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Promise Adiele
The Holy Bible, that sacred manual of universal acclaim, infinitely rich in wisdom, yet not lacking in contradictions and controversies, means many things to different people. While some people genuinely see it as a source of spiritual revival, some people, established in reprobate duplicity, see it as a book to be misinterpreted to enrich their private enterprise.
It is incontrovertible that the Holy Bible provides a moral compass of salvation for millions of people around the world. For Christian scholars in the humanities and social sciences, the book is read on two fronts, first as an article of faith and second as an academic document in which case bias and sentiments are summarily set aside. It is on the second front that I have read the biblical account of Jonah the son of Amittai.
For those who are not familiar with the story of Jonah, God instructed him to go to Nineveh to deliver a message of warning over their wickedness. However, Jonah disobeyed God and boarded a ship to Tarshish. On his way to Tarshish, God sent a heavy tempest on the sea which almost wrecked the ship. The captain of the ship and other mariners quickly cast a lot to identify whose presence had attracted God’s anger. The lot fell on Jonah and his identity was made known to everybody on board. It was only after he was thrown into the tempestuous sea that calm returned.
Jonah’s story, in many ways, reminds one of the situations we have found ourselves in Nigeria seeing that the Nigerian ship of state is caught in a tempest as a result of the presence of some unidentified miscreants on board. Our ship of state is currently swayed to multiple directions and the lives of millions of people endangered. Worried about the Nigerian ship, the US went to work to cast a lot to identify these faceless Jonahs whose presence threatens to wreck the ship. True to their commitment to upholding democratic principles, justice, and accountability across the world, the US identified these faceless incarnate of mischief and roguery. According to the US, “these individuals operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights”. Nothing could be more damning.
We appreciate the efforts of the US to recognize the rudderless nature of the Nigerian ship of state and the attempts to fish out all the Jonahs on board for whose sake we now suffer. However, The US undermined their efforts by not mentioning the names of these agents of chaos. One would have expected the US to mention their names, publish them in the US, and all the news outlets in Nigeria. By not publishing their names, these people are protected and saved from disgrace which is the main reason why I think the exercise was undertaken.
Although some names have emerged, trending on social media, they are not official since they didn’t emanate from the chambers of those who carried out the casting of the lot. Without a doubt, it is easy for any conscientious observer of trends in Nigeria to list the names of these agents of morbid culture, but since the US didn’t mention their names, it will be improper to mention any name.
The question to ask is; do these people realize that they are the reasons why the Nigerian ship of state is caught in a tempest and all manner of socio-political misdirection? Even if they know, they shamelessly adorn the putrid garment of indifference. Ironically, they are venerated and worshipped by a deluded polity, celebrated as demigods, and their inerrant disposition further imperils the country. Yet they hold all the aces both in politics, economy and the larger society.
As far as the US is concerned, these people are criminals, and usurpers of our collective will irrespective of what many people may think about them. In as much as we thank the US for this kind gesture, it leaves a lot to be desired since their names were not mentioned. In the Bible, when the captain of the ship and other mariners identified Jonah as the cause of their impending tragedy, they didn’t conceal his identity. They knew that if they left him on the ship, many travellers will perish in the case of any eventuality. What did they do? They threw him into the raging waters and immediately, calm returned at sea.
If the US, having identified these unscrupulous elements, mentioned their names, banned them from entering the United States and then, institute legal actions against them for economic crimes, criminal complicities and political brigandage, surely, they will be found guilty, sent to jail and the Nigerian ship will experience relative peace. By so doing too, the country will be spared of those whose presence pollute and indoctrinate our land.
For not mentioning and shaming these people, the US has knocked on the door without any intention to open it. I am sure other world powers like the UK, Germany, and Canada, will act accordingly. But we sincerely hope that when they cast their lots and identify the offending citizens whose presence has caused suffering in the land, their names should be mentioned and widely published. If they occupy any public office, they should be made to relinquish such positions and face the law. This way, a measure of sanity will be restored to the polity.
If Jonah in the Bible was identified through the casting of a lot, then we must take that practice seriously. Lot casting is a practice employed by the ancient Greek diviners to know the mind of the gods. It was also a practice in the Judeo-Christian tradition which the Jews employed for divine revelation. In Yoruba land, famed for its rich belief system and cosmology, the Opon-Ifa prognostic divination essence plays that role effectively. Whether the Opon-Ifa is still active in the present day is a matter of interpretation. However, the Ifa oracle was at its accurate divinities’ best in Ola Rotimi’s play, ‘The gods are not to Blame’. Confronted by sickness and death, the people of Kutuje sought to know the reason why there was much ailment and tragedy in their land.
When Baba Fakunle, the Ifa priest was consulted, although the oracle had revealed to him the identity of the man whose presence caused deaths in the land, he refused to mention names. It was only when he was provoked and called a pig that, in a fit of temper, he mentioned King Odewale as the murderer of the former king and for his presence, the land suffered. Let us pray that those indicted in the visa ban will provoke the US to mention their names.
Certainly, we need to know their names and punish them because it was only when King Odewale’s identity was revealed that normalcy returned to Kutuje. We cannot be praying for advancement in Nigeria when a remorseless coterie of demagogues bestrides the corridors of our socio-economic and political structures. For their sake, the gods are angry with us.
Dr. Adiele writes from Lagos via [email protected]
