Of politics and its bread of sorrow

By Tai Olaniyi

At the inception of the fourth republic of another democratic process in Nigeria, one of the early meetings of the Lagos State House of Assembly began and ended in pandemonium and throwing of chairs. My little girl of about six years old rushed down to me for protection as if the throwing of chairs showing on the television could injure her.

While pacifying her that none of us could be injured physically by such an unfortunate incident by lawmakers, it dawned on me that her psyche had been injured because when I explained that the lawmakers were venting their angers on one thing or the other, and that it was politics in action, she asked the question, “daddy what is politics?“

I knew it would be naïve to start quoting that politics is government of the people, by the people and for the people when in actual sense she simply watched kung fu fighting as aftermath of the electoral process and a misrepresentation of the Athenian ideal and philosophy behind democracy.

She advised, “daddy I don’t want you to be a politician so that they don’t bang your head with chairs.“ What an honest advice by an innocent child. I was then, tempted to write an article entitled, ”Of lawmakers and law breakers“, which was published in The Punch newspaper and a host of others. The temptation arose because a civil servant is by colonial law prohibited from politics no matter how noble the contribution. But realising that every human being is a political animal but may decide not to be animalistic, and, concurring with Winston Churchill when he said that, “politics is too serious a business to be left solely in the hands of politicians “, the temptation thus became monumental, then, as it is today.

In Nigeria of today, politics is carving incursion into so many areas of organic and inorganic lives of average Nigerians with high debilitating effects and toxic seepages into physical, emotional, intellectual and even spiritual facets of our being. Politics, rather than unite us all in noble thoughts and conducts, tear every fabric of unity in diversity to mere shreds of individualism that do not stand the test of time.

For every political vibration in solid state, there is collision, in fluid state there is tsunami and in gaseous form the atmosphere is permeated by pollution of all sorts. Our Creator’s microcosmic world is daily being degraded by political mismanagement of man in his biotic and abiotic environment while pangs of pain, sorrow and harrowing experiences which are daily dosages in Nigeria of today, make us all eat bread of sorrow weather or not blessed in earthly affluence and its attendant vanities.

Why bread of sorrow, you may ask. Bread of sorrow because the pains and heart aches, the mental and emotional tortures we are all undergoing are, by the designs of our Creator not our portion, but our political actions or inactions.

God’s geographical features which encompass myriad of resources for collective enjoyment are not only being pillaged but appropriated by few individuals. Nigerians are now drawing individualised and self-centred cadastral maps with features of who owns one resource or the other. God, the Creator of every living thing, every where, owns all resources for our use and abundant life but why? My brothers and sisters, why the killing and maiming over transient positions and earthly vanities?

Susan Rice in describing God’s special love for the African continent and observation of political-economic mismanagement, intoned, “Africa is too rich to be poor but too poor to be rich”.

This opinion seems more apt to Nigeria where the generality of people daily live and die in penury while the affluent class, especially of politicians wearing either military and/or civil garbs including unending dynasties they nurture enjoy opulence of unimaginable proportions.

Nigerians’ political actions and inactions have mutilated ethos and ethics of true nationhood, rather than heartfelt appellation of being called a Nigerian, one simply oscillates or tilts towards a particular geographic zone, tribe, religion, political party and their inimical caucuses and cults of political contractors and detractors.

Albert Einstein in “Treasury for the Free world” (1946), called on citizens of the world that, “ It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.”

I once asked a brother why being involved in active politics, though, a grass root person whose truthfulness and caring for others might have qualified him for good political position as stimulant to socio-economic development of my area but which the political terrain of Kwara State then and now can never encourage? His answer, “One may get involved in active politics for noble and/or ignoble purposes. Whichever way, there are insults, disgrace, difficulties, affluence and death in politics.”

Politics as far as I am concerned provides a veritable platform for the generality of man to be served and serviced creditably by those who are inclined to swear to God Almighty to use such a portal to reflect His glory as a channel. Anything contrary is tantamount to falling short of the glory of God no matter the perquisites politicians acquire as largesse and dividends of office.

Olaniyi wrote through taiyelolu_2004@yahoo.com