OF MIRACLE RAMS AND ROBBING ETHIOPIA The Eid-el-Kabir Sallah had come at a time when the ordinary Nigerians’ pockets are drained and the economic condition is increasingly harsh. The sacrifice of rams, cows or whatever animal has become a huge task as animals remain stranded at the markets in need of buyers. Only government vans and officials picked them in droves while the Talakawa (poor) remaind observers, shaking their heads in self pity as to how an essential religious rite had almost become the preserve of the rich and famous. N25,000, N30,000 to over N100,000, the range of prices is a big bite in the meagre salaries of even public servants let alone labourers and petty traders. When government buys rams to distribute, it’s not for the alleviation of the poor man’s sufferings, but for dignitaries who end up receiving gifts from several quarters and amass tons of rams in their households. A few of their servants and families get to have them as Sallah gifts, then their struggle is turned to buying oil and rice and other ingredients to make the necessary and now scarce Sallah meal. The economic bite of today’s Nigeria was hitting me hard too and I knew travelling home for Sallah was impossible. I couldn’t bear its economics with the meagre notes in my equally drained pockets as stated earlier. My Sallah would be spent in the empty and lonely streets of Abuja, which is the scenario during public holidays, at least devoid of mean sirens and officials harassing commuters all over town. Bauchi was going to be too hot and a bed of relatives and friends and well wishers coming to me for Sallah change and perhaps rams which I couldn’t offer. So I begged myself to stay back in Abuja and find a ram I could fulfill my religious obligations with. As I retired home for the weekend on Friday, all my forays in town for glory having dipped, a friend called said, “Talba, please come and collect your ram! It has been making noises here”. Allah be praised and I was saved from the gruelsome ride to the market to spend my last kobo to buy a ram and spend a dime less Sallah. No matter what the government tries to shove up our helpless and thirsty throats, the economy is in tatters and the ordinary Nigerian is suffering in very great proportions and food is scarce on the table. Government’s figures and indices of growth are not real and do not transform to anything tangible on our tables or our everyday lives. I can only imagine the dire distress people back home in Bauchi are facing in this festive time, as all times, poverty stricken and helpless, yet with the hope and desire of owning and slaughtering a Sallah ram. If I could be rescued by a friend, how many of those people will have friends that can give them a whole ram? Nigeria is rich for nothing and the majority of us are suffering and the smiles are fast gone. The Super Eagles were away in Ethiopia, battling for a ticket to the World Cup. Their performance in the game was lackluster and commitment was absent. Ethiopians were thirstier and chased the game with more energy and determination. Nigerians were playing the big for nothing guys and they were continually outplayed by Ethiopians, dribbling, back healing, bicycle kicks, one twos; they did it all. Finally they scored and were denied! They got a penalty and were denied. The officiating fumed a dead skunks’ smell. The first half ended goalless and it was a game that promised Ethiopians victory by virtue of their performance. Our team was playing like our government back here – clueless, non-committal and just larger than life and not useful in our lives, hardly really. The second lines man appeared to want to appease Ethiopians for their denied goal and gave them a controversial goal. Quite frankly, it should have been one – nil for Ethiopians. Luckily, Nigeria bounced back from a shot by Emenike who took his chance and fired a thunderous shot which stretched the keeper to his entire length and registered into his net. The goal was more like the promises of our government here, fine policies, hardly backed by sincerity and commitment. Our team was flat again. Amazingly, we were awarded a penalty kick; Ethiopians should have got at least one too, but were denied by the officials. Emenike converted the weakly obtained and weakly kicked penalty and we won the game. Nigerians were fiercely attacked in Ethiopia, attacks to both life and property as they protested a game they were denied. Super Eagles will go into the World Cup, denying a better, more zealous and entertaining Ethiopian team a chance of improving Africa’s performance at the World Cup. We will, once again, parade our boys to crash out in the first round amidst pomp and pageantry with over-bloated government contingents who just win the World Cup to themselves by just travelling to Brazil with family, sharing estacodes. How we won that match baffles me and I wondered hard and long. Then it hit me; President Jonathan had visited them and his supporters kept boasting the victory of the Super Eagles, alluding to the President’s trip to Addis Ababa. Judging from the poor officiating, I pray that our presidential contingent did not Nigerianise the match officials because it further dims our understanding of where our football really is, just like the national treasury, lost. Finding time to visit Ethiopia and not Gujba, going to Addis Ababa and not sitting personally with ASUU are indictments that this administration’s priorities are misplaced, in fact, again, lost. Attention is heavily placed on politicking as against the bare essential of scoring points with our economics and education and power and transportation which would be undeniable agents of assuring the victory he so desperately desires. More governors are crying foul over the handling of our national treasury and state commissioners across the federation are continuously having show downs with the finance minister over sharing of monthly allocations as supposed figures are hardly met and government doesn’t cushion the shortfalls as was the case before now. NNPC is not being accountable to the revenues and the question is, how come the National Assembly has confirmed this, yet no action whatsoever has been taken? As we celebrate going to Brazil to dance, Abuja and its woes will remain unsolved.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 05:38:38 +0000
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