Jarlath Opara
The meeting of Mr. President with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria recently has been at the front burner of national discourse. Making the meeting even more viral was the interview of John Cardinal Onaiyekan with Charles on Arise TV Prime Time. True to his character, he spoke plainly, without tongue in cheek. He unbundled in unmistakable terms what he believed to be the motive of Mr. President and why the votes may not count even if elections were free, fair and credible.
The message of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria was clear. The concerns raised were poignantly articulated, and not a single one was detached from the reality of everyday Nigerians. They spoke our daily pains, our collective anxieties and the burdens we carry. Yet Mr. President, with a different binocular, painted the picture of a rosy economy, a watertight security architecture and an independent electoral commission that inspires confidence.
To his lapdogs who would senselessly struggle to defend the obvious iniquities, breathe life into administrative lacklustre and paint stinking sepulchres, we remain unswayed. We know what we feel. We know what we experience. The spate of insecurity and the rising tide of hunger in Nigeria are too glaring to be denied.
If Cardinal Onaiyekan, according to Bwala, was speaking only for Catholics and not for all Christians, then it clearly shows where Catholics stand. We do not need the validation of other denominations to know that we are hungry, that kidnapping is becoming a daily reality and that insecurity has become the unwelcome companion of many families.
I have only one thing to tell the audacious Mr. President: “Mono no Aware”.
It is a Japanese philosophy that acknowledges the impermanence of all things. It is a gentle reminder that no office, no authority and no earthly power is eternal. Every reign has its sunset, and history eventually becomes the final judge of every leader.
There is an end to everything.
Like the ostrich that buries its head in the sand, one may choose to ignore reality, but reality remains. The glaring failures of governance cannot be hidden forever. Sooner or later, truth emerges, and when history writes its verdict, it does so not with propaganda, but with facts.
No position is permanent. Buhari ruled for eight years. Those that helped him ground this country were busy hyping him. Today he is gone and those bad and attacking dogs of his administration are complaining.
Bwala Daniel, history repeats itself in an unusual manner. When it comes, kindly accept it. The economy is rosy for you guys while millions of Nigerians roast in abject poverty and you are feeling happy and proud of it? Tomorrow is sure to come, and this “flourishing economy” branded for you and your supporters of evil will soon end.
If there are members of this religious body CBCN– Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria that are either hobnobing or holding positions of leadership in this administration, the most honourable thing to do is to resign. Integrity is sacred, only those with good conscience hold it close to their heart for all the juicy appointments and ingratiations of this world.
Jarlath Opara
jarlathuche@gmail.com
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