‘Nigerian politics “they say” is a dirty or filthy game, my religion doctrines do not permit the full
participant, even partisan politics, they do not,’ a circumcised church goer (mostly) would stoutly
and stereotypically pronounce sharply to save time in a discourse that needed brilliant
standpoint and assertion without borrowing any petty sentiment therein.
Religion, an endoparasite. Sighs!
The system of government introduced by the whites? Now had a “bad egg” as a tag? Funnily
enough, the same white men that came alongside religion? How absurd!
We had our own mind, and this is the truth we all are running from, like the prodigal son who
failed to recognize the fact that a home is a stool for the bottom. We had our own angelic, pure
mind; bulbous African mind without any tiny taint on it before the advent of the colonial masters.
We had our own traditional religions in which we were flourishing and abounding, and delighted
having —myriads of gods in one body, an embodiment embodying manifolds of gods who
we[a]re ambassadors and Intermediaries on Earth. We believed there was a spirit named God,
[Elédùmarè, Chukwu, Ubangiji, Obasi, etcetera], in time immemorial. And, of late we’ve chosen
the strangers’ over the familiar ones. Hence, come the Yoruba proverbs, “èsù táa mò, ó da ju
Ángélì tí asè fé mò lo”. Now, “aso ò gb’Omóye mó, Omóye ti rin Ìhòhò wo’jà”.
We have, no doubt, over time, turned the metaphors of the few lines from Birago Diop’s poem
“What heart [or ear] will listen to our clamoring, sad complaining voices of beggars?” Of course,
ears and hearts are out of reach! You see, It is better to fail in reality than to succeed in imitation
(and in fact, we had no record of success in “imitation”, and why then can we not cling to our
real self, perhaps we can see a beaming light of hope ahead?) We have taken it a huge
responsibility upon ourselves to caricature, imitate and mimic the western ways of doing —that
is why we are yet to find our own real self; our own senses of thinking, how we can handle
things on our own without the inclusion of western culture. Is it how we use foreign languages
[English, especially] as a yardstick for intelligence? Is it how political character set ablaze
common humanity herein, and sowed the seed of hatred therein? Or the little light and value we
now see in our race and culture, we need to talk about?
“Colo mentality…” the late Fela Kuti would compliment mockingly. While owing to the waves of
civilization, it now had the new name “colo mental”. For once, I have always seen reality in the
foregoing Fela’s mantra, a reality of our own existence. How we inhabit gross fallacy at the
expense of getting the attention of citizens while vying for political powers. How civilization
made injustice, corruption, social vices, etcetera, more sophisticated among the adults and the
youth. How our senses of reasoning are bookishly intertwined with unrefined and greedy ideas
that are not ideal for mankind.
And western education, is by no doubting Thomas not a curse but a blessing on our own part.
But overtime, we have chosen to be disciples of western religion over the inestimable and unprecedented power of education. We now overlook the fact that education is a truth, way
maker, and enlightenment for all. We failed to allow our minds to become a circumcisee of
education, or likewise embrace the quantity rather than the quality it can offer. Rather, we let
religion have the largest home in our body, thereafter politics breaching humanity apart.
What or who then will be our saviour when the thunderbolt of incendiary waylay us in the jungle
of abandonment?
Peace.
©Moji Wizard, 2021.
Glossary:
*A long time enemy is preferable to an Angel you're getting prepared to know (or to be
introduced to).
*The raiments are ill-fitting for Omóye, and then chose to walk naked to the market.
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