"Sanity is very rare; every man almost, and every woman, has a dash of madness"-Ralph Waldo Emerson.
For nine weeks that I stayed in United States, between last year and early this year, the glaring differences between the country and my country, Nigeria are of two qualities: discipline and strict adherence to rule of law. Through the textures of the two, the former is able to bequeath an organized society, where almost everyone is equal, while the privileged know their limit; the latter seems to be deficient of the two qualities, and the society appears lawless, the privileged ride roughshod on the hapless masses, and the systemic chaos prevails.
Assistance Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Magu, the Czar of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) would never forget "ides of March" not even in a hurry. Maybe he reads, I do not know, because it is commonplace that Nigerian leaders detest books, rather they enjoy flashy cars and company of bare literate ladies of easy virtue, and that does not remove the so called "men of God" from the endemic, and if you argue, gist me on why Apostle was alleged to have sent nude pictures to Jezebel who confessed to have been pampered with money in different currencies. But if Magu had read the book of Shakespeare on Julius Caesar, ides of March or 15th of March would have been figured out by him.
Caesar's wife who symbolizes moral figure in play had a nightmare that her husband, Caesar was slain at the senate of Rome by his closest allies, and she pleaded with the great Caesar to shelve his meeting with the Senators, but Caesar's ego was towering above the hill of pride; he could not present the picture of a coward. So, he was adamant in going to the senate, and exactly on the 15th of March, Caesar began to acknowledge the hail of the crowd on his way to the senate. Meanwhile, a blind soothsayer who symbolizes the conscience of a nation shouted within the thick of the crowd-"Caesar, beware the ides of March!" and Caesar replied, "but today is the ides of March".
The soothsayer responded-"it has come, but it hasn't gone". Truly, Caesar was slain by his closest allies in the senate, and when he faced Brutus, his closest friend and said, "a friend should bear a friend infirmities, Brutus, why are you making mine greater", he was answered with another sword. Today, is the ides of March at the Nigerian Senate where Magu, the man who placed his life on the line to fight corruption and retrieve monies and properties corruptly acquired by the friends and allies of our senators, was slain with refusal of his confirmation.
However, I would have been surprised if Magu is confirmed, because it would have been easier for the harlot to be mistaken for a virgin than having him confirmed, for Magu had initially invited the wife of the Senate President, Toyin for questioning on some suspected fraudulent transactions; the Senate President himself is an accused at the Code of Conduct Tribunal; some of the former governors who retired to the senate knew Magu is watching them suspiciously, and some of the Senators who had abused their offices on constituency projects knew Magu was only bidding his time. So, majority of the Senators are palpitating with mortal fear about the person of Magu. They knew he was the person in the costume of Ribadu's masquerade, and they knew he is a serious minded anti-corruption crusade.
Just the way the Roman Senate came up with the narrative of over ambition of Caesar, having been honored with the title, Dictator of Rome, Nigerian Senate held onto security report of State Security Service (SSS) which obviously has an axe to grind with Magu, based on the crave for relevance; they insisted on chasing out the man who has recovered highest looted funds in the history of the EFCC, and the nation; even when the Minister of Justice recommended Magu in line with the dictate of the President.
Watching the proceeding where Magu was slain, one would be marveled at the energies the senators dissipated on rejection of Magu, when a Judge was practically weeping in Lagos on the way and manner Coca-Cola Bottling Company has been poisoning Nigerians through benzoic acid which made United Kingdom to destroy coke, sprite and fanta worth of 12 million naira,exported by a citizen Fijabi. If it were to be a sane clime, the Senate ought to have debated it fiercely and move a motion for national mourning day. But, Magu, the "kukulaja" of corrupt politicians and unscrupulous business men matters, and must be quickly slain.
I read that the quantity of poisonous acid in the soft drinks giving to Nigerians is a guarantee for cancer, and cancer is a terminal disease. Therefore, common people who celebrate wedding or child christening, funeral or graduation, festivals or religious engagement with soft drinks from the bottling company are setup for early graves. In fact, the company's counsel argued that the complainant did not inform them that the stock would be taken abroad, and that brought tears to the face of the judge who lamented corruption of NAFDAC, but the Senate is less concerned, because Magu, the anti-corruption Czar must be slain. What a country!
It is a pity that Nigeria is in short supply of people of integrity, and the nation is so reconfigured with the machinery of corruption that people are confused, and morality is fast becoming a causality. Anyway, Anthony, Caesar's loyalist had said that he was not at the senate to wrong the "Senators, but to bury Caesar. Though, yours sincerely is not a loyalist of Magu, I have come to mourn the death of sanity in my nation. Nigerians will fare better next time if men of pedigree are elected to represent them at the national and State assemblies coupled with men of impeccable character at the executive branch, but before then, let's continue to mourn the death of sanity in this country that is being managed by the Democratic pretenders.
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