For a moment, an expression of mirth, an emotion which accompanies humour was all over me when I saw this image below.
After which, when I took a second look at the image, it was not as funny as it was to me earlier. I was seeing the message of truth it was trying to convey in a funny but stern manner.
Daily news headlines like: "God is Tired of Nigeria", "The Aftermath of Jos Suicide Bomb Attack", "Another Kidnapper Nabbed in Ogun", "Stop Abusing my Husband- Patience Jonathan warns Nigerians", "Suspected Cult embers wreck havoc in Benue University" "House Legalises Gov. Akpabio's Bogus Pension Allocation", and many more all mirror the various ups and downs the country is passing through presently.
While a fraction is celebrating childhood, another fraction, with utmost determination, is asking for the return of over 200 girls that were kidnapped.
While many are crying of insufficient basic social amenities, another part of the same fraction is not bothered because they get to use electricity and other major social amenities.
Some bask in plenty of affluence while a good percentage are best friends with poverty.....and while some glory in looting public funds and getting away with it, others receive severe justice ascribable to little or no offence at all.
The rich versus the poor, the "Bankoles" (help me build my house) and the "bank-oles" (help me get the thieves/banks of thieves), the the Dezianis and the Jonathans...the shoplifters and kidnappers, the swindlers and the treasury looters;the list is endless.
The cartoon shows a myopic understanding of the causes and effects of the cankerworm in our beloved nation. We celebrate Mr A and condemn Mr B to death whereas both have committed same offence however in a different volume. We forget that what is soup for the goose should also be soup for the gander.
Our deference for figures that are failures in authority highlights our mediocrity with "what is" versus "what should be". You ask a young Nigerian why he/she wants to be a politician and you get responses like.."politicians are rich people", "politicians are above the law", and the likes. For how long are we going to keep deceiving ourselves with the "no one is above the law" mentality?
Do you remember the Seaman's advert of the years past? The father welcomes his son saying: "Omo mi,ko kiishe moto lo ra,...(iyi,ola ati ogo fun ebi ni"!) ...this means....(the father alludes to the sons success through hard work "my son, you did not buy yourself a car, you bought fame, wealth and glory for everyone in the family")...Progress through honest hardwork was celebrated rather than the fractured get rich quick trends we have now which are even celebrated in religious houses.
Dear reader, we have to get to the point where we call a thief, a thief without any preferential treatment whatsoever. Getting to this point however requires our will to see beyond our "empty stomachs" and our "empty bank accounts" and dwell more on constructive repositioning of right versus wrong.
The rich versus the poor, the "Bankoles" (help me build my house) and the "bank-oles" (help me get the thieves/banks of thieves), the the Dezianis and the Jonathans...the shoplifters and kidnappers, the swindlers and the treasury looters;the list is endless.
The cartoon shows a myopic understanding of the causes and effects of the cankerworm in our beloved nation. We celebrate Mr A and condemn Mr B to death whereas both have committed same offence however in a different volume. We forget that what is soup for the goose should also be soup for the gander.
Our deference for figures that are failures in authority highlights our mediocrity with "what is" versus "what should be". You ask a young Nigerian why he/she wants to be a politician and you get responses like.."politicians are rich people", "politicians are above the law", and the likes. For how long are we going to keep deceiving ourselves with the "no one is above the law" mentality?
Do you remember the Seaman's advert of the years past? The father welcomes his son saying: "Omo mi,ko kiishe moto lo ra,...(iyi,ola ati ogo fun ebi ni"!) ...this means....(the father alludes to the sons success through hard work "my son, you did not buy yourself a car, you bought fame, wealth and glory for everyone in the family")...Progress through honest hardwork was celebrated rather than the fractured get rich quick trends we have now which are even celebrated in religious houses.
Dear reader, we have to get to the point where we call a thief, a thief without any preferential treatment whatsoever. Getting to this point however requires our will to see beyond our "empty stomachs" and our "empty bank accounts" and dwell more on constructive repositioning of right versus wrong.
What do you think is the next step towards achieving this?
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