Angaladikibo, the Watcher of the Mangroves, walked into the Parliamentary Hall of the People of the Waterfronts and sat down. He has some minutes to spare before the commencement of deliberations at the appointed time. It is surprising that though the People of the Waterfronts know that deliberations would never start even a minute earlier or later, they always arrive early, well before the appointed time to be well-relaxed and be focused. They do not engage in the nasty habit of the People of the City who always rush in and out of events, scattering their attention and the attention of the others.
Angaladikibo adjusted his seat and became pre-occupied with his favourite pastime, gazing at the mangroves. He was not disappointed. The mangroves saw him gazing at them and decided to open up to him. The Mangroves hold the deeper secrets of life. They have patiently stood still observing the despoliation all around, caused by the People of the City as they search for and drill the precious blood of Odumodu, the great ancestor of the People of the Waterfronts. They stood still and observed the angry and distorted faces of the fishermen and women who wade through the spilled precious blood of Odumodu in search of fishes in vain. The fishes would not stand the sight of the blood of Odumodu and so kept their distance to the dismay of the fishermen and women. All sea creatures also took the hint and famine set in, inviting terror everywhere.
The Mangroves, out of pity for mankind, always reveal their wisdom to those who approach them. The People of the City have no access to such profound wisdom as they engage in their rat race. This is why there is always confusion in the City and they fumble from one silly policy to another, worsening the situation every passing day. Angaladikibo knew the value of nature and the Mangroves always crown his efforts by revealing secrets to him, secrets not revealed even in schools.
“Angaladikibo, today we will reveal to you a little of the reasons behind the confusion in the city and why killing is becoming their favourite habit”, the mangroves began speaking to Angaladikibo as he gazed intently at them through the window.
“Let us tell you Angaladikibo, when you break a spiritual law, it does not matter whether you did it deliberately or not, it sets up several events in series and affects your health. It is not only your health, it may affect your finances, your mental and emotional well-being. The People of the City go about daily, breaking their own laws. They forgot the saying, ‘As above, so below’. A law is a law, physical or spiritual and breaking it has its own consequences. The police and other security agents would drive against traffic, the so-called big man would always come late to the office, the leaders, whether political leaders, religious leaders or traditional leaders, would feel they are above the law and do whatever they desired. The cumulative effect is what you see being displayed in the City. You see utter lawlessness and lack of progress in the City. A very simple thing like the provision of electricity becomes as difficult as providing rockets or going into the moon. It is the reason you see dilapidated roads and gutters that have no outlets. Things that other countries, even smaller ones take for granted, become a complex mathematics for the People of the City. Tell them to have a re-think before they drag the dooms day nearer.
“Angaladikibo, today we will reveal to you the major reason you see death and destruction everywhere. You have heard sane men say you do not have to travel far to be wealthy. What it takes to be wealthy is right beside you. We hope you have not forgotten the story of the ‘Acres of Diamond’? Just for a recap in case you have forgotten, a man sold his farm land and went in search of greater wealth when he had a religious man speak of treasures in distant lands. He followed the man, suffered and died of penury. Meanwhile, the man he sold his farmland to, did some diggings and found out acres of diamond buried in the farmland and became very healthy.
“We narrate this story to remind you that what will make you richer, what will make you a better person or what will bring ruin to you, are all within you and by your side. All effects are results of actions taken consciously or unconsciously in the past or present. Now let us tell you why the People of the City are engaged in killing themselves and show you that they brought it upon themselves. Everywhere in the City, at the local government level, at the state level and at the federal level, you hear of stakeholders meetings being held. Angaladikibo, can you imagine that? How can sane men and women looking for peace and prosperity hold stakeholders meetings? The People of the City are indeed opposite people! They do not sit down and reflect before doing things. Perhaps it is their misuse of the precious blood of Odumodu that has turned their heads and like children, they act before thinking.
“Angaladikibo, do you know the meaning of a stake? A stake is an instrument of execution consisting of a vertical post that a victim is tied to for burning! Can you see why cases of killings and destructions abound in the City? How on earth can you invite people holding stakes, an instrument of execution, to come together and find solution to killings? Are they not the killers? Are they not the destroyers?”
Angaladikibo, the Watcher of the Mangroves jumped up and shouted “Odumodu”! Before he realized that the thoughts were within him. He felt embarrassed as several eyes gazed at him and he quickly took his seat. He was saved by the abrupt standing up of the Oldman of the Waterfronts as the appointed time came.
The left hand of the Oldman of the Waterfronts went for 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 to take charge of the deliberations.
“Odumodu, great ancestor of the People of the Waterfronts, dweller at the domain between the land and the sea, you so much loved us your descendants, that you drained your precious blood, folded your bones and turned them into Mangroves, while your flesh became the mud. You buried your precious blood in the mud, beneath the mangroves, knowing that it would be the mainstay of your people in the future. The greedy eyes of the People of the City saw it, coveted it and ignorantly called it crude oil. Out of annoyance you have turned them to crude people with crude ways and they are crudely mismanaging the proceeds. Take, drink and let their crudeness stay with them alone.
“Odumodu, he who makes his presence felt at every promontory, especially the seventh promontory when your descendants remember to pour a drop of the local white brew, we know that whatever the People of the City are going through is of their own making. Take, drink and let their foolish ways stop at their doorsteps and never affect your descendants.
“Otumo-Ogugu, Favourite of the Maidens, he who goes in and out of the Maidens exposing those who deceive their suitors that they are still virgins, take and drink. Just as no Maiden could deceive you, we implore you to be vigilant so that the ways of the People of the City do not affect us, your descendants.
“Osokolo, another Favourite of the Maidens, he who pursues the Maidens out of the Waterfronts, reminding them of their domestic chores, take and drink. In times of distress, elders must meet to chart the way forward. Join your co-ancestors to save your descendants”
The Oldman of the Waterfronts refilled the little glass cup and warmed his stomach with the content and allowed the bottle of the local white brew and the little glass cup to go round the Parliamentary Hall.
It was Angaladikibo, the Watcher of the Mangroves, that got up first to speak. For several minutes, he just gazed into space before he was able to speak.
“People of the Waterfronts, I greet you all. Pardon my inability to speak. I wanted to speak about the dialogue between the federal government and the killer sect, Boko Haram. I could not, because Boko Haram has denied the existence of such dialogue. I wanted to tell you that the United Nations are marking one year of the terror attack of their building, but I was confused because while they called it terror attack, they said the perpetrators are not terrorists. I wanted to talk about the insane proposition of N5,000 notes, but I have to hold myself because the aim is to enable the politicians to carry more money unnoticed in a supposed ‘cashless society’.
“People of the Waterfronts, I know that there are unseen masters who take care of the beauty, aesthetics and ethics of great cultures. They nurture and sustain them. Lesser mortals in their expression of truth duplicate them and the world goes on in the un-ending struggle between good and bad between truth and falsehood. Truth prevails at last and so there is no need to worry. The People of the City would have their due.”
The Oldman of the Waterfronts filled the little glass cup and swallowed all as Angaladikibo sat down. ###
By Kenneth Amabipi
0803 668 7846
Email: kennymaps@yahoo.co.uk
