Of sinners, saints and sanity

And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem, and they went along innocently and did not know anything. Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city—from Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number. 2 Samuel 15:11-12

The Bible story of Absalom, David’s son, as he conspired to dethrone and replace his own father makes for interesting reading. But this treatise is not about that. We will leave that till another day. What is of interest to me here is how the story illustrates in a very apt way, the fact that workers of iniquity who plot various schemes against individuals or against a collective never work alone. They always do their level best to enlist allies. The unfortunate thing is that often, the people they recruit into their schemes are themselves naïve victims of the plot who do not have the faintest understanding of what the true picture is of what they are willing to hazard their lives for! Mere pawns in a macabre power game that does not have their interests at heart, they unwittingly and sheepishly set themselves against one another and ultimately a system they claim to love in defence of someone whose only interest is to fuel his own ambition. In mob mode, people do things without thinking. Participants in an uproar who loot and commit other heinous crimes when a mob goes on the rampage hardly know the leaders of the riot, much less its purpose or direction. Most of the people who lynch others cannot in all good conscience state categorically what their victim did to deserve such gruesome death. By the time the dust would settle and people would realize that there was no substance to the allegation, the damage would have been done.

The situation is so aptly described in the following write-up which I found online. Unfortunately, I was unable to ascertain its original author as none of the places where it was cited could put a name to the piece. So, in that spirit of anonymity and with utmost regard for whoever the original author is, I reproduce it here:

The judge asked the killer of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, “Why did you kill Sadat?”

He said to him, «Because he is secular!»

The judge replied: «What does secular mean?»

The killer said: «I don›t know!»

In the case of the attempted assassination of the late Egyptian writer, Naguib Mahfouz, the judge asked the man who stabbed Naguib Mahfouz: «Why did you stab him?»

The terrorist said: «Because of his novel – The Children of our Neighborhood”.

The judge asked him: “Have you read this novel?”

The criminal said: “No!”

Another judge asked the terrorist who killed the Egyptian writer ‹Faraj Fara›: «Why did you murder Faraj Fouda?»

The terrorist replied: «Because he is an infidel!»

The judge asked him: «How did you know he was an infidel?»

The terrorist replied: «According to the books he wrote».

The judge said: «By which of his books did you know he was an infidel?»

The Terrorist: «I haven›t read his books!»

Judge: «How?»

The terrorist replied: «I can›t read or write!»

Things are happening so rapidly in our polity that leave no one in doubt that the whistle for 2023 elections has been blown even when the electoral umpire has not so indicated. The next few months are going to be long but interesting. Interests are being declared. Camps are being formed. Intentions are being declared. Alliances are being forged. Horses are being traded. Unfortunately, this is also the season when sinners masquerade as saints and use their deep pockets to enlist good people to fight their dirty battles for them. It is the season when ignorance is amplified and reason suspended. It is the season when a people that had cried to high heavens about oppression and the need for deliverance suddenly make a volte-face and queue behind their very oppressors while demonizing those who hold a flicker of hope to their deliverance. It is the season when the oppressed suddenly take sides with the oppressor. This is the season when falsehood is given such vent and platform of expression that it stifles and drowns out the less-endowed voice of truth. This is the season when knaves are projected as heroes and heroes are painted as villains. This is that season when imposition is renamed consensus. It does not make sense, but it is what it is!

I have summarized the picture of this season in a poem which I titled NIGERIA: THE SEASON OF LONG KNIVES reproduced below:

The hunt is on.

The hunters are poised.

The hawks are hovering.

The vultures are gathering.

The nights are active with subterfuge.

Concocting intrigues while the preys snore.

Oblivious of the baiting hunters› real intent, the preys expose themselves to the hunters› snare, walking into the predators› nets in open glare.

Deceived beyond redemption, the preys egg on the predators

making mincemeat of the reputation of those who warn of impending danger

Cohorting with the predators, the preys alienate their kind that attempts a quest for deliverance

They swallow entire baits, bullets wrapped in bread, poison seasoned with pepper-soup, gall garnished in garlic

They make great spectacles for the hunters who revel in watching them gorge themselves into a stupour while music bellows from the oppressors› orchestra

Too far gone in drenching rhetoric, they collect pebbles from their oppressors and stone those who dare rise up in sincerity to challenge the hunters and liberate the preys.

Carnivores turn to feed on themselves in an orgy of enmity and decimation.

Making the predators› task a walkover, they seek to bolt the door after the horse has left the stable.

Like the one-eared dog that goes to hide the knife after its ear has been chopped off, preys only get wisdom with hindsight.

The hunters crouch.

The hunted crave.

The bait is thrown.

The chase is on.

The guns are loaded

The nozzles are pointed

The knives glitter

As they emerge from the holster

2023 has blown the whistle

Marksmen have drawn the pistol

Welcome to the season of long knives!!!

Do not allow you or any member of your family to become the cannon fodder for anyone’s personal ambition. Refuse to allow one politician set you against another Nigerian or another contestant. Resist the urge to follow the dictates of mammon. Support the candidate of your choice but respect the rights of other Nigerians to support theirs as well. Insist on bringing issues to the table. This is the season when people set social media and passions on fire, making allegations that have no proof and concocting stories just to discredit a candidate. Refuse to believe or allege anything about any candidate simply because you read it on social media, posted by a so-called “influencer”. When the chips are down, the people for whom you are willing to drink hemlock will eventually meet behind the scenes and rub each other’s backs when the spoils have been shared; with you holding the short end of the stick and wondering what just happened!

 

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