quite a few things in life are so constant that they attain almost statutory recognition. some of these are mere cultural habits that are so widespread that once you meet someone who claims to be from a certain tribe, you immediately assume that they must indulge in such a habit. for example, ibo people and going home at christmas time, hausa people and marrying underaged girls, calabar girls and their capabilities in...well, by now i'm sure you get the point
sometimes, i wonder what the basis is for the continued practice of a habit especially those of my ibo brethren who insist on going to the "east" every single darn christmas. through horrid roads, incessant armed robbery attacks and the usual "evil relatives" just waiting to poison them through fetish means at all such visits to their hometowns, ibo people seem insistent on conitnuing this tradition against all odds. however, for the first time since i gained cognisance of my surroundings, this year 2009 may very well be the first exception. yes, i dont expect any ibo man to leave lagos and go through the toutuous journey to ontisha-owerri-aba (pronounced as one word by the garage touts at, you guessed it, under iyana ipaja bridge) for the reason set out below.
this morning on my way to work it was announced on the radio that nkem owoh, a very popular nigerian actor who has acted in more comedies than i have teeth in my mouth, was kidnapped.
this is after some very high profile kidnappings have been successful including the abduction of soludo's (ex CBN governor) father and Pete Edochie. Usually, really high ransoms are sought and paid ranging from at least 5 million naira to allegedly 200 million.
i dont recall if i wrote a post on the kidnap of pete edochie but i will restate my sentiments here. ibo people are by nature, commercially inclined and socially hospitable. infact, you are most likely to come away from an ibo town visit as a married man than not, because the level of their blind love and trust is almost unbearable. they are known to be willing to share farm produce which they waited all year long for, with an absolute stranger just to welcome you to their side of the world. i served in enugu state, so i should know...
so you must understand my confusion when i hear that these same almost docile tribe suddenly finds the abduction of another human being and the captivity of a stranger interesting. its even more baffling that ibo kidnappers are abducting other ibo people...like we say in this part of the world, "their own brothers!". shouldnt that be a taboo or something? the implication of this is that any ibo person who goes from lagos to the east for christmas 2009 stands the risk of being perceived as wealthy (village people always assume those of us in lagos are grooving) and you can only imagine what follows next. its gonna be like swarming to your captivity one after the other...a windfall that will leave village boys merrier and wealthier by january.
but seriously, what could be the cause of this sudden whirlwind? and why are the ibo states seemingly the worst hit by this plague? i refuse to succumb to the argument that it is their drive for money and undeserved wealth that has made this vice a pastime in the east and will continue to believe that the social fabric that used to hold the entire community together, has finally ripped. this is the stage in history that we feared. a stage where folklore has become irrelevant and family name and integrity isnt quite worth more than the paper it is written on. this is what happens when we suddenly find ourselves exposed to the cultures of other nations that have no place for the elderly or their wisdom. we have indeed reached the point where the internet has overturned culture once and for all (cue Forbes 400 et al).
i will not pretend that i am not a proponent of knowledge and exposure to civilisation. i have since advocated for an abolition of any practice that has lost its relevance in todays world, including organized religion and monogamous marriage but i dont know if i can indeed live in a world absolutely devoid of social morals and order. if this is the flipside to more intellectual freedom and exposure, then maybe we should just return to the age of eating roast yam and palm oil. at least, then people wouldnt have to save money for their own ransom.
but today i will not blame the government, even though like every nigerian i can think of a million ways in which the government could have ensured that these sorts of vices are kept to the barest minimum. i will blame myself, for rooting for civilisation and americanism. i will blame you reading, for doing nothing to condemn the decadence that we seem to be sinking into. and i will say, "shame on those who have lost their conscience because of this passing phase of social disorder"...shame on them and shame on their parents who say a daily prayer for the success of these kidnappers and share in the loot. remember that the kidnapped are just as hard working as you, they have families that love them and although life and time has been fortunate to them, it does not in any way make them responsible for your failures and poverty.
so for all of you my ibo friends planning to brave the storm and go to village this christmas, please head to your nearest cornerstone insurance office for a comprehensive life insurance policy. if you ask nicely, they may even put together an exclusive kidnap insurance policy just for you so your old relatives dont spend christmas looking for where to borrow money to pay your ransom. the alternative? sit yo ass down in lagos quietly and respect yourself. i'm definitely not goin nowhere.
till tomorrow peeps.
sometimes, i wonder what the basis is for the continued practice of a habit especially those of my ibo brethren who insist on going to the "east" every single darn christmas. through horrid roads, incessant armed robbery attacks and the usual "evil relatives" just waiting to poison them through fetish means at all such visits to their hometowns, ibo people seem insistent on conitnuing this tradition against all odds. however, for the first time since i gained cognisance of my surroundings, this year 2009 may very well be the first exception. yes, i dont expect any ibo man to leave lagos and go through the toutuous journey to ontisha-owerri-aba (pronounced as one word by the garage touts at, you guessed it, under iyana ipaja bridge) for the reason set out below.
this morning on my way to work it was announced on the radio that nkem owoh, a very popular nigerian actor who has acted in more comedies than i have teeth in my mouth, was kidnapped.
this is after some very high profile kidnappings have been successful including the abduction of soludo's (ex CBN governor) father and Pete Edochie. Usually, really high ransoms are sought and paid ranging from at least 5 million naira to allegedly 200 million.i dont recall if i wrote a post on the kidnap of pete edochie but i will restate my sentiments here. ibo people are by nature, commercially inclined and socially hospitable. infact, you are most likely to come away from an ibo town visit as a married man than not, because the level of their blind love and trust is almost unbearable. they are known to be willing to share farm produce which they waited all year long for, with an absolute stranger just to welcome you to their side of the world. i served in enugu state, so i should know...
so you must understand my confusion when i hear that these same almost docile tribe suddenly finds the abduction of another human being and the captivity of a stranger interesting. its even more baffling that ibo kidnappers are abducting other ibo people...like we say in this part of the world, "their own brothers!". shouldnt that be a taboo or something? the implication of this is that any ibo person who goes from lagos to the east for christmas 2009 stands the risk of being perceived as wealthy (village people always assume those of us in lagos are grooving) and you can only imagine what follows next. its gonna be like swarming to your captivity one after the other...a windfall that will leave village boys merrier and wealthier by january.
but seriously, what could be the cause of this sudden whirlwind? and why are the ibo states seemingly the worst hit by this plague? i refuse to succumb to the argument that it is their drive for money and undeserved wealth that has made this vice a pastime in the east and will continue to believe that the social fabric that used to hold the entire community together, has finally ripped. this is the stage in history that we feared. a stage where folklore has become irrelevant and family name and integrity isnt quite worth more than the paper it is written on. this is what happens when we suddenly find ourselves exposed to the cultures of other nations that have no place for the elderly or their wisdom. we have indeed reached the point where the internet has overturned culture once and for all (cue Forbes 400 et al).
i will not pretend that i am not a proponent of knowledge and exposure to civilisation. i have since advocated for an abolition of any practice that has lost its relevance in todays world, including organized religion and monogamous marriage but i dont know if i can indeed live in a world absolutely devoid of social morals and order. if this is the flipside to more intellectual freedom and exposure, then maybe we should just return to the age of eating roast yam and palm oil. at least, then people wouldnt have to save money for their own ransom.
but today i will not blame the government, even though like every nigerian i can think of a million ways in which the government could have ensured that these sorts of vices are kept to the barest minimum. i will blame myself, for rooting for civilisation and americanism. i will blame you reading, for doing nothing to condemn the decadence that we seem to be sinking into. and i will say, "shame on those who have lost their conscience because of this passing phase of social disorder"...shame on them and shame on their parents who say a daily prayer for the success of these kidnappers and share in the loot. remember that the kidnapped are just as hard working as you, they have families that love them and although life and time has been fortunate to them, it does not in any way make them responsible for your failures and poverty.
so for all of you my ibo friends planning to brave the storm and go to village this christmas, please head to your nearest cornerstone insurance office for a comprehensive life insurance policy. if you ask nicely, they may even put together an exclusive kidnap insurance policy just for you so your old relatives dont spend christmas looking for where to borrow money to pay your ransom. the alternative? sit yo ass down in lagos quietly and respect yourself. i'm definitely not goin nowhere.
till tomorrow peeps.
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