Angaladikibo, the Watcher of the Mangroves, laughed. He laughed so hard that tears were streaming down his cheeks, forcing all sitting quiet in the Parliamentary Hall to turn and look at him. They wondered what was so funny since no one spoke as they sat waiting for the appointed time to begin the deliberations on the ways to make the People of the City change their awkward manners. They hoped nothing has gone wrong with him.
“Angaladikibo, you have been engaged in your usual habit of watching the Mangroves. Suddenly you burst out laughing. What secret communication did you have with the Mangroves that tickled you so much that you have to laugh out,?” Injibabo, the Fisherman of the Waterfronts, asked.
Angaladikibo removed his attention from the Mangroves, looked at Injibabo and again burst out into laughter. He recollected himself and said “My brother, the ways of the People of the City are wonderful. Sometimes they will hit at the truth, but just wait a minute and you will see them veer off. The Mangroves just revealed to me a statement made by Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos High court. You know her. She was the one that has just sentenced to death the former Chief Security Officer, C.S.O, to the late General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Sofolahan, the aide of Mrs. M.K.O Abiola. You will remember that they have been standing on trial for about 12 years now, accused of murdering the lady. The judge took a look at them and said, “Those who shed blood are those who fear death most.” Imagine the beautiful truth she uttered! I say these People of the City are mysterious.
“However, that was not the main reason for my laughter. The Mangroves also told me what Hafsat (maybe she does not sit fully) Abiola, the daughter of the murdered Mrs. Abiola said. The Mangroves told me that deep down, the lady made the statement thinking the People of the City will ever hear a story and learn from the morale of the story. Can you imagine! So up till now she has not known that the People of the City never learn! No, they do not learn. They feel they know everything and are always on top of every situation, just as the police will tell you they are on top of the situation, whenever members of the Boko Haram come out openly to perform their murderous acts and vanish into thin air.
“The young lady, obviously pleased with the judgment, said, “Every story has a morale, I hope the morale of the story is that though retribution maybe slow in coming, one day everyone will get what they deserved. After all, in some parts of Nigeria, we also say ‘everyday for the thief but one day for the owner’. My brother, she was dead right, but the funny part was her inner most feeling that the People of the City would see the morale in the whole saga leading to the death sentence by hanging. No, she was wrong. The People of the City are stone deaf and completely blind to learning from experience.”
The Oldman of the Waterfronts got up. The appointed time has come and the ancestors have to be appeased before any deliberation would take place. Accordingly, he stretched his left hand and picked up the bottle of the local white brew, while his right hand picked up the little glass cup. He filled it and began his call on the ancestors.
“Take Odumodu, great ancestor of the People of the Waterfronts, he who dwells at the domain between the Land and the Sea. Teach the People of the City to learn from the past. He who neglects his past curses his future. They have stolen so much from the proceeds of your precious blood which they ignorantly named crude oil and have inherited crudeness. Take, drink and refine them.
“Otumo-Ogugu, Favourite of the Maidens, he who goes in and out of the Maidens, detecting the unfaithful ones, take and drink. We need your help to improve the memories of the People of the City. They easily forget in the afternoon, what happened to them in the morning, and forget what happened to them in the afternoon once they get to the evening. They do not know that it is a sure way to ensure decay in a society. Drink and help them make use of their senses.
“Osokolo, another Favourite of the Maidens, he who pursues the Maidens out of the Waterfronts, punishing the lazy ones, take and drink. It is time to work on the People of the City before they get to an irretrievable level. Take and drink”
The Oldman ended his libation and refilled the little glass cup. He drank all and allowed the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup to go round the Parliamentary Hall. A full glass went down the throat of each of them.
“People of the Waterfronts, I greet you all,” Injibabo, the Fisherman of the Waterfronts, said, after raising up his hand and was allowed to speak.
“People of the Waterfronts, it is really a serious issue, I mean the rate of forgetfulness of the People of the City. You will all recall that recently, at slaughter in Port Harcourt, during a storm, some tired electric poles let go of the tension wires they were holding and placed them on a bus fully loaded with passengers. We all saw the horror that occurred. Promises and promises were made to ensure that PHCN poles are all in order and no building erected under tension wires, not even trading.
“My brothers, what happened on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, made me realize that the People of the City never learn from experiences. There was rain storm very early in the morning and five poles protested and like the slaughter case, fell flat with their loads, the tension wires. But for it happening at the wee hours of the morning, it would have been another round of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. PHCN never thought it fit to constantly inspect and change their ancient electric poles, always waiting for horrors to occur, like blood thirsty hounds.
“Another reason why I believe the People of the City do not learn is the issue of the lone road to the Borikiri area of Port Harcourt Township. It beats me hollow that no government deems it fit to construct another road from the township to Borikiri, probably from Nembe Waterfront to the New Road area of Borikiri. The area has exploded with human population occasioned by the reclamation of lands. Thousands have trooped into the area to live, accompanied by thousands of cars. There is the Naval College, other secondary schools, primary schools, nursery schools, a full police station, fire brigade and a lot of others. The single road has been so overcrowded that going to Borikiri or coming out from there in the morning and evening, takes you hours. Yet that is a less than a five minutes’ drive away from Town, without the traffic grid-lock. Don’t they have use for their time? What of the inconvenience and stress of the commuters? Can such people be productive when they finally struggled to their working places? The traffic situation has far surpassed the famous Aba Road go-slow. How do we make these people to learn?”
Injibabo, the Fisherman of the Waterfronts, stopped talking, looked at the table and kept standing. The Oldman of the Waterfronts understood and the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup, moved to him.
Okolobo, He of the Creeks, got up to speak. “People of the Waterfronts, I agree with Injibabo. The People of the City do not learn. Instead of them to learn from history, history learns from them. Was it not just a few years ago that the civil war that consumed millions of lives ended? What led to it? Was it not the wanton killing of southerners by the northerners that led to it? Now if the youths of Boko Haram, assuming they are youths and were too young to recollect the sad episode in the nation’s life, are the members of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, also too young to know? How can supposedly wise elders sit down and watch their sons killing innocent people and forget the resultant consequence if others react?
“Finally, perhaps because of the dare devilry that took place in Kano, the ‘siddon look’ elders have finally spoken. You ask me what they said? My brothers and sisters, it is either they are afraid of the sect or they were forced to say something so that they would not be exposed as sympathizers to whatever cause the sect believes in. Yes, they agreed that members of Boko Haram “are inflicting terror, death and destruction upon people not in any way responsible for whatever injustice they believe have been done to them.” I wonder what injustice was specifically meted out to the members of Boko Haram! After seeing the near program committed by the sect, the ACF advised, “The federal government should commit itself openly and unambiguously in guaranteeing the security of leaders of Boko Haram when eventually they come out for dialogue promised by Mr. President,” Oh! So the members are afraid of death? Ah! I now sincerely believe the words of Justice Mojisola Dada that “Those who shed blood are those who fear death most”. The ACF even went ahead to advise the government to determine their demands or grievance and address those that may be genuine and in accordance with our laws”. I see. I think they are indirectly asking for amnesty for them, like the one granted the Niger Delta militants. It never occurred to them that whereas the Niger Delta boys had a genuine demand made plain from the beginning and never embarked on large scale killing and destruction of churches or mosques, police barracks, United Nations buildings, markets and private houses, like the Bokos.
“Grandpa, please I cannot go on again, my throat is dry talking about such atrocities.”
The Oldman of the Waterfronts sent the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup to him. ###
Kenneth Amabipi
