May 9, 2014 by The Nation

THE NATION FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2014 16

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Cowards anthem (4) Email: tunji_ololade@yahoo.co.uk 08038551123, 08111845040

HE night has murder in the eye, and noon, murder in the heart; even daybreak drips with blood. One ill begets the other, and every madness a great deal more. The solstice of sanity has sagged, and we become indiscriminate pawns in the theatre of the absurd, in our drama of blood and bomb blasts. There is “virtue” in the insanity of the rampaging horde, so claims the murderous horde, but if you look closely enough, you could discover the politics that incite the madness of Boko Haram and the death and destruction they incite. Perhaps you will get to understand why ordinary citizens become blood-thirsty brutes and the average human becomes subhuman. There is no excuse for the murderousness of Boko Haram; there is no pretext for the existence of the group at all. But is there an excuse for the Nigerian state? Have we an excuse for our contemptible situation? Some frivolous boob would justify the terrorist sect’s campaign of cruelty, carnage and unjustifiable girl-child abductions; on the flipside, minstrels of disharmony and death gleefully adorn the cloak of human rights activists, to condemn in uncompromising terms, the inhumanness and bestiality of Boko Haram. Everybody

pays lip service to our culture of chaos and slaughter. In the wake of the reported abduction of over 250 school girls in warravaged Borno State in Nigeria’s northeast, the country has been awash in floods of vitriol and conspiracy theories; the latest being the likelihood that there had been no kidnap in the north-eastern State and that President Goodluck Jonathan’s detractors in the north are only seeking to foment trouble by the ‘purported abduction’ and thus accentuate the depth of his government’s inefficiency and insensitivity to the people’s plight. Another school of thought, the one championed by self-appointed human rights activists, women’s rights groups, social media warriors, pub critics and other civil rights societies to mention a few, maintain that the presidency’s apparent cluelessness at redressing Boko Haram’s most recent atrocities – that is, the Nyanya bombings and school girls’ abductions – validate their claims of the incumbent government’s purposelessness and immaturity at occupying the seat of power. Every divide engages in a daily jostle to outclass the other in scoring cheap political points in the interest of the abducted school girls. In a recent editorial authored by

‘This is what Nigeria has been reduced to; today, the nation’s leadership, despite our claims of being Giant of Africa, is reduced to a contemptible minion on the pages of a struggling and highly partisan – but aren’t we all partisan – and unethical American news medium’ “ARSENAL fans have put up with nine years of failure for the love of one man...” – Author Unknown HE pen can be mischievious. It will often lead you in the direction of trouble, of its own accord. This time it has led me in a direction closer home than I will willingly go – the Emirates Stadium. But with trepidation I go, expecting that a knock might come from an Arsenal fan in my corner. I assume we are mostly agreed that Nigerians are fanatical about their football. The English Premier League has stolen its way into our lives, courtesy of smart marketing and the domination by foreign-based cable TV, which has edged out local TV to become the default broadcast platform of the day. We now have millions of Nigerians who passionately follow the European football leagues and devoutly worship at the temple of the god of soccer. Of these devotees, Arsenal fans are in a class of their own. They are passionate, committed and proud proponents of a philosophy they believe is akin to the renowned tiki-taka made popular by FC Barcelona. Indeed, in the English Premier League, the team plays a peculiar variant of free-flowing football, pleasing to the eye, even though it has not yielded the desired results (trophies) in the last few years. Even though Spurs fans are quick to remind us the brand of football Arsenal lays claim to was originally theirs, who really cares? Definitely, not Arsenal fans. They (especially the Nigerian base) like to believe they have the patent over some kind of champagne football. They gloat over this. But can you blame them? Fans are entitled to believe what will make them feel good, even if they have to rebase the GDP of the club in the process, to have something to hold on to. But even the most ardent of fans will agree that it has not been smooth-sailing for Arsenal, having not won a single trophy in the last nine years. There is good news in the offing, though. With the fourth place trophy almost assured, the team is in in the finals of the FA cup. What does it matter that Arsenal had to rebase its strategy by featuring a team with an average age of almost 30 years to be able to beat Championship team, Wigan, in the semi-final match? Setting aside the acclaimed commitment to youth, an excuse often touted for the extended years of failure by the team, to make it to the final speaks to the flexibility required, that has not always been there . Whatever the case, the opportunity to end the barren run beckons for Arsenal. But what has Arsenal really been doing wrong? Analysts have, over the years, situated the deficiencies around Arsene Wenger’s obstinate belief in an obsolete template. But many Arsenal fans will hardly ever agree to the fact that the beloved Professor could be the problem, given his record. They will often take an attack on Arsene Wenger as an attack on their team, often taking on the messenger rather than the message. As one season ends, they promise themselves the next season. “In Arsene, we trust”, they would chorus. A new season begins, Arsenal catches fire. The team raises the hope of her fans. They begin to sing the old song to critics – did we not tell you? Can you see us now? Even when analysts tell

the American New York Times, the news medium’s editorial board fell short of calling Mr. President a bumbling oaf on the seat of power. According to the news medium, “Mr. Jonathan, who leads a corrupt government that has little credibility, initially played down the group’s threat and claimed security forces were in control. It wasn’t until Sunday, more than two weeks after the kidnappings, that he called a meeting of government officials, including the leader of the girls’ school, to discuss the incident. There is no doubt the intelligence and investigation help President Obama offered on Monday is needed. “The kidnappings occurred just as President Jonathan is about to hold the World Economic Forum on Africa, with 6,000 troops deployed for security. That show of force may keep the delegates safe, but Nigeria’s deeply troubled government cannot protect its people, attract investment and lead the country to its full potential if it cannot contain a virulent insurgency.” This is what Nigeria has been reduced to; today, the nation’s leadership, despite our claims of being Giant of Africa, is reduced to a contemptible minion on the pages of a struggling and highly partisan – but aren’t we all partisan – and unethical American news medium. I do not blame the title for its disrespectful lampooning of the Nigerian leadership for it is a disgrace meritoriously earned, well deserved. I do not care about the persistent whining, disgraceful outbursts and divisive campaigns of self-appointed local and international “women’s rights,” “civil rights,” “social media” and “human rights” activists in the “interest of the abducted school girls.” If anything, I understand the “Bring back our girls” campaign as the next best

fix of these bands of often self-serving narcissists and attention junkies. What I find gross and unforgivable is these self-styled activists’ and Nigerian presidency’s shameless invitation to America to come invade Nigeria’s bowels and assist in rooting out the terrorist Boko Haram sect hiding within the Sambisa bushes. In a saner clime, what the Nigerian presidency and advocates of US invasion have requested for would be tantamount to treason but what the heck? This is contemporary Nigeria, land of the prodigal where the “illustrious” farmer shamelessly invites the predators abroad to drive off the lower brutes from our farmlands. Lest you get the wrong impression, given the Nigerian leadership’s evident cluelessness and impotence in handling Boko Haram, if loved ones (God forbid) were among the abducted girls, depending on my disposition, I could shamelessly request that China, Russia, Iran, Germany and the USA to mention a few, jointly invade Nigeria, annihilate Boko Haram and their sponsors amongst the ruling class. I may not stop there, I may request that these allied forces of the world’s so-called super powers take over the nation’s governance – but this too, could be indistinguishable from treason hence let’s just consider it ‘wishful thinking’ Now that we have conducted our dance of shame beyond the bounds of reason and decency, we waltz naked on the global stage of politics and power. We are no longer the Giants of Africa. We have rather become the shame of Africa and the next horrid ignominy of the world. But this, predictably doesn’t matter, what matters is the next best temporary palliative we can find hence our shameless request for foreign assist-

ance in neutering Boko Haram. Having consistently kicked against our invitation of the world’s so-called super powers to help clean up our mess, I have come by different shades of condemnation and counter-arguments by self-styled patriots whose love for our fatherland presumably runs deeper than any other citizen’s. One such ‘patriot’ Emmanuel Abagolu, argues that the foreign military force “...are the lesser of possible evils in this world” even as another, Adeola Oseni, corroborates that “Accepting western assistance does not necessarily mean bringing in NATO troops, UN troops or external force but with logistic supports and better coordinates from West, it would go a long way to assist in curbing this menace for good.” There is wisdom in their argument; it resonates the impotence of a leadership six years old, the descent of a nation 54-years old and 170-million strong. That bloody epoch I warned us about five years ago in “Cowards Anthem (2)” has finally dawned on us. “Those child soldiers whose stories offer amusement on the watch of international news media shall become the source of our greatest worries...they shall become little angels of death at the behest of enfant terrible godfathers and warmongers. Our mothers shall become comfort women, our daughters too. Our sisters shall become vessels of wanton delight to occupation forces and militia of various shades and ‘honour’...The chastity we love to protect shall become the staple by which we quell our dark, dark desires; the currency by which our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters purchase and repossess every day, their right to life, at the mercy of the elements of the order that be,” I wrote. • To be continued

Arsene Wenger and Nigeria’s Transformation Ambassadors By Simbo Olorunfemi them to take it easy, they would brush aside caution and spread their hopes in the sun for neighbours to see. Before you know it, a needle goes into the balloon. And within weeks, the leak is apparent to all, hope lies in tatters at the Emirates. Wenger’s water bottles are all over the place. Then the battle for the fourth place trophy begins. The team barely makes it, there is relief, and hope is rekindled for the season to come. The new season comes, history sneaks in to repeat itself, all over. That has been the story of the last nine years. In spite of this, some of these fans resolutely locate the problem everywhere else. but at the doorstep of Monsieur Arsene Wenger. But for occasional moments of loss-induced high fever, these fans resign themselves to an unquestioning love of Arsene Wenger. Even when the perfomance of the team does not justify the devotion, they hold on to love. This devoted lovers of the French man remind us of the fans of our own leader, who has been busy with the transformation of Nigeria in the last five years. Does Arsene Wenger’s barren run remind us of the years of the locust? Does it remind us of the productivity of our Lee Kuan Yew, courtesy of the world-class transformation agenda? Transformation Ambassadors liken our man to Nelson Mandela. They remind us of all the good work he has done. They tell us it is just that their man does not like to talk about it. They tell us - what we see is not what it is. For some of them, their love is founded on ethnic affiliation, pseudo-religious, bread and butter considerations or some feelgood it-is-our-turn-to-chop syndrome. But it is not about them, it is about our today and tomorrow. It is about them asking us to endure this barren run for the love of their man. They are so lost in love with their own Arsene Wenger that nothing else matters. Some umbrella-wielding sympathisers of our Martin Luther King are so love-stricken that any voice raised contrary to theirs is dubbed partisan. No matter is sacrosanct, when it comes to this undying love. And they crawl the net, seeking to spread the good news of transformation. They feel compelled to justify whatever the man does, irrespective of logic or reason. To them, dancing in the house of mourning is a show of strength. We ought to applaud the skelewu moves of the dancer, rather than condemn him. He is not fiddling, he is only dancing. Their Arsene Wenger cannot be faulted, even when it comes to his team selection or substitutions made in the course of the game. He takes out Bolaji Abdulahi, a world-class striker and replaces him with...who again? To spite an agent spotted in the camp of another team, he takes out proven striker and replaces

him with a man who cannot score a goal to save his life. Arsenal fans have been asking their manager to buy world-class players for years now! Guess who he just bought? Musiliu Obanikoro! How does he guarantee winning the Emirates Cup with him in the Defence! Imagine how long it took him to take out Stella Oduah from the team. Commentators, pundits, fans have shouted themselves hoarse, but Diezani and Abba Moro are still an integral part of the team. Even when Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has been sidelined for a proper examination of his hamstring injury, the beloved Abba Moro is still in the team with a broken leg. But the fans of Nigeria’s own Arsene Wenger are unfazed. They are not moved. They tell you it was not easy for Barack Obama. It was not easy for Lee Kuan Yew. It was not easy for Nelson Mandela. It was not easy for Martin Luther King. So, it is not easy for Arsene Wenger. Even when their man’s team scores an own goal, they applaud him. The team suffers a painful loss in the hands of Nyanya bombers, yet the manager is not sober. He elects to continue with the campaign in Kano, all that matters is that new contract. He elects to dance in the house of mourning, the fans hail him. It is not easy for him, they tell us. He can do no wrong. Your Arsene Wenger can never do wrong? We agree. You cheer him, throw jibes at critics, accuse anyone with a contrary opinion of partisanship. We agree. But can you please wake up and face the facts? Nigeria is no Arsenal. There is the matter of 200 students kidnapped at Chibok. There was Buni-Yadi and Nyanya. We are losing lives daily, wasting young men and women. One might begin to think that Thomas Hobbes had this place in mind when he wrote about the state of nature where life is short, nasty and brutish. Please remind Arsene Wenger of Chibok, Buni-Yadi, Nyanya. Let him know there is more to life than a new contract. Let him know this barren run is long enough. Let him know this is not the time to dance. Transformation Ambassadors, please take a cue from the fans of Manchester United. The moment they saw through the “Chosen One”, they began to ask questions. They queried the results and labelled him the “Wrong One”. Today, the “Chosen One” has become the “rejected one”. Many Arsenal fans have also seen the light. They are singing a different song for Arsene Wenger, of late. The man too has been reading in between the lines. He has not been forthcoming in committing to a new contract. God helps him, should he fail to win the FA Cup. There are only so many barren years that even the most faithful fans can endure. Yours should not be different - how many lean years are you willing to endure for the love of one man?