The Igbo nation of present
day south-eastern Nigeria have an ancient adage which states: ‘onwu si,
ekwumela uka, aghakwalaya’ which translates to: ‘death says, in any
discussions, do not neglect it'. This adage expresses the transient nature of
life. Life is but like a lit candle in the wind – it can be snuffed out at the
slightest flicker.
The awareness of the
ultimate end of life becomes a proof of maturity and helps shape mans
relationship with his environment. It imbues a realization of mortality and,
for some, a reason to do the best they can whilst they still have the breath in
them.
For others, who remain
glued to primordial fantasies, death is a taboo subject which is never
discussed in the public realm and only mentioned in hushed tones in the wee
hours of the night – lest death itself, hearing its name mentioned, will creep
into the conversation and consume whosoever mentioned its name. The failure to
appreciate the eventuality and finality of death exposes some to gluttonous
cravings and irrational mannerisms.
It is to the later group
discussed above, that the certainty of death causes the most harm. For the
former, whensoever death comes, there is in place a foolproof plan to confront
it.
Even as I write this piece,
I realize that if I suddenly had a tweak in my heart, and being all alone in
the office presently, no one would be able to call for assistance, and the
heart attack I may have, may be my way out of the present dispensation.
Such eventuality would certainly be a source of great sorrow to some,
whilst to others, particularly the kleptocrats (and their cronies) who are
robbing Nigeria blind, it will be a good reason to pop several bottles of
exotic wines, bought with looted funds, in celebration thereof.
For the larger society, a
death could likewise cause a great deal of sorrow and or celebration, depending
on whose time came up.
For well structured
societies, the death of a principal character will no doubt cause some
dislocation in the polity – which will be immediately contained by societal
structures. When for instance, the Pope passed on recently, there was in place
a structure to take care of the interregnum. The situation when Hugo Chaves
passed on in Venezuela was likewise easily contained with an in-built societal
mechanism. The United States, Britain, other European Union countries and most
other well structured political entities have sufficiently strengthened back-up
plans in the event of the death or permanent incapacity of their respective
heads of governments.
When a country is however
in transition or plagued by insidious internal dynamics, the death of the
principal figure in government could portend far more ominous consequences for
all concerned.
When on the 6th day of
April 1994, the then Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana, was killed in a
plane crash alongside his Burundian counterpart, Cyprian Ntayamira and eight
other persons, the mere ‘accidental’ death was to mark the beginning of one of
the most vicious orgies of mass killings man-kind has ever witnessed. By the
time the Rwanda genocide ended, over 800,000 people or a full one-tenth of the
Rwandan population had been annihilated.
Despite similar ethic
demographics in Burundi, the people of Burundi were able to contain reactions
to the death of their president, and the killings did not spill over across the
border from Rwanda.
In Nigeria today, some
interest groups and or ethnic blocs have threatened ‘war’, ‘cessation’,
‘bloodshed’ and the commencement of mayhem based on whether the President
continues in office beyond his current term or not.
Whilst one continues to
wish that the President lives long enough to see his 100th
birthday and beyond, with the posturing of various ethno-religious militias in
Nigeria in the course of the past few months, the multiple killings taking
place in the northern fringes of Nigeria and the threats emanating from all
corners of the Nigerian contraption, one cannot but wonder what will befall the
country in the event of the death of the President.
Would it make any
difference if the death was by reason of a bout of malaria (as is the case with
most Nigerians)? or an accidental slip in the bath tub? Choking on food? Or by
the Presidential plane falling from the skies (as happened in Rwanda)? Or
whatsoever
Can a Rwanda-style event
occur in Nigeria or are we prepared to take the Burundi route?
What can be done to prevent
this precarious state we find ourselves in today?
Again, let’s restructure
and renegotiate our contraption whilst the tide is low!
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