THE BEGINNING OF THE END –BY ACHIKE CHUDE

 

Miyetti-Allah cattle breeders.

"The Only Thing That Is Permanent is Change"

- Heraclitus

You see what we are talking about? Everybody now seems to be running scared. Is that why they are trying to put their houses in order? Just like the man or woman that is about to die. There is less fear of death and its consequences if they have conducted their lives wisely, compassionately and with generosity. Even if in pain of sickness, at the exact point of death, the heavens bless them with the peace of the dead.

But not so with the wicked - especially with political leaders - especially with dictators who exercise maximum powers. They live in fear and with fear all the time. They have no peace of mind - even when they are in control.  In the fullness of their powers they show their weaknesses. They are in constant search of enemies. So in order to show that they are in power, they kill, maim, incarcerate, and disempower their rivals, real or imagined, - to show others what they are capable of.

Some dictators sometimes have the luck of dying peacefully on their beds. But the vast majority end up very badly, pursued by those they had oppressed for so long. Yet, others have the 'blessing' of being eased out of power by the working arrangements of their country’s constitutions.

But whether a wicked ruler dies in peace on his deathbed, or hounded out of power, or is eased out, the outcome is always the same - the power dynamics change. Old loyalties disappear and a new reality sets it. Those who were once arrogant become sober and the proud are humbled. There are new realities.

Is that why the almighty, all-powerful, swash-buckling, and fearless Miyetti-Allah is trying to put their house in order? Is that why they are now doing something that is absolutely not in their character, something unthinkable, something that is beneath them? Is that why they are calling press conferences, begging southern governors and Nigerians in general to be compassionate and considerate of their plight if the open grazing initiative is pursued?

Miyetti-Allah beg? How can? The same Miyetti-Allah that has ridden rough shod over this country in the last six years, threatening hell and brimstone on anybody that stood in their way. Miyetti-Allah beg? The same Miyetti-Allah that threatened a whole governor and people of Benue state with death if they pass the ban on open grazing in that state. And it came to pass, true to their words, that thousands were killed when the law was passed. Miyetti-Allah beg,? The same Miyetti-Allah that warned a whole governor of Ondo state and the people of that state over the consequences of ejecting illegal herdsmen from Ondo forests. Miyetti-Allah beg? Unthinkable, confusing, befuddling, perplexing, puzzling, and bamboozling.

But why is Miyetti-Allah begging? Why is violence no longer an option? Why are they no longer embracing death and blood as the appropriate punishment for those who stand in their way? Why are they now pleading, crying, weeping, and rolling on the floor in dog humility to seek for our mercy, our compassion?

The answer my friends, "is blowing in the winds". The answer is "blowing in the winds."

And the winds have whispered the answer to us;

There is no more time for Miyetti-Allah. In about 13 months from now - precisely in February 2023, general elections will be held in Nigeria and there will be a new tenant at Aso Rock. And the old saying:

 "And a new king will arise who did not know Israel" will prove to be true.

You see why they are trying to put their house in order? People have speculated endlessly that they have a 'daddy' at the seat of power in our country, and that is why they have been lawless all this while. If their 'daddy' will no longer be around to protect them, then they might as well prepare for a future without their-protector in chief. And that future is indeed looking bleak.

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Our president is also putting his house in order. After his five to 97% per cent votes statement about the south east, as well as his dot on the map statement, he paid a visit last week to that geo-political zone where he said some good things about the Igbos.

Perhaps he is trying to make peace after the turbulence of the past few years. He says he does not want to leave office a failure. He is at least honest about his present failures. But Laurel and Hardy, sorry, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu as well as the Ebonyi state governor, Umahi, believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is the best thing to happen to Nigeria. Umahi even went so far as to wish that we have another Buhari in 2023. His counterpart, governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike almost collapsed in shock when he heard what Governor Umahi said. He called him a Pharisee and hypocrite.

Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu must put their houses in order. Adesina told Nigerians to give up their lands or they would be slaughtered on their beds. His statement is reminiscent of the “Your money or your life" threat of the professional armed robber when they come visiting in the dead of night. And Shehu Garba blamed the over hundred farmers massacred in Borno state by Boko-Haram terrorists for their own deaths by not informing the military about their visits to their own farms. In the past six years, they have made a habit of blaming and abusing Nigerians for complaining about the problems of their country. They even called us wailers.

Lai Muhammed, the minister of Information has to get his house in order. He once said on national television that he has never told a lie in his entire life. After six years of the APC government, Nigerians do not believe him. They say he has told lies continuously.

The reason these people and Miyetti-Allah and others must get their houses in order is because when power changes hands in 2023, the dynamics will change - even if it is the same elites and the same political arrangements. President Muhammadu Buhari will suddenly find himself unable to give instructions to the military, police,or DSS. Nobody will listen to him anymore. And his fate will definitely depend on other people.

They have just about thirteen months to change their false narratives, thirteen months to seek reconciliation and unity in our country through words and deeds. It is already almost too late. They are  becoming lame ducks by the day.

I guess we all have to put our houses in order.

Indeed no condition is permanent. Why man has failed to learn this important lesson is a mystery.

·      Chude is a novelist, and a public policy analyst.