Lawmakers on the fence

A youth had felt that he or she had been pushed out in the “political industry,” and some youths still keep referring to the times some Heads of States and Presidents were between the ages of 28 and 38. They are sad that these people, who had their chances as youths are still fighting to […]

A youth had felt that he or she had been pushed out in the “political industry,” and some youths still keep referring to the times some Heads of States and Presidents were between the ages of 28 and 38. They are sad that these people, who had their chances as youths are still fighting to rule in their seventies after retirement. A woman had hoped that tomorrow may be better if given a space to make input in governance.  Akin to the Blessed Mother Mary, she had kept in her heart the hardship that spreads tentacles all over the world. She kept wondering how comfortable some leaders are, watching poverty walking naked on every street in the towns and villages.
The question that lingers in the paradox of power is how many people really seek leadership positions with the sole aim of promoting and sustaining the common good. In a world where no one is sure of tomorrow, she fights for a place in God’s creation through women empowerment. While she fights against violence against women, He is nervous that the world could be better if she is allowed to take control of governance. After all, a responsible woman would be too shy to jump a fence in the view of cameras. In the context of the mad pursuit for power and material gains, this question has actually been asked: “Where is the joy of service?” “Is it the “servant-leader” or the served that enjoys this joy?” What joy does a law maker derives in jumping the fence? He said that he had to “scale the fence to defend democracy.” Perhaps one could argue that he jumped the fence out of zeal and patriotism for the common good of the nation. Perhaps he jumped the fence to stop the terrorists from sniffing out life from the innocent citizens.
These arguments may be difficult to sustain if we consider other debates that have trailed this fence jumping episode. Some have argued that whoever and whatever created the circumstances for the “monkey” jump should be blamed. Others think that the National Assembly Abuja riot of November 20, 2014 is not new. It appears to be the natural and normal rehearsal of some law makers considering the method, means and process that brought them into the house. Someone had reduced the qualification only to the ability to raise money to buy a party ticket to qualify for elections. Some think that integrity and moral competence had only played a second fiddle in the selection or election that produced some of them.
Once, I had a meeting with some Local Government Councillors. The main agenda of the meeting was to prevent a riot. They had protested over their Furniture allowance. They had threatened to burn down the Local Government Secretariat and impeach the Local Government Chairman. That meeting gave me a clue to their background, and the content of their character. The meeting reminded me of the students who piloted riots in the secondary schools and Universities in the various student unions and cults when I was a student. Given the behavioural pattern of some law makers at the Local Government and State levels, one could further argue that the fence jumping display by the law makers of the National Assembly in Abuja only demonstrated their inability to use the law to get what they want.
Instead of reconciling their grievances within the context of law, some law makers at all levels have resulted to showing off their expertise in acrobatic, boxing, wrestling, judo and carat in the course of their State and National Assembly meetings. The Abuja saga is not the first time a law maker had told a colleague, “if you say that again, I will slap you!” When a legally elected person takes to physical violence instead of using the legislative power to show good example to the ordinary people on the street, one would question the relevance of the electoral process and exercise. Also, the actions of some elected persons call to question, their qualification, both in education and the level of their formation, enlightenment and awareness.
The antisocial saga exhibited by our elected leaders look like a dichotomy of human personality and existence. The Second Vatican Council captured this dichotomy in a better and vivid way: “The dichotomy affecting the modern world is, in fact a symptom of the deeper dichotomy that is in man himself. He is the meeting point of many but feels untrammelled in his inclinations and destined for a higher form of life. Torn by a welter of anxieties he is compelled to choose between them and repudiate some among them. Worse still, feeble and sinful as he is, he does the very thing he hates and does not do what he wants. And so he feels himself divided, and the result is a host of discord in social life” (GS. 10)
In the face of this anxiety and uncertainty, there is need to talk about service and the attendant joy. It is in a divided world that man is called to find joy and happiness. It is a world of dichotomy that a woman is called to spread her beautiful flowers of love. The man is a sign of strength while the woman is a sign of love. The qualities that make service worthwhile and the joy that follows it are divine providence, courage, reciprocity, respect and sense of shame. Reflecting on divine providence, what easily comes to mind is the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6, 11). This is called the prayer of the “squirrel” in Etsako. The squirrel only demands a day from God. Theologians call this, the sacrament of the moment. We could ease our tension by narrating the story that led to this prayer.
The world kept running in a blaze and many people were trapped in the past and frightened by the future. The squirrel saw danger all around: the threat of the snakes in the forest, the danger of the farmer’s traps, the anger of the hunter’s bullets and the ferocity of the lion’s roaring. The squirrel asked: “Will the palm tree ever provide palm fruits again? Quivering and frightened, the squirrel questioned itself; “what shall I do?” It began to hoard palm fruits and groundnuts. That did not provide the desired security. It decided to jump from tree to tree. But the fear of snakes in the palm trees became another obstacle. The poor Squirrel resorted to prayer. Very early in the morning before any activity the squirrel prayed: “My God, save me today and not tomorrow”. Every day the squirrel repeated this prayer. In answer to the prayer, God provided it with groundnuts and palm fruits daily. Also God daily protected it from the snares of the poisonous snakes. The squirrel learnt to sing to the snake like a mother singing lullaby to lull the child to sleep. It thus became a proverb in Etsako: “The squirrel demands only a day at a time from God.”
Each moment and each day, God provides for the squirrel and protects the squirrel. The hunter stopped hunting the squirrel because the bullet became more expensive than the squirrel itself. The prayer of the squirrel akin to the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to live one day at a time. The past must be allowed to rest in the past and be forgotten in order to move on. The future is in God’s hands and it may never come. Only the present is what we are sure of. Let us seek the face of God in our challenging moments like normal and civilized human being.
Fr. Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja and Consultor for the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims (C.R.R.M), Vatican City ([email protected]).