The Fly, the Messiah and the Golf Cart

    It is no longer news that president Buhari is currently not within the shores of the father land. It is also not news that he is in another continent for the India-Africa Forum Summit. The news is just not that he arrived safely but the manner in which my president arrived. Grandiose if you ask me! 

    The machines of simplicity and utter humility our president and his entourage were pictured in as well as how meekly arranged our demi-gods, sorry I meant to say governors appeared behind the machines in question has raised undoubtedly quite a number of eyebrows including mine of course. This post is my own contribution to the many opinions flooding Nigeria's social media platforms. Before I get to the nitty-gritty of my perspective, I'd like to start off with a little distraction ( a story or better put, an allusion).

   Just a few days ago, I sat by my window trying to kick off my new found hobby, something I have affectionately termed "mind escapism" (for lack of a better word) . I must admit that this act helps me ease off the boredom of job hunting and weight control. So there I was, all set for my journey, accompanied by my scalding cup of green tea.  Some minutes into memory lane, a nasty buzz-like sound dragged  me back to consciousness. You see, I tried to ignore it but like arthritis, the noise wouldn't go away. In what I can not rightly describe as anger, I walked the few meters to my window to inspect my arrogant guest and to my utter vexation, I realised it was a fly - a house fly to be precise. 

    I could have just gotten my can of insecticide to snuff out the life from the tiny criminal but something kept me clued to the spot. I noticed that my unwelcome guest was not just bothering yours sincerely, it had the intent of escaping ; just like me. Immediately I recognised this kindred spirit, I decided to watch how my little friend would manage such a herculean task.

   The fly frantically made suicidal attempts against my window panes, moving from the right to the left , top to bottom and back at where it started. Of course, the poor fly could see its freedom just within its grasp but for the instrument of man that had denied it exit. So for more minutes, I watched the fly struggle with my window and finally it  gave up and left the window in search of another exit. After dearest fly left my window, I walked back to my seat but this time, with a full heart and to a cold tea.

  The fly incident kept ringing in my head and believe me when I say that great ideas have been born from that experience but when I read about the president's trip to India and saw pictures, the fly incident resurrected in my head.

   I must admit at this juncture that I was not an advocate of the change heralded not so long ago. My reasons being that in my very few years of maturity , I have come to realise that what Nigeria needs is not a leader but a messiah so if the campaign headlines did not spell boldly "I am your Messiah" then I had no business voting. Why do we need a messiah you might ask . Nigeria needs a messiah because the problems we face are beyond corruption and it's associates but largely ideology. Every single Nigerian wants nothing but to satisfy his /her wants (despite the fact that economists warn that  wants are insatiable) . This "me madness" is why we need a messiah. Someone who would not just lock up corrupt politicians but instill in us the notion that we are one for all and all for one. Difficult right? I think so myself. 

   After months of leadership, every organisation seems to be sitting up which prompts me to ponder if truly actions truly speak louder than words in our dear country. Well,you can answer that but as far as I am concerned ,that is a rhetorical question. 

     Let us admit it, Buhari's presence seems to be making a difference so I am a bit hopeful for finally we are at the brink of dawn. This feeling of hope lifted my forlorn spirits till I saw yesterday's pictures and now, I am in a state of quagmire.

  As you can see in the above pictures, our president is obviously on a golf cart ! What? Oh yes that is not the latest Range Rover or Bentley convertible, it is a golf cart. I would not have been fazed but the truth they say is bitter and can't be hidden for too long. The truth is , never in all my life have I seen this scenario within the shores of this great nation. The familiar scenario is the president walking towards a black, tinted monster ride, surrounded by fierce looking men in black. The president would be surrounded so much that to get a clear picture of him would be every thing but possible. You could even get arrested for attempting to "Boko" harm the president if you tried too hard. 

    Really, no , like really? How could our almighty leader be sitting and smiling with such ease on a cart in another man's land? Could it be that Buhari is truly the messiah ? Perhaps, this could just be one of the many facets of international diplomacy which implies managing whatever they offer because we need their help. In fact it could be that India had only golf carts to offer Nigeria, and being Africans, we dare not complain. 

     If I insist on a particular notion, for instance, I stand on the premise that Buhari is indeed the new messiah pointing out that he is willing to go through many discomforts to get Nigeria allied with the world (many of such includes, seeking for help from the US despite their obnoxious warnings on homosexuality and of course sitting on a cart instead of the more comfortable leather of a befitting automobile ) , then of course I would have admitted that he has gotten on to a great start. Would I be right? Also add that by being on the cart, he has ruled out the mentality the western world have of African leaders as  being unnecessarily infused with the notion of too much importance hence the need for reverence. 

     I could stick to the argument that he is not the messiah and like leaders past, he is more concerned with how THEY see him not how WE see him. The ills of this argument is that the change we dreamt of and voted for is definitely in far sight. 

   Sadly, I just might insist on the notion that Africa still suffers the inferiority complex that we have for centuries been accused of. The complex that forces us to smile broadly when we are offered tomatoes and salad in another man's land even when we find such utterly unpleasant.  Where does this notion end as already, I am depressed. 

  My point is, with all these argument, notions and counter arguments flooding social media, I do know for a fact that only the president and his entourage can report to us the actual reason for the grand cart entrance. Unfortunately, like the fly, many Nigerians have gone back and forth without any concrete answers to the pictures.

     I insist that as Nigerians, we must understand that the growth of this country does not rest solely on the shoulders of one individual but on the collective shoulders of all. The headlines might be on Buhari pictured on a cart but have we considered the benefits of his presence in India? When we no longer make frantic efforts to search for loopholes, then and only then would we discover if there is an escape route or not. In the absence of an escape route, we must endeavour like the fly, to find another. My take is that these pictures no matter how interesting they appear should not be the central idea of Nigerian headlines, rather we must be concerned with how to contribute our quota to the building of our own Rome. I employ you all to remember that Rome was not built in a day, also, Rome was not built by claims and counter claims. It begins with you. God bless Nigeria! 

Picture credit : Sahara Reporters