The Ibori mystique – Heroism in abeyance

By Joseph Edgar… I have been in an almost heated argument on the societal status of just released convict, James Ibori. We have all watched with increasing shock at the level of celebration and public adulation, especially by some people in Delta state, ever since it was announced that the ex Governor of Delta state who has been accused and convicted for various levels of financial crimes would be released. The people seem to have gone into a very powerful mind numbing trance in their continued joy at his imminent return.

Reports say that the State Government which has found it very difficult to pay teachers salaries is releasing a whooping N1billion Naira to renovate the Emperor’s house in anticipation of his grand rentry into the society he raped. During the week, veteran journalist and a personality I hardly agree with, Jimi Disu was so livid that he almost could not contain himself on air. This situation just smells of an opaque concentration of mindless stupidity by the Delta State Government if the story is true and also by the ignorant and almost pitiable souls who in their near prostrate literate state have been sold a bowl of porridge instead of being invited into a massive feast as a result of the rich resources in the state and yet still deify those who have stolen them dry.

I just came back from Delta state where I had gone for a burial. The state despite its natural wealth remains a backwater of development. A glorified shanty town with no real visible signs of infrastructural development except the low quality feeder roads that leads to the main federal artery. I did not tour the state but I passed through some major towns and the state capital enough to show me that the present glorification of Ibori and his adopted ‘sons’ remains misplaced. There is nothing on the ground to justify this willingness to look away from all the pillage and theft while carrying this person into high heavens as a hero of the people.

This our tendency to turn miscreants into a lovable Robin Hood character remains dangerous. It continues to feed the embers of the continued production of like characters leading to the seamless rape of our people. This will empower others who will look at Ibori, the late Alams and Bode George as heroes of the people and aim to be just like that.

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It is a different case when we are dealing with just allegations or hearsay, but in the case of a conviction, a prison sentence served and yet we are still talking about our’political enemies’ doing things then we have become a country of fools. When you surpress education and give people at best low quality tutelage then it will be easy to mess with their minds the way Ibori and his acolytes have done with the Delta state people who should be throwing eggs at him but are now proclaiming him another messiah.

As I drive through Delta I see a rummage of dead schools. Infact the burial village, Ebu, has only one secondary school where the reception was held. The school was dilapidated and I am sure was built by the colonials. Grass overgrown and infrastructure non existent. No power and the classroom had rodents as students. When you see this you will begin to understand why a bag of rice or a brown envelope of two thousand Naira would make someone from Ebu jump out of his parlous state and begin to curse the British Government for offending their hero.

As we drove home, I noticed two groups of little children trekking to school from where I saw them to where I eventually saw the wreckage that looked like a school they were headed up to was close to five kilometers. They were of very little age, not more than 10 years old, malnourished, some with no shoes on them and very dirty rags which were meant to be school uniforms. And, I begin to wonder if they would not be physically exhausted by the time they get to the refugee camp they call school and just what sort of education they will be having.

This is the legacy the government and some misguided people of Delta are celebrating with the release of their godfather. I weep, this is arrant political peadophilia. People who have succeeded in raping the land and violating its bowels now being thrown up as saints and heroes. This country is in the gutters and will remain there until we begin a new campaign of rediscovery.

A rediscovery of our values where theft and avarice will remain in the dark and shallow halls of infamy while integrity, selfless principled centred leadership re emerges on the front burner of public discuss.

So, to the people of Delta State, those renovating the mansion of deceit when salaries cannot be paid, the Senator showing gratitude for support from jail I say a big shame to you all.

Let those who have paid for their sins, show enough penance and respect our dignity despite raping us and leaving us naked. They should at least give us space to recover and attempt to heal. This banal display of a lack of respect for us as a people is really defeating in its noise. This is the real issue of Nigeria today and not the childish jingoism of the Biafra wailers or the cries of nepotism or ethnic independence but the dearth of true selfless leadership and the imposition of corrupt-filled, hero-worshiping , shallow leadership as represented by the intellectual midgets and misogynistic leadership that Delta State and indeed Nigeria has been saddled with since independence.

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