‘Achebe is right, the politician is clever, he comes like he is doing us a favour like he is here for our good, he throws money around and uses religion and ethnicity to blind us, “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’
I ARGUED recently, with a friend of mine. What I thought was a healthy difference in opinion between brothers, but as it turns out I realise that I should have kept my opinion to myself.
We had disagreed on political candidates, he stated the reasons he was going to vote for his preferred candidate, and as is my culture I allowed him to finish his submission, and then I shared mine. The difference I think was that I had done some homework on the candidates before now and had some truths to share, especially documented previous actions and utterances by the candidates, which I find out we don’t bother to do as Nigerians.
And I don’t think its a Nigerian thing, people don’t bother to read or investigate things anymore, once we like someone we begin to paint them in the colour we want them to be, even when it’s obvious that they are a different colour. It’s almost like a young woman who falls in love with a known criminal, whatever reasons the parents, family members or friends present to her the girl like a wild elephant determined to go into the forest can’t be stopped by a hunter holding on to its tale.
Football fans understand this too, even when their team loses by 7-0, (please I am not referring to any particular club), they insist that the team is the best. The difference though is that with the young woman, that decision might cost her her life, but the worst case for the football fan is loss of money.
I underestimated the power of politics and what the politicians have done. And though I laid out my findings before my friend he shouted down every fact I tried to present, ignorant me, I didn’t get it. I should have stopped, but I took it like a football argument, after all, how many of these politicians care about us.
So I continued and scored my points again and again. My friend stormed away. I thought it was over, I saw him the next day and went for our usual man hug, and he walked by me like I never existed, I told myself he will overcome it, and tried the next day, but this time it was worse, he bluntly told me to stay on my lane.
It’s been two weeks now and though we used to sit close to each other in church, he has changed seats, the blood of Jesus that made us one, for some strange reason isn’t powerful enough anymore
Now other people have come to ask me, what I had done to him. I have gone through the discussion over and over again in my head, and I am willing to say I am sorry if that will win me, my brother, back.
I have tried calling and attempted visiting, but his door remains locked to me to this day
Strange how these people come with the pretence to serve us and in the end, they end up pitching us against one another
Achebe is right, the politician is clever, he comes like he is doing us a favour like he is here for our good, he throws money around and uses religion and ethnicity to blind us, “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”.
*Chiadika, is a Film and Television director and producer
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