THE WONDER OF QUNU AND THE DOOFUS OF BAYELSA

 There are times when one just has to doff one's hat to a genuinely great human being; one that transcends all boundaries: political, social, religious, and ethnic. Such icons (for want of a better word, and not in the clichéd sense) are, and were, just what they are, and were: fine specimens of what a human being just ought, and not ought, to be. They were (are) not only leaders of unparalleled repute, they were (are) also indefatigable drivers of opinion and excellence. We still have them among us, but in lamentably short supplies. It is the dearth of such fine men, and women, in our society today that has seen a resurgence and pre-eminence of macabrely mediocre individuals and downright evil persons in our national polity. John Kenneth Galbraith couldn't have put it more succinctly: "All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront, unequivocally, the major anxieties of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership."

Cue Madiba, the wonder of Qunu that is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who turned 94 last week. What better contemporary epitome of a servant, leader, reconciler and driver could there be? Respected and acknowledged the world over (even scientists named a species after him!); fought for his people's freedom for 67 years, more than 27 of which he spent in solitary confinement. Released from prison in '90, became President in '94 and stood down in '99! In the truest sense of his humility, he has stayed in the background, giving sage advice when approached, and enjoying his well-earned retirement in peace and tranquillity. He has religiously adhered to the principle of 'the source of a light always remains in the shadow.' Retirement has not diminished him; if anything, it has, exponentially, inflated his worth to humanity.

Cue President Attah Mills of Ghana, whose demise yesterday hit the nation of Ghana like a 10-Richter scale earthquake. This gem of a human being, whose genial disposition and diligent application of his vision inspired millions of his countrymen (at home and in the diaspora) to believe in the project of the transformation of their country, will be sorely missed. The transition of power to the Vice President went like clockwork; acrimony and horse-trading were agreeably absent. Could that be a possibility in Nigeria?  

Cue Jonathan, the doofus of Bayelsa that is the 'President' of Nigeria. According to the Italian proverb, ‘L'uomo giusto al momento giusto’ (The right man comes at the right time), but in Nigeria's case, it is ‘L'uomo sbagliato è arrivato al momento giusto’ (The wrong man came at the right time) When Nigerians pined for a messiah, we got a betrayer; when we thirsted for relief, we got an albatross of grief; when the young and the old alike thought the era of hope had finally arrived, little did they know they were heralding in the worst possible human being that could have occupied the office of the President of Nigeria. Our pockets have been picked, and our hope of progress thrown into the long grass. We're not even back to square one; square one has long since disappeared before our eyes! This man's impudent recklessness and imprudent use of Presidential powers will ensure that it will take us another 30 years, at least, before we get back to where we were 10 years ago.

Mandela retired in his village, among his people. Our politicians are building up nest eggs abroad that their next 10 generations could not possibly exhaust, at the expense of innocent Nigerians. They are beyond redemption, and it's a careless waste of time preaching to them; for they have no virtues, and so impossible to reconcile them with reality. How does one expect this Chinese proverb to resonate with them: ‘Discourage others from the slightest evil; assist them in doing the slightest good.’?

Mandela, when his time does finally come, (please, God, make it a very, very long time) will be buried with tears of sadness, appreciation and love, within and outside of his beloved country’s boundaries. Attah Mills will be given a well-deserved send-off, with funfair and pageantry, no doubt. Show me which of our political thieves will merit such; instead they’d be seen off with tears of joy, relief and a million miles of bunting. Such is the level of derision they have attracted. These enemies of the people shall reap what they sowed. There can be no doubt about that.