Let me start with a personal story. At a point in my life, I ignored the church like many youths in their 20s still do. It’s the rebel in us that wants to break away from the sermons and doctrines that we have been force-fed with in childhood and adolescence especially those who have attended mission schools. I opted for squash, Sunday luncheons, social visits, movies or simply to sleep off Saturday night hang overs. It didn’t help that I was in a profession that did not see Sunday as a hallowed day. But habits and characters formed in childhood are difficult to completely shake off and the lure of the church became stronger as I grew older.
At age 40, I found that many of my childhood friends had found their way back to the church. I decided to follow suit but on my terms. I looked critically at the various Pentecostal churches. There were many things to be said in their favour especially the deep prayerful life. I couldn’t however, relate with the feel-good and flamboyant life-styles of their pastors. It seemed to me on the other hand that the orthodox churches put considerable emphasis on the secular and social aspects of the church. I was in this dilemma when my mother who had been more than joyous that her prodigal son was coming home, said I was looking for a perfect church and that there was nothing like that.
I should go to a Bible-reading church nearest to me and concentrate on the message and not the messenger, she advised. I have since found accommodation with this phrase not only in my spiritual life, but also in my private and social life. Chief Francis Arthur Nzeribe was a Senator in the Shagari era when I was Editor and we met on a number of occasions. He was a suave, engaging person who revitalised you with his confident, can-do spirit. He was rich, even then and was not apologetic about it. Neither was he apologetic about the fact that he was once a gun runner. He said in an interview I had with him that business and morals operated on two different codes.
He was Machiavellian in the sense that he absolutely believed that the end justified the means—whatever means. It was therefore not surprising to many that he was one of the tools used to truncate June 12 democracy. But it is on record that he did cry out at the time Nigeria was considering taking the IMF loan that many Nigerians, including himself, had more FX stashed abroad than we were going to borrow. He offered to give names if the repatriations could be protected. When nobody took him serious, probably because of his antecedence, he made the famous statement that we should look at the message and not the messenger. He was ignored and the chance passed by.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the leader of opposition in 1982 when he issued a statement that the profligacy of the Shagari government was leading the ship of State into rocky waters. The NPN controlled government derided him and poured scorn on his person. He was a doomsday prophet who never saw anything good with the government of the day. Again, they concentrated on the messenger…. A year later, the reality hit us and unsavoury events happened in quick successions that led to the massive devaluation of the currency and the truncation of our democracy.
Big corporations and multinationals are also sometimes guilty of focusing on the messenger and ignoring the message. A major multi–national company once asked a top female staff to collate field reports that would show how well they were doing in the market. Her report showed they were losing grounds rapidly and pointed out what they were doing wrong. This of course was not what the expatriate boss wanted to hear as it could earn him a recall. They therefore ignored the message (report) while chastising the messenger and subsequently commissioned another, more favourable report. Today, they are way down in the areas they once used to lead.
Last week, the expose of the month happened when a certain Dr Aluko told us how the Ekiti election was funded and the role of the military in the said election. The figures mentioned were as mind boggling as the role of certain officials of government and the military were nauseating. I expected the defence to be that nobody would be crazy enough to take 35 million dollars from the coffers of government to spend on a personal election and that it did not happen. I expected the military and Fayose to come out with facts against the alleged ignoble role they played at the election.
Instead, aspersions are being cast on the integrity of Dr Aluko. Obviously it is a case of sour grapes as he certainly would not have talked if he had been made the Chief of Staff as allegedly promised. But that does not change the message. Also the argument that APC also spent other people’s money or put crudely, tax payers’ money, does not change the message that the Ekiti election was characteristic of the rot and fraud in the country’s political arena. The message if true, is that certain people stole our money and should be made to cough it out. Certain people are also not fit to hold public positions or serve in the military. We should not confuse the messenger with the message.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was at it a couple of weeks ago when he wrote one of his now famous letters to the National Assembly. He questioned the opaqueness in the Assembly’s budget and urged more transparency. He questioned the need to buy 500 luxury cars when all allowances had been monetised. He questioned the ways and means the august legislators were using to boost their total take home pay. He wanted them to examine their conscience and provide moral leadership. He wanted them to be in a position to check the excesses of the executive by first checking their own excesses.
Instead, the legislators and their spokesmen descended on the past president. They brought out the third term scandal; they brought out the Siemen and the Halliburton scandals. Again they descended on the messenger and left the message. Yet, if they truly represent the people; if they truly feel the pulse of the people, then they should know that the people see them as elite parasites and are getting fed up with them. If they cannot curb their excesses by themselves, then we the people, will make them do it. One way or another.
VANGUARD
END
Message/Messenger: but “the medium is the message” abi? There’s so much bad belle floating around Dr Aluko. If they rigged the gubernatorial polls to the tune of that amount-and it’s not impossible, mind you- what happened then at the state and national assembly elections? How come the Fayose team swept every available seat? Whatever became of the Captain “Lagbaja” who allegedly blew the whistle on his commanding officer? Why has he not stepped out ever since? He may still be on the run, who knows, for going AWOL. But his chances for a pardon, like the runaway soldiers in the North East is waning by the day. Truth is, when a messenger carries a stench around his/her person, he/she risks being ditched along with the message. When the devil quoted the Scriptures did Jesus say he was wrong? No.But Jesus dared not tow the devil’s line of reasoning, because he knew the devil had an evil motive. Have we forgotten too soon, that Obasanjo’s government shared money in GMG bags on the floor of the National Assembly? By that and other tokens of his reign he has lost every moral right to talk about corruption in the National Assembly. That is the point. He is a wrong medium and not a credible messenger. No one should take him for his words. Indeed, we should question his motives thoroughly.