back then, the company gave him an official car which he drove home to show his aged father in the village. Pa Deru insisted on knowing how he got a chauffeur-driven brand-new ‘Peugeot 504 SR’.
“My father had to send my maternal uncle to verify that I had not stolen company property in Lagos,” Otunba Deru said. That was in an age that seems to have passed now.
Nowadays we see ever increasing manifestation of the biblical passage that the love of money is the root of all evils. Still, there are several accomplished men and women who made it through natural intelligence and hard work. You have the likes of the Anambra State Governor-Elect Prof. Charles Soludo; celebrate author Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie; UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu, to name a few. Unfortunately, they do not reflect the exact picture of what the present generation wants. Quality education which is considered the best legacy in the world is almost nose-diving. There was a time bookshops were on several urban streets. Today you would hardly find bookshops on the high street these days, but you see betting kiosks everywhere.
Interestingly, one then asks, how would one not blame the society who celebrates success without knowing the source and its track record. I had two unmarried young female-cousins who all resides in the cities. Angela was bitten down by polio myelitis at a young age and that gave her physical deformity as she walks with the aid of her clutches. Benedicta plays smart in almost all her dealings right from school. During the last yuletide we all gathered for the celebration, while Angela was congratulated for achieving a feat in her condition because she completed and was award philosophy of Doctors (PhD) in Psychology from the University of Nigeria Nsukka. She was also offered to be a Lecturer 2, in the same Department. Benedicta in her abracadabra nature drove in with a newly acquired Toyota Honda Pilot (SUV-2005 model) with exactly no genuine track record. Guess what? Attention and celebration shifted immediately to the glittering car and its arrival. One could see both old and young running to tap anointing from the car and none tapped anointing from the PhD lady. The whole village began to celebrate Benedicta instead of Angela. What an irony of life. It was obvious that the society now has respect for only the rich, wealthy and societal enthusiast without a decent track record. It is also a show which proves that the society obviously does not encourage hard-work and productivity, instead tells that life is all about money.
Unfortunately, the same society promotes and salutes titles and positions holders who has made the so-called money. Here, both the religious bodies and traditional societies are guilty of title holding saga. I have not seen a poor man who holds any title or being recognized both in the church and in the community, such provisions are carefully reserved for the high and mighty. To think that hard-work, intelligence, truthful and honest disposition is gradually eluding the space to welcome the money bags and cash cow in the society gives goose pimple. When fraudsters, imbeciles, illiterates rule the world, embezzled and defrauded institutions are given heroic welcome and honor in their communities; what then can someone say?
Who would have believed that the super celebrated cop DCP Abba Kyari would be arrested and cooling his feet in the same room where he once kept alleged criminals? Abba Kyari won several awards of excellence, was honored in the hall of fame, wined and dined with the movers and shakers of the society, but finally collapsed like a pack of cards. According to Reuben Abati, he wrote “At a point in Kyari’s career, he was seen by many Nigerians as the Nigerian version of the American super cop, Elliot Ness, an incorruptible crime buster on a mission to weed out criminal elements from the society.” No one had an inkling that the super cop could be fingered to hobnob with fraudsters, not to talk of having a deal that warranted NDLEA to expose him. If anyone had ever raised a question to ascertain the flamboyant lifestyle of the police officer, such a fellow would have been given Names likes jealousy, bad belle, envious etc.
Now, some religious teachers would lead people into praying for miraculous money instead of starting a small-scale business, nurture and watch it grow to an enviable position. When people misunderstand the uses and gratifications of prayers, when people abandon the work force and be in prayer houses, when they spend times at vigil and allow the job suffer the next day, the production will definitely be low and they look for a quick way to make money. The likes of Dr. Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis, Innoson Motors, Ibeto Groups etc did not become billionaires overnight. They did not pray for miraculous money, rather started small, showed hard work and God blessed the works of their hands into privileged heights.
This focus of making money is gradually drifting into the imagination of the much younger generation of secondary school students. Both boys and girls, most of them want to make money at all cost. While some think of criminality and dubious ways to make their own money, some are also in the rightful thinking; but the analysis I am drawing here is the quest to make money not to study hard and be the best. If our youth make money without the workforce, how will the economy of that society grow; what about the human resources, production, processes and procedures?
Dear Nigerians, please stop wasting the chase for money as if there will be no tomorrow, Life is not all about Money, don’t be deceived by any motivational speaker. Let us all change our attitude and drop the so much hunt and value placed on money. Those whose duty is to continually show off and tempt others on social media with borrowed outfits, accessories to harass others, thread with caution. The society is fast drifting into what might affect all in years to come. Those who do not repeat clothes at all, know it that vanity upon vanity, all is vanity.