BY REV FR GERALD NWAFOR
The word mockery can be replaced with caricature. The government of Nigeria has made a caricature of its citizens. Look at the amount of money the people in power are spending on themselves; you will shudder. A former governor came on the national television and said he had 23 vehicles when he finished his tenure as the governor and his successor came and took it from him. I was ashamed of myself while listening to the Ex-Governor. What is one man doing with 23 cars? Bikonu? Is this not a caricature of the people of his state? He said that he went to court and won the case against the incumbent governor, who took the vehicles back from him. He concluded by saying that the incumbent did not obey the court order to give them back to him. The incumbent was a man who invited thugs to block the road to prevent a presidential candidate from entering his state to go and see victims of a terrorist attack. Both the former governor and the incumbent are the two knives in a poor man’s house: The sharp one has no handle; the one with a handle is blunt (Mma na abo di be onye ubiam, nke di nko enwero isi, nke nwelu isi adiro nko). Anyways, the mockery has been escalated when the governor came to the national television and said that the presidential candidate did not inform him that he was coming to his state, and within 20 minutes of his statement, the police chief in the state put out a statement that they were officially notified and a document was produced to that effect. Oh, my word, what a shame. This incumbent governor, by all standards is supposed to be a man of noble profession. Now I recall why the Latin people pointed out earlier in their wisdom literature that “Habit does not make a monk” (Cucullus non facit monachum). The governor is supposed to be a Catholic priest, or it is right to say that he is a Catholic priest before he took the office of governor. People of Benue celebrated his victory in power and supported him in all fronts. Today, his behavior has burdened the Benue people to defend him. He can mobilize thugs to stop a candidate from visiting his state but cannot mobilize the same thugs to stop the bandits and the terrorist from attacking his people on daily bases. The problem I have with the governor is on two fronts: first, the shame he is bringing upon the noble vocation of Catholic priesthood; second, the sellout to the federal government. I hope he will contest for a second term, and the Benue people will make a statement to show that they do not support a person who caricatures their intelligence.The people who were urging the presidential candidate to bulldoze his way through should remember that Goodluck Jonathan had made a profound statement that all Nigerians of different tribes, religion, culture and ethnicity have come to agree with, “My political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.” If Peter Obi had forced his way through on the day of the visit in Benue State, the story would have been different, and the victims would become villains, the accused would be the accuser, and the caricature governor would be saying all sorts of things to destroy the character of the presidential candidate. Obi was wiser and decided to address the public on the spot and went away to Jos. The governor of Jos is not a priest, but did we see any thugs mobilized to stop him? No! On the issue of using thugs to get your way, we were told that the governor of Benue State used thugs in 2019 to chase people out of their land because he wanted to build a ministry camp. Why did you vote him into power when he exhibited a mob mentality in the past? I always remember the words of the first famous Roman lawyer, Marcus Tullius Cicero, “A liar is not believed even though he tell the truth.” When the governor has exhibited mob action in the past as a priest, what made you think he will not do it again on a big scale? The manifestation of vice or evil starts on a small scale; likewise, when someone did bad in small matters do not expect wonders in the big matters. The governor only exposed himself because he is on the bigger stage; a leopard does not change its spots. The camera evidence has shown multiple men from the governor’s security personnel who were involved in the blockade, which is a charade. The governor is still lying that they know nothing about the thugs, but the camera is saying a different thing because, as we say in the local parlance (Camera no-dey lie). Many of the governor’s aides were captured on camera, and they have not disputed the pictures and the videos to say Oh no its AI or doctored. We did not know that any of the people captured has the power of bilocation; if they do, they will provide us with videos and pictures where they were at that time which the court calls alibi. I will not be surprised if they come up with a caricature defense, which is very common in our country today. I remember that a minister said a snake swallowed 36 million Naira given to him; another one said a monkey ran away with the money. The president one time said that he needs to renovate his presidential lodge because rats and rodents made a mess of when he left for treatment overseas. Therefore, if the governor of Benue State comes up with one of such defenses, we cannot do anything but look at ourselves in disappointment and shame.I know that most of the governors are looking for a way to stop Mr. Peter Obi. I would advise that they stop this caricature method exhibited by the governor of Benue state and go back to the drawing board and find a civilized way to counter the opponents. The crude apparatus method will not work this time. Mocking people will not work, and trying to play the bogyman will not work. The people are getting tired, and the time will come when they match word for word, action for action, and violence for violence. No one has a monopoly of violence. The time for cowardice is over; the governors who think that caricature will work should think twice because the people are coming in their numbers to visit Edo state and Benue state.
