Let’s Collapse the Greed, not the Grid, to be Great, by Abdulkadir Salaudeen

It is now aclichéto say Nigerians are going through the most difficult time of their lives. I am yet to see any sane Nigerian (rich or poor, in power or out of power) who holds contrary opinion to the frightening reality of this existential hardship. Even President Tinubu’s fanatical Awa lọkàn could not agree less. They strongly believe T-Pain exists. T-Pain does not only exist, it is dehumanizing—reducing Nigerians, in some extreme cases, below the level of domestic animals.

We are, for the first time with government paid cheerleaders, on the same page. They concede that the existence of “Pain” is not in controversy—it is incontrovertible. What they have controverted is the “T” in the T-Pain. While the “T”—to the overwhelming majority of Nigerians—means what they truly believe it means, it means “Temporary Pain” to government sycophants who feed on people’s pain. They want Nigerians to believe that they are not GOING through hard time but rather PASSING through it. The latter suggests Nigerians are only transitioning through a difficult time to the promised land. If that is the case, they should endure. In order words, we shall soon overcome the pain under Tinubu but only need to exercise patience. Whether the “T” means “temporary” or something else, the reality of the “Pain” it prefixes is not deniable.

Everything is virtually collapsing—many things have already collapsed—under the watchful eyes of Nigerian rulers. It is not only the national grid that is collapsing or has collapsed (I don’t know the correct tense to use anymore), the humanity in man seems to have also collapsed in some of those we chose to lead us. This is not to say the led are saint. But when the head is rotten, the whole body stinks. In that situation, to try to deodorize the stinking body—without addressing the head that has rotten—is a waste of time.

The North has already slipped into the dark age. Read about the dark age. Or to safe you the stress, read about Hobbesian state of nature. If Hobbes’ depiction of the state of nature sounds fictional, Northern Nigeria today is the real show and the real account of the state of nature where man is obviously against man and where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. In many parts of the North, as I write, survival is only certain for the fittest. The fittest, in this context, is the most horrible. Like the grid collapse, authority has also collapsed in the North.

If care is not taken, the South, with Tinubu’s presidency, might be catching up with the North. Although President Tinubu has been accused of nepotism, his nepotism is not in anyway favorable to the South—not even to the Yoruba. His nepotism, though real, is difficult to define (at least, for me). For, it does not in anyway make the Yoruba smile while other ethnic groups wail in pain. Before he became Nigerian President, I can still recall, Tinubu called himself the father of democrats. Then, I disagreed. But now, I agree. No one has perfectly democratized hardship and pain in Nigeria like President Tinubu. Southerners are wailing like northerners. The Muslims are biting their fingers in regret; the Christians are moaning in the regime induced T-Pain.

If former President Buhari could spare some time to watch his plasma TV in Daura for the update on calamities, pains, and general insecurity in the land, he would definitely give kudos to Tinubu and doff his hat. The colorblind democratization of hunger, hardship, pain, and wail which Buhari could not achieve in eight years, despite desperate attempts, the Jagaba of Borgu achieved it in less than two years.

The South, like the North, has also been thrown into darkness with what we now call “regular national grid collapse”. But unlike the North, the South has not fully transited into the dark age. I pray it will never be hit with the calamities that will qualify it for full admission into the dark age. The earlier Nuhu Ribadu/Remi Tinubu lead the scheduled national prayer session, the better, I think, for Nigeria.

I read that “the Muslim prayer session will last for seven days at the National Mosque, with 313 individuals reciting the Qur’an. The recitations are expected to total 2,191 by the end of the week, symbolising the collective effort to pray for national stability.” I don’t know what informed Nuhu Ribadu’s (or whoever he gave the assignment)choice of reciting the Qur’an 2, 191 times. If unsolicited suggestion will not be frowned at, I willsuggest419 times. The prayer should target corruption and its enablers. Reciting the Qur’an 419 times would be a perfect match.

To democratize the prayer session, Christians from various denominations are to gather at the National Ecumenical Centre for an intense prayer that will also last a week. While I don’t know when Nuhu Ribadu became a sheikh, I know, for sure, that Remi Tinubu is a pastor. It won’t be surprising if she physically leads the “prayer warriors.” After all, it is her husband’s government.

I have no information on the prayer meeting point of the Eepa Ripagroup—the traditional worshippers. It will be democratic if Nigerian witches and wizards are given a portion of the millions or billions of naira that will be earmarked for the national prayer. At least, they can help to make sacrifice to the devils—or Satan himself—to stop aiding and abetting Nigerian rulers in their inhumane treatment [of]and wickedness against common Nigerians.

A reminder to our noble Sheikh Nuhu Ribadu that will be leading the Muslim wing. Please, take note, when you and other reciters read the Qur’an, read it carefully. You will come across a verse that partly reads: “Allah does not change a people’s lot unless they change what is in their hearts.” This verse is found in Chapter 13 verse 11. You will be reading the verse 2,191 times or 419 times if my suggestion makes sense.

What does this mean? It means the prayer will be an exercise in futility unless we collapse that greed in our hearts. I agree that those not in power are also greedy. But the greediness of those we elected to govern us but insist on ruling over us dictatorially is what collapsed our national grid and the economy. That greediness has collapsed our schools, our hospitals, our roads, our businesses,  our morals, our essence, and our farms. Our farmers now sleep with their crops in the bush, not with their wives, despite harmattan. They have to protect their crops during this period of harvest (defying harmattan)against thieves and thus abandoned their wives and little kids to the protection of God. What kind of existence is this? Animal kingdom or Tinubu regime?

What is still standing sturdily in Nigeria is greed. Dear Sheikh Nuhu Ribadu and Pastor Remi Tinubu, your prayers should focus on the rotten heads; the stinking body can be self-refreshing. Concentrate your prayers on collapsing the greed; the national grid will automatically come back to life. You are prayer warriors(no doubt) to have been tasked with this divine national assignment.

O our national and respected prayer warriors! You must win this battle as you set out to invoke the Divine Wrath on the enemies of our fatherland (Nigeria). May God have mercy on the innocent and destroy the wicked.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com