By Bassey Ubong
Mr. Ekanabasi Ubong, retired Permanent Secretary in Akwa Ibom State, struggled to explain the state of the Nigerian nation in a post by way of a religious angle. But it appeared few readers appreciated his gallant effort. He raised the issue of “judged time”, which in his opinion, arises when a people suffer under a yoke and must go through a decreed period before relief or release to position them to rise into the realm of the good life.
His argument begged the questions: Are ordinary citizens of Nigeria in judged time? If yes, why? Who superintended over the slide into decay? And how long will the period of captivity last?
Nigeria has found herself for decades neck deep in the concept of slippery slope in which an initial wrong or bad situation could generate successive disastrous situations with no end in sight.
For the majority, only their noses lie above water level, just for air. The most distressful aspect continues to be the total lack of empathy by the ruling class. Or how can one explain the incredible budgetary provisions for items of conspicuous consumption along with opulent lifestyles when ordinary citizens find it difficult to access one flat meal a day?
The idea of judged time can be found in several instances in the Old Testament scripture used by Christians and Moslems. Prophet Jeremiah predicted the Babylonian captivity which lasted 70 years. Israelites were in exile as punishment for idolatry and other vices which displeased their God. When they repented they were pardoned and restored and can one believe this, by a Babylonian ruler, King Cyrus the Great. The volte-face of a conqueror (who lets go a conquered people or territory without force?) should be read as divine intervention and in this case implied expiration of judged time.
I find incredible interest in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah reported in both the Old Testament (parts of Genesis 18 and 19) as well as the Quran (parts of 7 and 29). For unpardonable sins, God decided to wipe out those two cities which existed in antiquity.
The greatest excitement, and teachable lesson for me, arose in the gallant effort of Abraham, the patriarch, to salvage the two wealthy cities. Abraham, as recorded in the scripture, made strenuous efforts to reason as well as plead with God’s messengers for the cities to be spared. He enquired whether the availability of just 50 clean people would compel God to spare the cities. God agreed to which, Abraham reduced the number, like a Nigerian would, to 45 to 30 to 20 and to as low as 10! God refused to be angry or be tired of the tireless unpaid attorney for the depraved people of the cities. But their sins were horrible and beyond pardon, including homosexuality, sexual relations with animals (source of the term sodomy), highway robbery, among others, as stated in explicit terms in the Quran.
Old Testament writers or translators stopped at the number ten and by deduction we can say the cities hosted righteous persons below the number ten to have compelled God to wave total destruction. The four clean people found were Lot, recorded as Abraham’s nephew, his wife, and his two daughters.
Can we go ahead to theorise general punishment on a group as being the result of group sinfulness of a grievous nature? Can we extend to Nigeria and claim we as a people have done something terrible enough for the current human condition? Are we in judged time, for which sins, and how long will it last?
But children are involved, except if they are candidates for karma. And out of over 200 million people, can we say God cannot see up to ten clean people to save this pearl of Africa (based on resources)?
But if the Sodom-Gomorrah model can be assumed, it means Nigeria has more than ten clean people, otherwise the country should have been wiped out decades ago.
What should be of paramount interest in my opinion are the length of time this deprivation has lasted as well as the hope for reprieve, because things gets worse by the day. This position arises from the greatest non-fiction work of Nigeria’s literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe (God rest his wonderful soul). A blurb on the book, “The Problem with Nigeria” by the sage summarises the book as well as Nigeria 40 years ago. I take liberty to quote the blurb with permission from Heinemann, the publishers expected.
“The eminent African novelist and critic,” the blurb states, “here addresses Nigeria’s problems, aiming to challenge the resignation of Nigerians and inspire them to reject old habits which inhibit Nigeria from becoming a modern and attractive country.
In this famous book, now reprinted, he (Achebe) professes that the only trouble with Nigeria is the failure of leadership, because with good leaders Nigeria could resolve its inherent problems, such as tribalism, lack of patriotism, social injustice, and the cult of mediocrity, indiscipline, and corruption.”
First published in 1983, Professor Achebe’s analyses are relevant to 2023 close to half a century later. A good read of the book should send shivers down the spine and establish the concept of slippery slope. We have been in this mess for decades with no hope of cessation of the slide.
Let us bear in mind a few things about 1983, the year the book rolled out of the press. A government elected through a democratic process held office led at the national level by Alhaji Shehu Shagari in his second term after 13 years of military rule. This means Nigeria tasted decay more than 40 years ago! One hopes current rulers will avoid the use of this as an excuse for sustenance of the abuse of office.
One should ask a simple question: Who initiated the decay which led to the lamentation by Achebe? Should the blame go to the First Republic politicians in agbada, led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe/Alhaji Ahmadu Bello booted out in 1966, or the politicians in khaki led by General Aguyi-Ironsi for six months? Should the index finger be pointed at General Yakubu Gowon who ruled for nine years and managed the commencement of the oil boom period? Would it be right to blame General Murtala Muhammed/Obasanjo who managed the country for three hyperactive years, or the four years of Alhaji Shehu Shagari/Dr. Alex Ekwueme of the Second Republic?
Above were tenures before 1983, which provided the setting for the monumental work of the sage. What forced a man of Achebe’s standing to shed tears for the country he loved?
We must bear in mind a critical fact – few countries in the world have as much natural wealth as Nigeria. What have we as leaders and followers done with such monumental blessings from God?
I guess we can at this juncture see the issue of the concept of judged time as a possibility. As a people the way we rape our resources and the entire system as individuals, groups, and a country should make God regret the decision to soak the portion of earth in West Africa with the quantum and quality of resources available in Nigeria. While most countries, for instance, have heavy crude oil, Nigeria enjoys ‘sweet’ crude oil known as Bonny Light, which attracts a higher price in the world market.
But Nigerians in high and low offices and as business persons from the micro to the macro, and as ordinary citizens who connect welding equipment to houses wired for domestic use, as teachers who sell scores to students, and students who steal scores, we have boxed the Creator to the terrible situation in Genesis Chapter 6 verse 6. God, I believe, has regretted the decision to deposit mind-boggling wealth in a portion of Africa which the British decided to give the name Nigeria. This has placed the country in judged time of which the date of reprieve or release cannot be determined given God’s concept of time as infinite.
Nigerians require something to enable them manage their tears which Professor Achebe first shed in 1983 with regard to what Nigerian leaders (I call them rulers) have done to a beautiful country.
He said, and Heinemann should permit me to quote verbatim from page 20, “If you want electricity, you buy your own generator; if you want water you sink your own borehole; if you want to travel, you set up your airline. One day soon, said a friend of mine, you will have to build your own post office to send your letters.”
Well, electronic mail and social media made the last bit an unfulfilled prophesy, but other predictions came to pass. Boreholes are everywhere and thanks be to God we have no fault lines under the earth the way other countries have. No one should quarrel with electricity supply, otherwise Jubaili and the generator sales and repair corps will be hurt.
Individuals way back set up airlines such as Aero Contractors, Okada Air, Chiachangi, Kabo Air, ADC among others, to make air travel less difficult for themselves and others when Nigeria Airways ruled the skies with a heavy hand.
Today, Arik, Air Peace, Allied Air, Dana Air, Azman, among others, cover the skies as private airlines.
Fellow Nigerians, has anything changed in 40 years, or has our situation worsened? By 1983 politicians and public officers stole money in thousands and at worst millions. Today, a mother in office steals in billions and “anti-graft” Chief Executive Officers coast home in trillions and earn promotion as a reward.
In the 1970s, contractors paid 10% to public officers after job completion. Today, politicians and super public servants give 10% of contract sum to contractors before the contract is awarded and share the balance of 90%.
Residences without boreholes must be owned by poor people when central water systems are better for every community. Power supply? We are just fine with higher bills and lower quantity/quality of voltage from the zoned electricity distribution companies.
But as the blurb to the Achebe book which should be retitled, “Lamentation for Nigeria” noted, resignation by citizens worsens the situation.
In fact, politicians want citizens to resign and look away while they plunder and make minimal effort to cover up. They expect Nigerians to accept the situation of things as divine moreso General Overseers and other high profile pastors are in the group of the super-rich to prove they serve a rich God.
Of course, some children were designed to live in palaces and study in Oxford and Harvard, while others were designed to be almajiris, access education, if at all as migrant children, and sleep in wheelbarrows.
On completion of their ‘free education’, they, by natural progression, must take over from their parents at the gate houses with the hefty title of Security Officers. The blessed of the country steal to cover their third to tenth generations, yet to line up to come to Nigeria as children while the cursed (?) continue as land cultivators, cattle guides, and petty traders who rush for the crumbs with the big name palliative. The beat goes on to agree with Robert Frost, who summarised life in three words, “It goes on.”
Dr Ubong, a writer and public policy analyst, lives in Uyo.