Which Nigeria is Changing…?

By Prince Charles Dickson…So, being the religious country that we are, I sat in the sitting, and asked my wife…Was Fela born again, what inspired his music, (I mean his lyrics)…is he in heaven…can we safely call him a prophet…I mean Simply throw questions at the woman, and moreso, she had the companion of her cousin, abi na nephew sef…

 

As they both tried to answer my questions, I reflected on Reuben Abati’s review of Benson Idonjie’s personal effort at unraveling the legend called Fela. And I just could not get my mind off Fela’s “Army Arrangement”, and embedded in it is my admonition for this week…

 

[Chorus]

 

One day go be one day!

 

Those wey dey steal the money for government!

 

Whether you like or you no like

 

After you hear this true talk

 

Whether you like or you no like

 

After you hear this true talk

 

[Chorus]

 

Ge ge!

 

If you like e good

 

If you no like you hang

 

If you like e good

 

If you no like you hang

 

If you hang you go die

 

You go die for nothing

 

We go carry your body go police station

 

You die wrongfully

 

Ge ge, ge ge, ge ge…

 

Ju’di, ju’di, ju’di

 

Ju si le

 

Ju’di, ju’di, ju’di

 

Whether you like or you no like

 

After you hear this true talk…

 

Twenty-two women dey suffer him no fit talk na condition

 

Man dey suffer him fit talk na condition too

 

Man dey suffer him no fit talk na condition

 

Man dey suffer him fit talk na condition too

 

Suffer dey Africa, pa pa ra pa

 

I suffer dey, pa pa ra pa

 

Condition dey e, pa pa ra pa

 

Me I no say you be African man

 

And we dey suffer, pa pa ra pa

 

Which condition you dey I don’t know

 

The condition me I dey me I know

 

My condition don reach make I act

 

If your condition today make you shake

 

And you still dey not talk the way you feel

 

Make you open your two ears very well

 

To hear the truth talk me I dey talk

 

Listen make you dey agree for me

 

Every day and night you dey hear me talk

 

One day you self you agree with me

 

To dey act the way as you dey feel

 

Remember if you no act your own

 

One day of course we must die

 

Nigeria get the money

 

Foreign money for oversea

 

Nigeria get the money

 

Foreign money for oversea

 

Announcement start to happen

 

Newspaper carry them paper

 

Radio dey shout for studio

 

Obasanjo turn vocalist

 

Yar’Adua road manager

 

Every government statement

 

Seven billion naira missing

 

Missing from oversea

 

Foreign currency scandal

 

Them start to arrest everybody o

 

E no finish, e no finish…

 

Doctor, lawyer, hustlers

 

Engineer, photographers

 

Doctor, lawyer, hustlers

 

Engineer, photographers

 

All of them Kirikiri

 

Ten to fifteen years in jail

 

After one year inside jail

 

Civilian government take over

 

Them release all of dem

 

Them say dem be innocent o

 

E no finish, e no finish…

 

Two-point-eight-billion naira

 

Oil money is missing

 

Two-point-eight-billion naira

 

Oil money is missing

 

Them set up inquiry

 

Them say money no lost o

 

Them dabaru everybody

 

Supervisor Obasanjo

 

Them say make him no talk o

 

“Money no lost,” them shout again

 

Inquiry come close o

 

E no finish, e no finish…

 

Election story nko

 

Obasanjo plan am very well

 

Election story nko

 

Obasanjo plan am very well

 

Him take old politicians

 

Wey rule Nigeria before

 

The same old politicians

 

Wey spoil Nigeria before

 

Obasanjo carry all of them

 

All of them dey there now

 

E no finish, e no finish…

 

[Chorus]

 

Yeah!

 

The young Africans them get two ears for head

 

Them get two eyes too

 

Them dey see the thing wey dey happen

 

Them dey hear am too

 

Few people dey fat with big money

 

And the rest dey hungry

 

Me Fela, I challenge Obasanjo

 

Na wayo him dey all the time

 

Make him carry me go any court

 

I go open book for am

 

Na wayo government we dey o

 

E gba mi o

 

Na weak government we dey o

 

Ye paripa o

 

Na paddy paddy government we dey

 

E gba mi o

 

[Chorus]

 

Yeah!

 

We give money

 

Paddy paddy

 

Arrange ni

 

Wayo wayo

 

Economic

 

We give money

 

Paddy paddy

 

Wayo wayo

 

[Chorus]

 

Army arrangement!

 

Add am together, give me the answer

 

Give me money, add am together

 

Paddy paddy, add am together

 

Economic, add am together

 

Division or multiplication

 

Mathematician, put am together

 

One answer you go get

 

One answer you go get

 

Give me money, put am together

 

Wayo wayo, put am together…

 

Several decades after, it’s is 2016, and we are still embattled with each other on Ben Bruce who was singled out for owing…big men and their problems. Donkey years, which include 16 years of democracy or demonstration of craze as Fela once put it, I still hear supposedly, schooled Nigerians wail…”Buhari should open the borders so that food can come in.”

 

We are still doing an open and close dance, Henry Okay did not escape from Kure, there was a jail break but no one escaped, meanwhile it’s Charles in Kuje not Henry…Chief of army staff saved money to buy two houses in Dubai so says the Nigerian Army, and the dude has not resigned, although the questions should be did he break any rule? Reminds of the man that told us that his house was burnt but he managed to save the mattress–all army arrangement

 

We are still basically the wailing wailers, the hailing wailers, the wailing hailers, truth is in Fela’s lyrics “the same old politicians wey spoil Nigeria before…all of them dey there now, rather than a strong nation with an unquestionable sense of patriotism, we are still Biafrans, Arewans, Oduans, and others, we remain Christians and Muslims, who patronage idols more than the worshippers of the idol, and yet we want change. I dare say we are simply not ready, or are we—Only time will tell.

 

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