(… continued two Mondays ago)

All the noisy blamemongering that has gripped the minority south, in the aftermath of the PDP presidential primaries, is as useless as it is silly. It is medicine after death. It is like going to the market after it had long closed. The Nigerian minority -like others the world over- ought to be smart enough to know they need shrewd dexterity to make up for their numerical deficit.

I mean, we shouldn’t add stupidity, naivete and such other minority-sensitive behavioural defects to our unenviable position. The minority, knowing that we start in a behind-place in every race with the majority, ought to not take anything for granted. We should learn to stand together. We should learn to stop playing catch-up, every time.

Worse, the minority also betray ourselves in every other sphere. Take culture. Even in our homes or in our own land, we prefer others’ languages, cuisines and dressing. We send political ambassadors in the name of lawmakers to Abuja, they not only get missing in the cosmopolitan crowd, they also publicly choose too frequently to adorn the attires of the majority.

When they manage to address the country on that national stage and there’s need to nigerianise an example, they deploy the lexicon of the majority rather than use the moment to teach them at least one minority word or phrase or expression. Just what’s wrong with the minority? Our youngsters suffer the same inferiority disease. In minority homes and even between two minority siblings or friends, it had since become classier, trendier, more acceptable for those who know to use a majority dialect rather than ours.

As a minority person, these scenarios should hit you like the anathema they are. In a self-crazy world such as ours, it is a curse and more to put yourself consciously or unconsciously in a position of disadvantage. If you don’t wear, eat, speak, love and promote what everyone knows is yours, who would? Unfortunately, this one failure brings untold -direct and indirect- impact on both the minority and the majority, as it minuses from the former while simultaneously adding to the latter.

On the other hand, except when they seek personal or corporate favours from us, the majority never wear minority clothing let alone speak our dialect or taste our food. Wearing or looking minority, eating or sounding minority or any other form of what I call minoritisation is too below the majority. Well, except during the electioneering window. Alas, sadly, to the eternal shame and chagrin of the minority, we always get carried away by this politicultural deceit!

As if that’s not bad enough, the minority further worsen our case in many other ways. Imagine the unholy disunity or the puerile cold competition effortlessly keeping Nigerian South-southerners, Southeasterners and Southwesterners from bonding, agreeing, achieving, deploying and enjoying the force inherent in oneness. The majority never have this problem. Any component angling to leave the union is bluffing, as they know it is lonelier and riskier out here.

Don’t be distracted, though. This is about us. This is not about them. This piece wants to see the minority shun everything that keeps us perpetually down: grumbling and helpless.

Let the minority begin by treating own minority better. Let’s give the smallest and the voiceless among us what they deserve and more. Yes, we cannot treat equals and unequals equally, but we should not in the process make them lesser beings. Let’s give them good roads, schools, homes, water, security and all the things which make life meaningful.

That’s how you appear before equity: with clean hands. That’s one. Two, the minority should stop depriving ourselves of life, freedom, rights, privileges and luxury. It’s counterproductive if not inimical for Southeasterners to kill, impoverish or lockdown their people in the name of wanting out of Nigeria.

I mean, who does that? You want sweets for your people but you serve them yoyo bitters meanwhile. What if the bitters kill them before the sweet times? Truth to tell, Southeasterners must wake up today and exterminate the enemies posing as freedom fighters.

Since fighting for liberation is a capital-intensive enterprise, I find it puzzling that rather than create more avenues for the already oppressed people to make money and better their lives, these pseudo defenders have been busy multiplying the mindless hardship their people have endured in decades. Something s wrong somewhere. Let those purportedly fighting for the rights of the minority take the fight to the majority instead of fooling around the minority and leaving them worse off. Finally, and this is the one point I have been labouring to make since, the Nigerian minority must -while sleeping or while in love with the majority- remember to always keep at least one eye opened.

God bless Nigeria!

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(… concluded)

 

Would money make you less malleable? (2)

(… continued from two Mondays ago)

But, seriously, we all need to come clean the way an alarming majority have become slave to money. They kill, they betray, they destroy, they steal, they do and say the unthinkable just to make money. Many are too saintly or too fainthearted to follow suit; yet they worship these nouveau riche.

They are accorded positions of leadership, for nothing. More like, they buy authority and become government. They pay us (the electorate) peanuts and we in turn applaud and smile sheepishly like the losers we are; while they stroll into one high office or the another to sit over our commonwealth.

Having paid us off, these merchants of power suddenly forget or forgo their role; focusing instead on recouping their investment and empowering only their family and cronies. Four years after, they return and pay, we collect and the beat goes on -and on and on. How long more can these haters of Nigeria continue to have a field day, Dear Lord?

Father, please teach Nigerians love and sense and dignity and courage and patriotism.

Let us understand that money is not everything. Put it in our subconscious to never value money more than it is or deserves.

(… concluded)

That intercontinental traditional marriage ceremony

Penultimate Saturday, all roads led to Akwa Ibom state as  my dear wife, Nneka, and I gave out our daughter, Winnie, in marriage to Mr Tyler Michael MacIntyre of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America. The shindig held in Uyo while the wedding is billed for 13th August in Pittsburgh.

We congratulate the couple on the bold step and pray for God to grant them love, peace, patience, understanding and fruitfulness all the way. We request that you kindly include them in your prayers.

Our family is grateful to everyone who played a role or two, plus including more especially those who attended the three-hour ceremony. Above all, we glorify God for the total success of the event.