A Concise Summary of the Nigeria(n) Situation! (SNS) by Oladimeji Abiola

by ahjotnaija

Mr Abiola Oladimeji is a scholar resident in Germany and guest-blogs for http://www.ahjotnaija.wordpress.com

The mystery behind the prevalence of poverty in Nigeria despite the country being rich can easily be unraveled. There is a class of people who rule Nigeria. They come from different parts of Nigeria, belong to different religions, but they belong to one exclusive club. They have been described as the Ogas by John Campbell, former US ambassador to Nigeria between 2004 and 2007, in his book Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink.

Oga is a Yoruba word for Boss, but I would rather translate this word as feudal lord, because it best portrays the relationship between the ruling class and the masses. The Ogas operate Nigeria for themselves and by themselves. Thus, there is no country. One of the nationalists who fought for the independence of Nigeria observed even before independence that Nigeria is a mere geographical expression and not a nation. That description is still valid today.

Nigerians mainly generate electricity privately, thanks to their generating sets. Most Nigerians get water from wells, it is not the duty of the Government in Nigeria to provide portable water for her subjects. Yes, I refer to them as subjects because they are not citizens. Lest we forget, Nigeria is not a country.

There is a police force but each community organises a vigilante group to maintain security at night. The health care system is as good as comatose/dead. Of course, the Ogas get treatment in the Western countries. Is anyone still amazed that Nigerians are poor? In fact they are just fortunate to be alive, because the Ogas rule by *divine ordination* and they owe their servants no responsibility.

The Ogas rule by divine ordination in the sense that they rule Nigeria in collaboration with the clergy (wo-)men. They even swear the oath of office with either the Bible or the Quran. The clergy does not hesitate to consolidate this oppression by the Ogas in power by preaching obedience to constituted authority, as if it were a legitimate government. I need not remind you that the clergy, especially pastors, in their own domain milk the masses. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS), suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), once narrated in a series of the Ted Talk how a well known pastor foiled the prosecution of a bank top executive, namely Erastus Akingbola, who committed serious financial crimes.

The votes of Nigerians do not really count. The Ogas have their own way of getting votes, perhaps from heaven! Remi Fani-Kayode (Fani the Power) declared confidently in the first republic that his political party did not need the votes of the people of the Western Region, because angels would come down to vote! The current Ogas have only learned not to insult Nigerians directly anymore, but to phrase their own statement in this manner: *This election would be a do or die affair!*

Stating it clearly at this point, we have the same pattern that existed in the French society before 1789, when Monarchs, the aristocrats and the clergy owned the state. Just like Louis XIV declared that he was the state, the Ogas are the state. A monarch was said to be begging the current president to stand for election in 2015, because the president has performed *excellently* in his opinion.

Really, this monarch knows what he is talking about. The trade between both camps has been excellent. The president has been visiting some people recently. If you have been reading the news, you would surely know those people and those places. You would also agree with that there are three Estates in Nigeria too, just like it was in France. The only difference is the swap of position by the traditional rulers and the aristocrats, the clergy has maintained its position.

It appears we do not have men like Voltaire, Rousseau or Montesquieu, but nobody should disturb him/herself mobilising anybody. Just like Fela Anikulapo sang: These uprisings would bring out the beast in us. Nigeria is a brutal capitalist enclave with no value for human life. This is their own enclave, we need our own country.

No surprise, we have a lot of hungry almajiris ( young chaps who are either orphans or neglected by their parents) all over the country and not necessarily in the northern part of Nigeria, while we have more than 10 jets in the presidential fleet. Two wild animals even spend millions on feeding annually in the presidential villa, when human beings are hungry!

The Ogas appear so powerful, but their days are numbered. The Lord-servant union must be broken either by the Ogas themselves or the servants would revolt. Is anyone asking me when the servants would revolt? Save yourself and myself the displeasure of an invitation by the State Security Service (SSS). They should not even disturb themselves, the servants will revolt spontaneously. Perhaps, someone doubts that the servants would revolt, an ex-president said it himself: This army of unemployed youth would consume us [the Ogas]. The Boko Haram violence is certainly a sign of this revolt. Although, Boko Haram appears to be a project by some factions of the Ogas’ club, but the lesson out of it is that there is an army, which is ready for battle. The time would surely come, freedom always has a price and the price must be paid. The servants shall one day be free!

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