By Ethelbert Okere
Two statements recently credited to Mr. Peter Obi – he needs no description – have heightened the fear that public commentary in Nigeria is rapidly diminishing in content but gaining in sheer verbosity; and that majority of critics are unable to distinguish between opposition to the government in power and assaulting the collective psyche of their fellow citizens. Some are even unable to draw a line between the integrity of their families and its members and their duty – very important duty, of course – as opposition elements. One, Obi was reported as saying that even if his wife “cheats” on him, he would not go for a divorce. As far as I am concerned, the statement was completely uncalled for. It might even have embarrassed the poor woman. Why would one expose the moral integrity of one’s family member (s) to a potential public debate.
Among the several reasons for which Obi is admired by many is the fact that he has so far succeeded in keeping his family out of public speculations. When earlier this year his look alike son, Oseloka, came into the news for reportedly appearing on the front page of a UK-based gay magazine, some had expected that his ‘enemies’ were going to feast on that but the matter died the next moment. How the senior Obi and his handlers did it is not public knowledge but his unsolicited public remark on his marriage in the outing under reference was quite unimpressive. Apparently, Obi wanted to join in the public hysteria over the Equatorial Guinea… tapes but he didn’t have to. The matter was not worthy a fellow of his standing reacting to.
Two, Obi reportedly talked about the religious habit of a section of Nigerians, particularly Christians. He was said to have said that he would stop Christians from going for Night Vigils and, instead, go for “Night Shifts”. Here, Obi was evidently re-echoing the hackneyed allusion that Nigerians spend more time in praying than in working. Again, that was uncalled for. It was a superfluous statement that added nothing to national dialogue. Apart from being a veiled mockery of Christians and some of their religious practices and preferences, the statement lacks depth. Night vigils and night shifts are not interchangeable. They serve different purposes.
Going for prayers by whatever name it is called – night vigil or day vigil – does not preclude people from going to work. In any case, where are the jobs Nigerians are supposed to trade in their prayer lives for? Obi is, of course, right in trying to say that if he is given the chance to preside over the affairs of Nigerians, he would endeavor to establish factories so that rather than spending most of their time praying for miracles, those employed in them would be encouraged to work round the clock in order to increase the aggregate productivity of the country. But let’s have the factories first. Our political leaders are fond of placing emphasis wrongly. Night vigils, where they are regularly observed, come once in a month or at once in a week. But even if half of Nigerian Christians decide to sleep in the church day in day out, we will still have more than enough people to do night shifts in the factories when they are built.
In any case, Obi’s reading of the situation is wrong because the evidence on ground points to the contrary; which is that the number of people that go for night vigils is becoming smaller by the day; for reasons ranging from insecurity, higher transportation costs to the attitude and utterances of some men of God.
It used to be said that religion is the opium of the poor. That saying has become wiser more than ever before and, if you like, especially in the Nigerian context. In the present circumstances, expectations of miraculous interventions is the major thing that enable a bulk of the people to maintain some measure of both emotional and psychological stability. Rightly or wrongly, many believe that they will survive the current hard conditions, no matter how bad the situation is; and this belief – if you like call it faith, hope or whatever – is the only thing that is holding back the masses from a complete revolt against the system. So, why would you deny them of holding on to the only thing that keeps them going?
Our political leaders should be more scientific in their search for answers to the economic problems confronting the nation. Going for night vigils or not has nothing to do with it. I believe in God’s infinite mercy but I do not deceive myself that I need to work to earn a living. In the government agency which I currently head, I have had to take disciplinary measures against two members of staff who left office before closing time. One said he went for “fellowship” while the other said she went to see her pastor. But it wouldn’t matter to me if they spend all their nights in church provided they report for duty the next morning.
I laugh each time I hear some prominent Nigerians recommend China as model of development and prosperity even when a vast majority of its people are said not to believe in the existence of God. One particular Catholic Bishop is fond of saying, “While we are praying, the Chinese went to the moon”; the Chinese did this, the Chinese did that! That’s quite misleading. America – the United States of America – which for me is a better role model than China, has as its motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST”.
And to demonstrate how seriously they take the motto, it is boldly written on their national currency – the almighty US Dollar. Yet, that open confession of faith in God did not stop Americans from being hard working, indeed among the most hard working people in the world; and as a result of which their country is described as the “dream” of a bulk of the people of the world especially in Africa. How our leaders down here came to the conclusion that to walk closely with God negates economic prosperity is quite baffling. Nigerians know the areas they have problems with their religious leaders; such as saying that those who do not pay tithes will not go to heaven or using the proceeds of the same tithes to buy and ride in a car worth 1.5 billion naira when majority of the tithe payers as struggling to pay the school fees of their children
Nobody can, of course, say that Peter Gregory Obi, a devout Catholic, does not believe in the efficacy of prayers. But his penchant to comment on everything that happens under the sun, especially if it is in Nigeria, renders him highly susceptible to making superfluous claims most of the time.
