“Now you’re made, you don belong, show dem, pepper dem!”
Nothing humbles a man below the rung of the ladder more than extreme lack and hardship, then if he by any stroke of luck sees a loophole of escape, he is inadvertently tempted to magnify the sudden privileges to impress it upon his admirers, he has overcome and now a ‘Made man!’ in Nigeria parlance, we will say; “You don arrive, Now you belong!
In a fit of excitement he is fond to live in a bigger and better house to impress it upon you that he has left his previous circle of misadventure, then he buys a car, another car, sometimes he is further tempted and is compelled to take up a honorary title; a Chieftaincy, academic or something political, with extra cash anyone can buy these titles off the shelves from any part of the world, then the conflict begins.
Mr. Friend builds a decent accommodation for his family in his community, by every standard, this is a very comfortable 4 bedroom apartment, then as we take a tour of the building, somebody whispered to his ear, this property will soon be below your status, don’t’ you consider building another house that befits your status. Mr. Friend obliged his admirers, he builds another one bigger than the previous, he occupies more space, takes up more responsibilities often skewed towards self gratification.
Sometimes this is not enough, and the race takes a full swing, Mr. Friend must belong to any circle of influence, He joins a political class and grow his status in the society, He must extends his influence to the Academic, like I said earlier, with some extra cash, you can afford a Phd title then comes the Religious, Mr. Friend must be seen to have arrived with his new found status and everywhere he goes, he must impress it upon his admirers that from now henceforth, he belongs.
He sprays unsolicited cash, he makes donations at will, he flaunts his new found status and by every means necessary, you must take note to see that ‘levels don change’ and things are no longer the same. He takes on the “Pepper dem’ emblem to affirm his new found status.
For the benefits of the uninitiated, men and women outside the circle of our warped perceived standards of societal acceptance, be rest assured, nobody has arrived anywhere. Not in your community, not in the South East, perhaps not in anywhere in Nigeria rather it has always been one rise out of the self made cage of economic strangulation, from a vicious rat race to a momentary relief enjoyed in a self created chaotic environment that has made our society a jungle of a kind where every animal in human skin is desperately engaged to take the other down for his own rise perhaps he could be happier and declared to have arrived where he now belongs to the society affirmed destination in life.
The problem is; If Only we want to be happy to have arrived to our place of comfort and fulfillment, that would be easy but we want to be happier than the other person next door, and that is almost a difficult and an impossible task, You’re going nowhere in this pursuit.
In my community, I know a man who seems to have arrived some years ago, He was in the top league of society affirmed men of status, he rides down town in a chauffeured Mercedez Benz, He wounds up entire tinted window glass of the car so much that if you greet and he waved at you, you will be super excited, “Chief answered my greetings today”
I was a witness in the twilight of Chief’s days on earth, he earnestly seek for another circle to belong to, this time, that circle of no influence but ordinary people blessed by nature to enjoy peace and the earth. In this circle are farmers, artisans, the common town folks that were once upon a time considered as nobody, poor and belonging to no status.
In his old age, abandoned by those pet buttered kids he once dotted upon, the old Chief seeks for company with the ordinary folks, he flew back from the city down to his community to enjoy the company of those he had once wound up the tinted window glass of his vehicle because they were never in his status but now we belong to same natural cause.
Fact is; as days unfold, you will soon discover the reality of lack and anguish, the reality of deprivation and frustration every member of the average African society are subject to undergo in their daily life circles. Those who succeed to build a circle of luxury do not have a separate society to enjoy the luxury but in the same disorganised society situations that we have created that continues to accommodate both fortunate and unfortunate members of the society. No society progresses under this skewed arrangement.
If you have arrived and built all the comfort around your family, friends and admirers and you failed to build a corresponding environment that should at least provide basic security of life to those you want to impress, be rest assured they will come after you and negatively too.
This is a great holidays season across the world, we will be celebrating Christmas, to those who have found a status among the political class and failed to light up the community and build good road networks for the communities to thrive, it is very unfortunate that you will be driving your luxury vehicles in the same terrible road condition my uncles will be struggling to navigate with his rickety farm bicycle. Now what’s the difference, nothing but a shameful image of your community, Do you deserve respect for your political status?, perhaps you do but in grave deception of self and the community.
As a man who have arrived, If you have built all the luxury houses across every town so much that you swim in money, perhaps you’re the clergy of the moment (“Our Daddy G.O) or you’re simply the titled Chief “Ogbuefi 1”, Onwa na etiri oha 1, “Igwe TalknaDo 1” etc, you would have only arrived destination if your present status takes that roll call of service to humanity and their environment. This would be seen as one of our greatest responsibility to motherland and service to God Almighty.
Do not be deceived, you will be going nowhere and belong to nowhere if all that your avowed privileged status could attract is some ‘Halleluya boys’, praising you to high heavens while your society suffers adverse man made deficiencies that has made life very frustrating and unbearable.
Be rest assured, those hailing you and falling head over heels to show you their solidarity are certain to haul you into the grave of infamy at the slightest opportunity. It is only a matter of time.
Before the demise of the Chief in my community, he called many folks he had procured their farmlands in his days of fame and splendor, he returned their farmlands, now with additional benefits, he returned many farmlands with money to the new generation of owners to go and develop their properties, he returned to his people in the community that were once seen as nobody and belonging to no status in the society, He became somebody in the midst of God’s ordinary people, He died in peace.
Not so many are privileged to take a detour from the wrong choices they have made over the course of their lifetime but you do know that you have an opportunity to do so and choose where you belong now you still have all the time.
Thank you
Njoku SaintJerry A. is the State Publicity Secretary Of Labour Party, AbiA
