Ekiti State Assembly Crisis: African Science To The Rescue

Of the 36 states House of Assembly, Ekiti State is the only one where the membership is evenly distributed. The ruling party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 13 members while the opposition, Action Congress (AC), has equal footing. As a result of this balanced force, legislative duties have been slow, as every motion had to be scrutinized and the collaboration of at least one “black sheep” is needed to get majority vote to pass whatever bill.

But on July 9th, three “black sheep” from PDP defected and a group calling herself the G18, moved a motion to impeach the PDP speaker Hon. Femi Bamisile. Since this historic motion, the state has been in akimbo, with all manner of pressure brought to bear on the G18, to rethink their stand. The traditional rulers were thrown into the fray and a safe landing was found for the impeached ex-speaker. This soft landing among other things was that the ex-speaker will not be prosecuted for the alleged theft he committed while a student in Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, and other sundry offences. He was also allowed to preside over a valedictory season, which took place on Tuesday July 29th behind closed door.

When the door was opened, Hon. Matthew Olatunji Odeyemi emerged with the full paraphernalia of the office of the speaker. But the virgin speaker, refused to take his seat till it was sanctified by the Alaaye of Efon, Oba Emmanuel Aladejare. The traditional monarch, did not only counter-anoint the vacant speakers seat but went ahead to cleanse the whole legislative seats, believed to have been “anointed” by African reassurance talisman during the tussle. The Oba saying incantations dusted each seat with his cow tail fan, while the legislatures stood in awe and said “Amen”, whenever the Oba was audible enough. It is interesting that these legislatures, who drew their right of impeachment from the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will allow such act in the hallowed chambers! (The 1999 Nigerian Constitution claims to be secular but has a controversial section protecting Shari a law).

I guess these Ekiti legislators want to make a case for African Traditional Religion (ATR) This superstitious believe in supernatural intervention in the affairs of man, especially Nigerian politicians, is one of the reasons why commonest solvable problems are dumped at the feet of one god or the other. This cacophony of mixed allegiance surely will cause confusion as one is at sea as to which god is answering prayers or causing more harm. To rule a state, Ngigi had to go to a ATR shrine armed with a Christian Bible, instead of presenting his party’s manifesto or go to the grass roots to acquaint himself with the plight of unemployment and erosion eating up the people of Anambra.

The former president Olusegun Obasanjo has been reported as telling Nigerians that only “God” can solve the power problem in Nigeria. Bunkum. I hope he is not waiting for a thunder and a Jim Jones or John Momoh (MD Channels TV) voice shout let their be light, and the rusty industrial wheels in Nigeria will be belching out steel and refined crude from Warri and Kaduna refineries. Nigeria is not alone in this plague. You need to recast your mind to Jacob Zuma of South Africa and his Zulu rituals during his rape trial.

What is wrong with African politicians? Religion is a private thing and has no place in public life. In public life, which is based on social contract, there are all manner of believes, so why should any be imposed as a state’s? The constitution is the Ifa, the Bible, and Koran of legislative business. If these Ekiti legislators have no faith in the constitution to guide them in the discharge of their duties, they should move a motion to the effect that the offending/impotent sections be expunged from the constitution and ATR be enacted as the official Ekiti State religion. In an era when the West is going to Mars, African politicians are still bringing fetishism to bear in legislative duties.

In most cases, a legislative business, begins with a prayer to one of the gods of the Jew and their half brother, the Arabs, yet such invocation of ‘god’ does not stop them from looting the country blind, or resulting to underhand, unconstitutional means to reap off the masses, whose mandate they claim they are defending. Can some one call Nigerian politicians to order? Our salvation to being a member in the comity of 21st century nations is to jettison public display of religious idiosyncrasies and find the part of industrialization and upward movement to the moon.