Like a pebble thrown into the river, peace of the nation sinks in an unfettered manner, even as she continues to ply her heinous trade at the core of the village square. She burgles into corridors, wriggles into houses, irrupts onto communities, abducting naïve and struggling souls, and then deleting her stubborn rivals in strict accordance with her command under the heavens. She wags her tail in delight, parades her feet like a squire saying “I shall continue to be the one-in-one, who is so boastful of my oriki and ostentatious in my bizarre appearance.”

She prances around the courtyard, flailing her borrowed sword into the aura of mischief. This time, beating her chest unrepentantly, as the chants of her cognomen echoes aloud “I now have the key to the privy of the upper-room, since I can’t dig my sword to the sands – I can mishap in the bush, mishap at home, mishap in the farm, and yet the strong arm of justice can’t unfazed and unchecked my dealings.”

Every corner of the nation’s democratic vault is being plagued by the rapacious family, feathering their noxious nests without regard for the law and the common decency. They have utter disregard for democratic values and dispensations at home and abroad: The disdain for our struggling democracy and its demonstrations; the hunger for constraining a free press; the political and unbiased admiration for thuggery characterisation, and the embrace and cuddling for strongmen worldwide. Our democratic attire is being enshrined in the making of a “Banana republic” as limbs kept flying like hot air balloons.

Our government has ceased to outline and characterize their functions, as we are being clothed with the symptoms of a failing state. Constitutional facilities are technically drowned without feeling remorseful in the mantra of her “next level” appellation, as being propounded and developed on the slippery surface of her “wind of change”. From their closet, they continue to dictate and navigate the policies of Nigeria in a retrogressive style, as they never seize to stop beating into our ears against the stark realities of what we actually feel and think.

The fact that instinct is a natural tendency doesn’t place it higher than knowledge, especially in the pool of national discourse. Our political leaders are clothed in ineptitude, self-centredness and abject impunity, without putting into consideration the priority of the populace to proper representation. No compassion towards the people, like a cat will have for a sandpiper.

These political jobbers and marauders kept preaching aloud “ours is not an advanced democracy,” but we consistently fail to improve on the gains of the last few years to advance democratic norms and values. The coherent shrugging off of the guiding principles of the land, the throwing of deaf ears to the wails of the bereaved; the feigning of ignorance to the rule of law and the subversion of the people’s will are cankerworms folded with prolonged corrupt institutional practices, where human dealings are viewed under the microscope of unending sentiments and parochialism.

Against the backdrop of insinuations of non-performance and negative narrative at the security front, the lord commander of the upper-room had failed to see to the safety and security of lives and properties. The once regarded no-nonsense-bros had in no time shape-shifted to baneling leaving underworld, as we kept chasing shadows within the stairs of our porous societies. The irrational ideology of “God will judge the killers” is nothing but an ill-faded phrase that can’t quench the preponderance of brutality, rascality, open combativeness, gory experience and sheer audacity ravaging, pillaging and ransacking the land.

Like the prince with the most dashing moustache, ready to give the warmest of hug to the beautiful maiden through magical prophecies, as being documented in the chapters of time: The consistent and conspicuous warm embrace, cuddles, and patting at the back between the Protector of the Realm who doubles as the Famous Holder of the Rock and his kinsmen, can’t be over-emphasised and boxed to a tight corner, as seen twerking on cyberspace.

The media space is on the boil, patriotic Nigerians this time are crusading over the clampdown of the calamitous livestock transformation programme in RUGA. Who are they? Do they possess unique features and characteristics that make them distinct from the indigenous people of Nigeria? Isn’t cattle business an individual one? On what rational ground is the government of the night gazetting lands for her kith and kinsmen, without taking effectual cognizance of the more secular state of the nation? Or, is it a right and not a privilege, as being annunciated by one of her admirers?

The 720 KHz radio frequency recently launched is a strong indication in disseminating page-one information, against the wishful thinking of Nigerians, in seeing to the actualisation and possibly implementation of her dubious and heinous agenda. They shall ride in droves in their horses, clothed in shining armor like brave knights and evil warlocks, with their masquerading face signalling their yet to predominate and hegemonic attributes. They shall lie, sleep and snore under the cloud hovering above, with the aim of succeeding the league of the indigenous peoples of the land.

Without a blink, they looked at each other saying “what shall we do to douse the avalanche of noise and patriotism hitting the base of the media space, in strict accordance with the guiding model of the rural settlement policy”. They weren’t lost in the dark, as they play to the gallery, inviting the game of pretence. “Let’s send for the emperor of the suspension world while we continue to actualise its full implementation in the background”, the imp amid them muttered in a subtle tone.

They have picnics together; they crossed swords and touched tips. The romance continues, slowly tumbling Nigeria into darkness, and this might spill over the land, destroying all that is good, fair and just. They shall cast their glance heavenward under the edifice of the upper-room, knowing full well that the ceiling parts and the moons shall align and, then, the souvenir of their connivance shall be displayed in the highest of definition.

Fellow Nigerians - it is suicidal if we fail to venture into the remote and immediate causes of our deviation from the track of national interest, societal integration and pursuance of worthy lives for all Nigerians by the government, into the foray of selfishness, one-sidedness, impairing of moral principles and integrity, daylight nepotism and favoritism, mediocrity and oppression, ethnic and religious intolerance, political lethargy, sheer criminality among the citizenry – our heart shall weep and bleed for equity, fairness, impartiality and justice for humanity, as witnessed during the struggles for colonialism.

When shall we aim to project and promote the spirit of nationalism and guide the juvenile minds to align with the vision of portraying and creating a glowing but purposeful and resounding tomorrow, in consonance with the ideals of a strong and virile economic layout, as orchestrated by our founding fathers?

It is somewhat imperative to place matters into proper perspective - to guide the unsuspecting members of the public arena - against the unethical and irrational threats, as being boldly penciled and pronounced by a Northern Youth Wing, with a punch-line in 30 days ultimatum. Yet, all that was oozing from the corner of the upper-room, was to advise Nigerians to denounce such hefty threats. What a country!

Amidst the constant dialogue to ensure that Nigerians’ future isn’t compromised, the Famous Holder of the Rock enjoys lashing out emotional outbursts and petting phrases, rather than employing palliative measures and rocketing punitive ones. Yes. Nigerians can’t be angry with every leadership simply because our immediate expectations are not instantly manifested, but in this administration, the spirit that walks in the night had shape-shifted to the masquerade that dances during the day, without minding whose ox is gored. The display of ridiculous strength and evil machinations to an unimaginable height, are now embedded in the pages of normalcy.

The moans of romance erupting and emanating from the bed chambers of the upper-room, is a strong indication that the bane of punitive measures might not be taken into consideration and execution in due time to subdue and derail the army of the dead, wreaking havoc and causing preponderance of security lapses, encountered during military-insurgents combativeness and the sheer audacity of power display. It is only a matter of time before they could infiltrate and make striking incursions into the core of the land, as being already seen in the recent killing of a renowned south-westerner’s daughter along Ore road.

There are confessions and retractions in the public space, as trophies of deaths are being displayed on national screen. These soul-killers who double as body-kidnappers, courageously beat their chests, taking stance at their misdeeds. The once far-away are now closer, they are now seen scampering around and within our immediate corridors, which in turn calls for exigency. When the light of the world flickers, the golden order of knights shall restore the rule of good with the blade of a unicorn.

•Meduoye Adeyinka writes from Lagos.

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