Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity;  for brightness,but we walk in darkness. We grope for  the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no  eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like  bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice  standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street,  and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he  that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey… - Isaiah 59:8-15

This is one of the few times when I have found it difficult to write. Not for want of what to say but because I do not want to overreach myself in the anguish of my tenor. We are indeed in dire times in this nation. I wish I could wake up tomorrow morning and discover that it’s all been a bad dream. A government deceives all of us into the implementation of a decision even when it claimed it was still discussing. The Catholic Bishops of the South-West made my week last week with the communiqué they issued about the removal of fuel subsidy. Before then, every time a representative of government came on air to try and explain the lame duck position of government on this issue, I felt angered. Wogu, the Minister of Labour and Productivity told us point-blank that the people have no right to tell their (elected!!!) leaders what to do. Sanusi told us that government does not have to be popular. To him, the economy is more important than the anguish of the people. Are these guys listening to anyone apart from their cronies? The President has not thought it fit to rein in security forces as they continue to brutalize peaceful protesters. Is this what Nigerians voted for?

It’s ok to spend N1.2 trillion on 449 members of the legislature but outrageous to spend N1.3 trillion on 160 million Nigerians in a whole year! Next week, I plan to DISPASSIONATELY examine the real issues so we can all be accurately informed. It’s not about the subsidy removal. It’s about TRUST! But first the parable.

Once upon a time in Notfarland, there lived a king who thrived on sycophancy.  Any voice of dissent was regarded as suspect and kept at arm’s length. If the dissent became too audible, the dissenter lost his head. Consequently, nobody in the kingdom – including his cabinet members – could afford to have a different opinion from the king even when he was obviously wrong. Afterall, they attained the position by sycophancy, so they might as well maintain it by the same means!

One day, a tailor in the kingdom decided it was time to cut the king to size. Having sought and got audience with the king, he promised to make him the most beautiful robe in the world. It would not only reflect sartorial elegance, but also demonstrate to everyone who saw it, the splendor of the kingdom of his imperial majesty. The robe would also have a supernatural dimension to it such that it would only be visible to the sinless. Enslaved by his own ego, the king was too glad to supply the resources needed, including a special place in the palace grounds to do the work. Now everyone would see how great His Imperial Majesty truly was.

The tailor measured the king and set to work. Daily, His Royal Majesty would come in to see the invisible robe and nod his head while the tailor so pictorially described its beauty and the exactitude of its tapestry. Even though he saw nothing, the king nodded in agreement and sheepish admiration!

After two weeks of being serenaded in the palace in all the opulence proffered by the privilege, the tailor announced that the royal robe was ready.  The king was to wear the robe without any undergarments, since it came fully kitted. He would then mount the royal horse and accompanied by royal drummers, dance around the town. All his subjects were to line the streets telling the king how regal his adornment was. Of course they had all been told that only a renegade would not see it. Everyone in the kingdom knew what that meant.

As the procession marched through town, everyone saw the obvious but no one dared admit it. The drummers and dancers worked themselves into frenzy as they sang of the beauty of His Majesty’s sartorial elegance and the wonders of this impeccably tailored robe that had no duplicate anywhere in the whole world.

The charade continued until a 3-year old boy saw the procession and the foppish deception on parade. He naively tapped his Mum and asked in a voice that drowned the cacophony and entered into the king’s ears, “Mum, why is the king dancing naked?”

Is anybody in Abuja listening?...

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!