On the Lord's day

YESTERDAY was another October 1, the anniversary of the nation’s Independence from Britain in 1960. Unlike last year’s event when no effort was spared to celebrate; this year citizens have been so sapped by a legion of troubles to even note the date. Government itself was reportedly so frightened of Boko Haram and MEND that even the President could not venture out of his Presidential Villa fortress to mark the anniversary. We have been told that Government is not afraid of Boko Haram; I believe so simply because the man who said so, Minister of Information Labaran Maku, is my friend and comrade. My only worry is that after his speech to State House correspondents last week, Maku will not become the next target of Boko Haram. It was after a similar tough talk by the IG of Police, Hafix Ringim, that Boko Haram paid him a visit at his Abuja headquarters. Even if the reason for this year’s low-keyed anniversary celebration is fear, it is understandable as well as justifiable. At the 50th anniversary at the Eagle Square, Abuja last October 1, the MEND marred the occasion with the explosion of a twin-bomb which left about 10 people dead and many others wounded. The same MEND threatened to plant bombs in the vicinity of Eagle Square to also mar any celebration this year. As if that was not enough, Boko Haram came out last week to take the wind off the sail of the Presidential committee on Boko Haram, vowing that it was not ready for the dialogue the committee had recommended. In the face of such potent threats to peace and security, government was right to err on the side of caution.

After the Boko Haram bombing of the police headquarters, the President had said that the sect would bomb him (Jonathan) if it had the opportunity; that being so, it makes no sense at all to expose Mr. President to needless danger on account of mere anniversary celebration. I concur with Maku that last year’s flamboyant celebration as well as last May’s impressive presidential inauguration ceremonies should still satiate our voluble appetite for celebrations. Speaking also at last Sunday’s inter-denominational service to mark Nigeria @ 51, Jonathan opened up slightly on the security challenges that he faces. He was specific that his efforts were being sabotaged by powerful people who not only wanted him to fail at all costs but would also stop at nothing to take him out physically. To quote him: There are Goliaths everywhere; very terrible Goliaths, the ones that can kill their own fathers, their own mothers, and even their own children in order to stop government. And they are willing to do it. So we have these terrible Goliaths that are trying to frustrate us but surely with God we will conquer them”. In the last couple of years that Jonathan has been in charge of Nigeria, he must have seen a lot. It was like we had some inkling into his mindset when we wrote last week’s “Attempting a pedagogy of Boko Haram” in which we posited that the violence that has walloped the North, even if it had socio-economic cum religious foundations, had since become a veritable tool in the hands of powerful elites intent on chasing Jonathan out of the Presidential Villa. These elites cut across all sectors in the North – traditional rulers, the military establishment, politicians, academia, business moguls, almajiris, name them. Recent revelations from WikiLeaks, Boko Haram officials themselves, and the ease with which apprehended culprits are assisted to escape justice confirm that the conspiracy is widespread, well articulated, well funded and has clearly defined political objectives.

It remains to be seen whether or not, in the face of all of these, Jonathan will survive, let alone record any meaningful achievement in office. Ironically, his staunch supporters in the early days of his emergence, who rallied and marched to have him installed as Acting President, are now among his most virulent critics. They are exasperated that whereas Jonathan knows the problems and those behind the problems, he is unable – unwilling – to apply the solution. Their fear is that he has been taken hostage and held captive. He made matters worse in his inter-denominational speech in which he offered justifications for his “go-slow” mode.  Whereas Nigerians need solutions to their problems like day before yesterday, Jonathan is still preaching; he is talking of “we will…” when we expect him to be saying “we have…” Jonathan is still romanticising about how God will help him conquer the “very terrible Goliaths” he has identified when Nigerians expect to behold him already standing on the lifeless bodies of the Goliaths.  No, it is not true that God is yet to expose the foreheads of the Goliaths to the stone of David as their foreheads are exposed already. Everyone knows this but has David picked his stones? Has our own David discarded the encumbrances that the biblical David discarded? Has he stepped forward for the fight? Or is our David terrified of the very terrible Goliaths he has to confront? Biblical David would not have killed Goliath if he wasted as much time as Jonathan has wasted. Since coming into office, Jonathan has never ceased to impress us that he has good intentions – but these are not enough, especially when very terrible Goliaths dot the landscape. He should not forget the saying: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Incidentally, one fellow who was closely connected to David and who demonstrated ample good intentions was biblical Jonathan, son of King Saul. Jonathan disapproved of his father’s plot to kill innocent David and told it to his father’s face. Bible records that Saul’s son, Jonathan, loved David as his own soul and not only helped him to escape death but also entered into a covenant with him. But that was as far as Jonathan could go – good intentions, no more, no less. King Saul indeed was another very terrible Goliath in David’s life; an obstacle that he had to overcome for God’s will to become fulfilled in his life. After the covenant between David and Jonathan, David turned his back on the palace but Jonathan returned to the luxuries of the palace and the dainties of the King. David passed “through the valley of the shadow of death” before he could overcome the very terrible Goliaths on his road to success, meaning that God’s will, once decreed by God, requires human  action for its practical actualization. Sanctimonious preachment alone is not enough. Running away from the battle; dithering and dilly-dallying; postponing the day of reckoning, and not matching words with commensurate actions – all these only help to encourage the very terrible Goliaths to further entrench themselves. To play biblical David as much as biblical Jonathan will lead to ruins. Despite his good intentions, Jonathan perished same day as his father, King Saul: A “good” man, supposedly so, dying in company with a “very terrible Goliath”.

It is obvious that Mr. President covets the achievements of David and wishes to be like him; he wants God to use him for Nigeria as He used David for Israel. He cannot achieve that if he did not take the step of faith that David took; he must match his words with actions and not return, like biblical Jonathan, to dine and wine with the same very terrible Goliaths he has spoken publicly against. Bible records many instances where David boasted that he never allowed wicked people to flourish in his domain; why is Jonathan allowing them here?