Exclusive commentary for USAfricaonline.com, 1st African-owned, US-based newspaper published on the worldwide web
Have you read -lately- this “Igbo Bible”, known as Things Fall Apart which was published in 1958 by Chinua Achebe? Maybe you should. It may help you to understand the current religious and political madness in Nigeria.
In the novel, Achebe noted that Okonkwo, confronted with all the changes brought by the white man – new religion, new government, new names and new language, became confused. So are we, today.
Obierika’s response to Okonkwo’s quandary was apt. And, still is:
“How do you think we can fight when our brothers have turned against us? The white man is clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
Last week, into the second week of `January 2020, the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rendered a noxious and nauseating judgment against the election of Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State.
Significantly. it has been followed by predictable skeletal public outrage.
In our collective foolishness, it is Emeka Ihedioha’s political problem. But it’s not. The legal doctrine espoused by Supreme Court is much larger than Ihedioha. But more important is the danger of the societal belief in “prophetic prediction and judgment.” It is very troubling.
Be that as it may, for late legal sage, Justice Oputa, the Supreme Court is not infallible because it is the last; rather, it is the last because it is infallible. O. J. Chidolue, Esq., legal advisor and member of the editorial board of USAfrica multimedia networks, was a candidate for the Senate Of Nigeria in 2019.
