THE PATHWAY TO REVIVE THE LOST GLORY OF THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE
It is no gainsaying to say that the arranged Union of 1914 by powerful forces, during the reign of the foreign overloads that led to the Matrimony of 1960, was initially performing well for herself, she blossom and became a force to reckon with amongst the other 53 siblings within her continent. Realizing her “Manifest Destiny” to fulfil a “Historical Mission”, in which nature has bestowed upon it the necessary resources and endowment to do so. She maintained an Afrocentric Foreign Policy posture prioritizing her continent as the cornerstone of her foreign policy; promoting economic, political and social integration.
Sadly, in a twist of events, following years of political crises, civil unrest, corruption, insecurity, social dislocation, mismanagement and economic quagmire, to name a few; the Union is on the brink of division and dismemberment. The question remains, who will rescue the Matrimony from collapsing, even as her 200 Million children are on the lookup for a ‘messiah’ after all, the majority of them have had to bear the burden of the deteriorating Union.
They were tricked and deceived with lies and propaganda in 2015 by the Aristocratic Feudal Lords who promised them ‘CHANGE’ unfortunately, this became CHAINS in the hands of the innocent children. Now that the opportunity is here again through periodic elections after almost 8 years of anguish and agony, once again, the children are divided into different political camps with slogans coming from each quarter.
However, the 62-year-old bride asked her offspring if they are not about to put old wine in a new bottle. Some pertinent questions to be addressed are yet to be attended to, which now seems to be a mere rhetorical question; even though the truth they say is bitter, but then, shall we continue in sin while we expect grace and favour from the ‘Messiah’?
She said to her children, perhaps you forget so soon and fail to realise and learn from unpleasant recurring events. Now that they have been divided in a bid for political power, she has decided to watch and observe as the event unfolds between the so-called ‘Obedient’,
‘Articulated’ and ‘Batified’. She marveled as she wonders if she could still be regarded as the ‘Big Brother’ and Giant of her continent. All these are open-ended.
But then, come to think of it, at 62, what have I achieved so far? She soliloquized, as some of her children continue to walk in the path of ruins, while they are passing through a painful passage along a pin-full path, a divided procession, dancing through blooming thorns walking on glass chips towards the forest of cactus on their bare soles; they are being used as pawns in the hands of their high and mighty powerful paymasters, who are beclouded by their selfish interests, even as they continue to acquire huge debt for the unborn generation, without saving for the rainy day.
As she is yet to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of her children couldn’t bear the pain and agony but are equipped with the necessary skills and abilities to restore her lost glory, are relocating abroad in search of a greener pasture, using the ‘JAPA’ slogan, again she gnashed her teeth as she voiced loud- “will I be ever free from this brain-drain”?
Before the Union that brought emancipation in 1960, her Ancestors and Founding Fathers were nationalist leaders and they were united to an extent because of the struggle and agitation for autonomy, regardless of ethnicity, tribal differences or religion. However, shortly after independence, selfish interest and avarice replaced the common good, and national interest became personal property; as corruption, nepotism, insecurity and mismanagement and other abnormalities became normal in governance. Here she is today with the rising inflation and prices of commodities.
She asked, for how long are you going to continue? “The decision to make things right however starts with you my children, not only your political leaders but every one of you in this family has a role to play to contribute to the betterment of this Union.”
“Be the change you want to see in the world” she said to them, "engage yourself in the political system for you cannot continue to leave your future in the hands of political vegetables and economic parasites."
The future of your Mother’s Union is in your hands, said the beautiful bride, “think deep and ponder on the change you want, and ensure you get your PVC to perform your
civic rights and exercise your franchise; you are within your political right to do so and don’t let anybody choose for you or cajole you with flattering and sugarcoated LIES, neither should you trade your vote for a slice of bread or cowries that won’t even last you for a weekend, remember, the decision you make today will have an effect and impact on the unborn generation, positive or negative, and it will be another journey of 4-8 years.”
Yes, your vote counts, if not, no one will offer you “dibo ko sebe” (your vote for a pot of soup).
“Hence, I repeat, your vote counts, the change starts with you, so do your part.”
Contribute positively by playing your role and advocate for inclusive governance, a political society that will include everyone; both the young and the old, men, women, youths and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) - individually and collectively.
It takes everyone to get involved to bridge the gap in the electoral process, she said, and for me, "I want an inclusive opportunity for all this is the change I desire and a change
I want to be involved in, which I believe would lead to sustainable national development"….she pleaded.
The beautiful bride and Mother of many is perplexed but hopeful that her children would get it right, after all, all she ever wanted (want) was (is) for them to be successful, achieve prosperity and development and more importantly; she wants a “SOCIETY WHERE THE CHILD OF A NOBODY CAN BECOME SOMEBODY, WITHOUT KNOWING ANYBODY.”
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ayo OGUNTOLA is a diligent, articulate and analytical Civil Servant who is passionate about promoting gender equality, justice, human rights, sustainable development, and humanitarian interventions through advocacy and capacity building. He is a writer, scholar and lover of history. Likewise, he is an advocate of African peace and development, interested in sensitizing the young and old on policy issues, political participation, civic/voter education and empowerment. Ayo is ready to display unflinching loyalty and support for his country. He believes he can make a positive impact in his society, with the beauty of his pen. He uses the narrative-poetry style in his writings and he lives by his fervent belief that "the pen is mightier than the sword".
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