My Oga at the Top…

Had Mr. Shem Obafaiye not attended that fateful interview on Channels TV last week, he wouldn’t have known how lucky he was. He would have wondered… If only…

It was his first interview, it seems, and he got carried away in his elation. Alas he did not know, or remember, that when an able body identifies himself, or herself, with clothing clearly bearing “Press” especially if stationed on a woman’s bosom, (s)he can be just as embarrassing- and confusing… And so it was that on that fateful TV show, Mr. Shem (note: not Shame) was embarrassed as well as confused. Had he admitted his confusion, he’d have been spared of further, but being a Commandant, he wouldn’t let go: Wait! WAIT!

But none of that bothers me. That’s all. What bothers me is this generation of mine. Ridiculers. Scoffers. Yet they’re no better than the generation of their fathers- they’re worse, if anything. While their fathers craved independence, they crave dependence. They want jobs on a platter of gold, they want a well qualified officer relieved of a job he’s spent half his life working for and in, they want to be in charge of everything. But they can only mouth. That’s all!

They insult a man, not because they could’ve done better (their English is even worse), only because a lot of them are jobless- unemployed as well as unoccupied- and in fact, unemployable. And rather than upgrade and endow themselves, rather than look for less congested jobs and plough, they wait for those at the top to leave- like the top will ever be accessible to someone who hasn’t worked hard to get himself there. Rather than study to make themselves acceptable, they prattle- and incessantly too.

Which well-bred, bold, and well spoken First-class graduate of a marketable course d’you know who is unemployed? Virtually none! In our generation, the world has gone past: Go to school, get a certificate and U’ll automatically get a job. Wake up! In the world of today, it’s every man for himself. Be the best or join the rest. When there’re 7 billion people on the same planet that had held 5 billion less than a century ago, and 170 million in a country that had 100 million about two decades ago, won’t there be survival of the fittest?

Yet, our approach to the predicament is certain to differ. A lot of us dragged ourselves into universities when we could have gone elsewhere. In our quest for wealth, fame and position, we chose courses that either waste lives or waste time. We ran after the cheese of “comfort” when all we needed was convenience. We abandoned our talents and flair, we left adventure for cramming, and left fulfillment for graduation. We entered the rat race. For Mr. Shem Obafaiye, it was to attend three Nigerian Universities (how many of his critics have done as much), get his degrees, get a job and be good at it (which he does so well that there’re testimonies as well as enmities) and when’s he’s on the plateau, appeal to his Oga At The Top to not forget him. Now, criticise that! Could you have done better?

While I do not know the man or his family, I sympathise with his wife and children for whatever emotional and social inconvenience the saga has caused them- and I can only wonder if they did (manage to) go to church today… Nigerian youths hounded these innocent people like hounds that have been starved for decades. And, yes, we have been starved while the agbayas at the Top embezzle and bury and share- but only among themselves. But please spare Mr. Shem and his family. They’re just as affected as we are by our Ogas at the Top.

Bottom line, Mr. Shem is good at his job: curbing crime. He may not know his organisation’s website but he knows oil thieves when he sees them. And he knows that to survive in Nigeria, the Oga At The Top must always be acknowledged- with admiration and smiles, swearing his loyalty with a finger pointed towards (God, our) Oga at the Top, as he did in that revealing interview. Abeg, no be Nigeria we dey?

Plus, over 90% of Nigerian youth’s posts on social media are riddled with grammatical grenades- nay, grammatical mines slightly camouflaged under abbreviations- yet some are so ‘enlightening’ that they light your way to them. It is saddening that these same people will raise eyebrows at another person’s misdemeanor.

Catch your fun as much as you like, but as my personal Oga at the Top, the Lord Jesus Christ, observed nearly two millenia ago, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone…

Ayk Midas Afowoolukoyasire.

Author. Poet. Editor. Novelist. Farmer.

The FOUR Generations: Why You Do the Things You Do!