Prince Charles Dickson
“Nigeria is the only country in the world where the best is impossible and the worst never happens.”My friend, Dr. Dabin, is Plateua state PDP chairman, on the weekend, he told a story of the Igala of Kogi state.
The Igala has a dancing festivalduring which members of the community dance all night, starting from mid-night to the next morning. The dance should be uniform by all dancers. However there is a caveat, as at some point as dawn beckons, the beat changes; that’s where the danger lies, and the essence of the festival. If you miss the beat and don’t change your dance steps to the new beat and continue the old dance you are used as a sacrifice/you are offered and killed to appease the ‘gods’.
While I ruminated over the narrative, for me, it was not about the killing, it was about the change of the beat and the naïve dancer.
So, it’s the five weeks, we are still looking to #BrinBbackOurGirls. The United States, one thought had the magic wand – storm Chibok, Niger, Cameroun and Chad and fish out Shekau and his bandwagon of insane goons. While that didn’t seem to have happened, one thing though has occurred.
Okay, this is it: Rann is a border town with Cameroun and about 160 kilometers northeast of Maiduguri, Borno state capital, Boko Haram came calling; as usual with their Hilux vehicles and motorcycles laden with explosives.Infact, we are informed that they had the benefit of an Amoured Personnel Carrier, APC, (and by the way, I am beginning a campaign to ask car manufacturer Toyota why their Hilux has become a terror operational vehicle for BokoHaram).
The dreaded Boko Haram was overpowered by vigilante and what we know as Civilian JTF.This is the catch… “They foiled the attack on the town by confronting the suspected insurgents with weapons and CHARMS TO BLINDFOLD THEM FOR OVER HALF AN HOUR.”
In the end, over 200Boko Haram men were killed.About 10 of the insurgents with guns could not fire any shot. And please don’t ask me why…
Before the attack residents had fortified the town against any attack.So, must of the towns and villages in the Kalabalge Local council have been fortified “spiritually” with dane guns, double barrel rifles and bow and arrows.
Srikingly, this story was corroborated by a military that was near mutiny due to so many reasons including poor firepower against a seemingly more formidable foe.
It happened while we were waiting for American commando and marines. It happened while #bringbackourgirls as a message or campaign had hit over 2million retweets.
My fear is that the beat may have changed and we are still dancing to the old tune, as we engaged on the propriety or otherwise of Mr. President not going to Chibok or going to Le’shibok in Paris, the conspiracy theorists spurn more stories. Shettima was in London doing CNN when none of the actors think much of our own NTA on this matter, not that I do either.
If the beat has changed, the use of voodoo and/or juju represents part of the new beat to #bringbackourgirls. I am not asking you to believe in African scud missile or Baba Ijebuskype that uses only a basin of water or mirror; no need for electricity or internet connectivity.
But it’s time I ask, where are the jujumen, the voodoo? Those juju men from Igala, the Ijebus noted for their “I go show you” jazz. Where are the Benin arrangement, una wan carry last?
Maiduguri, as is Kano, despite strong Islamic core, has reputable seer zones. I know a place where policemen go in Zaria to get “cooked”. I mean fortified from bullets and all sorts.
Where are the prophets that see everything, and anything including why Jonathan should not contest. Can’t they see where Shekau is or is it that the Sambisa forest coordinates are too strong?
If voodoo worked in Rann, should our spiritualists not be called to help,can’t our prosperity drone preachers weigh in?They perform miracles and magic; how about the mallams? We really need them now as the beat has changed.
We need that association of witches and wizards that endorsed Jonathan in the last election to fly their drones and help locate our girls and destroy Shekau.
So, while we ‘politic’ on security, state of emergency, across party lines, etc., I end this admonition on this note: When I was in elementary school, I got into a major argument with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learned that day.
I was convinced that “I” was right and “he” was wrong – and he was just as convinced that “I” was wrong and “he” was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson.
She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see it was black. She asked the boy what colour the object was. “White,” he answered.I couldn’t believe he said white, when it was black!
Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the colour of the object.
The teacher interchanged our positions and now asked me what the colour. I said, “White.”
It was an object with two differently coloured sides – from his viewpoint it was white while mine was black.
Have we done enough to #bringbackourgirls, or just arguing about who stole what and the colour of Shekau’s canvass? The beat has changed; let’s call the jujumen, the bokas, or else, would I still be writing on Chibok? Only time will tell.