GongNews … truth in defense of a just society
Related Articles
Symbolically, every animated being has a role to play, and every role is a traceable mark on the marble. History is therefore made, during the chronological series of events, time, space and the players of the game during an event that a man does today, whether good or bad becomes part of his history.
Kudos to a man who has worked relentlessly assiduously towards the progress and development of his community, society or nation; for, his name shall, forever be on a clean gold. For a man, who has destroyed his future today and the future of his yet unborn generations to the seventh one, whether dead or alive, the disgusting story of his recklessness will forever live behind him; the evil that men do shall live behind them.’
The universal Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW) was quoted saying…certainly man turns to a history after his demise, therefore, strife to be a good history for those who are to live after you.
Position of leadership in life is a great ordeal of test as both life and death are! Riches, poverty, healthy and sickly conditions, knowledge, ignorance are phenomena of dynamism. If, however, any human is overtaken by any of those phenomena, it may not remain permanent. Of course, no condition, they say is permanent. The position any man occupies today has been occupied by several others in the past; that is simply a parable to the occupant of that position that, tomorrow is some else’s, hence today is yours.
The Noble Qur’an states: If a wound should touch you-that has already touched the (opposing) people a wound similar to it. And these days(of varying conditions) We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and(may) take to Himself from among you martyrs-and Allah does not like the wrong doers(Q3:104)
It is a puzzling substance, seeing how some qualified and unqualified leaders at their various levels mismanage, misappropriate or mishandle their positions of tests, thinking that forever they shall be there, disdaining and disheartening other citizens’ life threatening conditions each of them finds himself, especially, those who are not as opportune as they are.
Without sitting on the fence; who is a rich individual and who is a poor person? By my own definition or connotation, a rich individual is one who has either a little or abundant quantum of wealth but shares to others for survival, unity, alleviating others from the tentacles of abject poverty and wants for social and economic development. On the contrary, a poor person is he who amasses wealth and becomes happier with what he has amassed, as he counts and re-counts, but never will he share other less privileged members of the society, to such a person, there is hatred, instead of love, in sharing.
He cares not, whether others sleep in biting hunger or not! Continuity of gathering such wealth is the most striking ambition of such elements called humans, never shall they desist from such selfish attitudinal composition until they, without preparation visit their graves. So too late it will be by the time the angels visit them in their hollowed and spooky grave. Answering questions on how all the illegalities of affluent were amassed must certainly be a taskying examination to pass or scale through. Allah says: Competition in (worldly) increase diverts you. Until you visit the graveyards…Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure (Q102:1-8)
Dear readers, without beating about the bush, I do have to be a bit open. Palliative, according to lexicographers depicts, soothing, alleviating, mitigating or lessening the hardship of a wretched, helpless or but me- no but person(s) ,with the sole intent of improving his deplorable condition, such as lack of funds, inaccessibility to food, cloth, drugs, education and other social amenities.
The present situations in Nigeria has driven many people into quivering, stealing, robbery, kidnapping and other socio vices, though, so very impatient some are, while others are too much in a haste to getting rich. Who is to blame, the parents, government, individual persons or society? Well, the answer is privately known to every individual as the answer may vary.
The issue of sharing palliative emanated from three different angles: Federal and state government, and individual communities or affluent members of the community. Millions of Nigerians observed the COVID- 19 lock down in dastardly hunger without getting food and income that their families needed to survive on. (Anietie Ewang)The palliative packages were set aside for vulnerable, whether jokingly or seriously, it was a news on the air that anyone who had five thousand naira and above in his account never deserved a chunk of the palliative.
In Nigerian situation, it is obvious that civil servants are few in number when compared to street hawkers, drivers, artisans, butchers , farmers ,food vendors, fruit sellers, hairdressers, keke and Okada riders, to mention but a few. By implication, it shows clearly that those who depend on their daily bread are far more than salary earners. Even salary earners and others, spend more when they are under lock down far more than they did during outings to offices. This, practically, is unarguable.
A particular Nigerian state solicited for contributions from all the indigenous citizens of the town, with the aim of alleviating the perverted poverty that has been ravaging even before the long weeks of lockdown that almost became paparazzi and turned the community members into almost ‘Almajiri’ synecdoche. So responsive some prominent and middle class individuals contributed to the project from home and abroad, thinking that the action would have served as a remedy or succour, especially to the hopeless and voiceless, rather, the palliative resulted to an appetizer and an unforeseen hunger.
The worse scenario is for someone to perceive the aroma of a supposed delicious and palatable delicacy; only for it to skip to the next neighbour’s house and stops there, or not even coming at all.. Apart from that, the most surprising aspect, according to the victims and eye witnesses, the district and family heads were given for onward distribution instead, a similitude 10kg was to be shared by more than thirty people within a compound. Are they fowls or turkeys? It is a palpitation situation, as it was related that some of the district or family heads, quarantined some of the raw food stuff for sale.
It should be bore in mind that hoarding in Islam, especially, food stuff is a major sin and particularly in the period of lockdown while others safe keep the food (ought to have been shared) to the vulnerable members of the community, for consumption, with their family members. Elesin (43-44) postulated that hoarding, linguistically, is the keeping of food items (from the reach of people) until when its price becomes higher in order to put people into difficulty. Muhammad Subhi (224) concurred that food is important to all human races, that hoarding may lead to malnutrition or great famine can as well, lead to non-circulation of wealth (money).
Allah says: Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire .And they will be burned in a Blaze (i.e. Hellfire) (Q4:10) Amongst the vulnerable persons are: orphans, widows, widowers, unemployed applicants, octogenarians, single mothers, divorced women and many others. Why was it that some family, or district heads employed thugs to guard and protect their own lives from the attack of the angry mobs? Having realised their fowl plays!
It is highly noticed in most human beings that greed almost stands as their ‘surname.’ What kind of a leader is one who has chains of cars, houses, huge bank accounts and other luxuries of life in his possession, yet when a little opportunity peeps in for the poor members of the society, the same leader grabs and squanders such opportunity scandalously.
What if such leaders are lucky to have had the entire worldly valuable materials or paraphernalia in their control? Indeed, they would have decided who is to exist among common peasants. Socrates succinctly said: He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have. Does it not make more sense, if leaders with greed turn greed to their slaves rather than allow greed to remain their master? How well do they feel comfortable when they see their fellow humans who wallow in abject poverty? Do they not realise that their own poverty over rides the poverty of the vulnerable ones around them?
Undoubtedly, the acts of embezzling others’ property or rights, squandering public’s funds, etc. are all in the category of oppression. Jabir bn Abdullah(RA) reported that Allah’s Messenger(SAW) said: Be on your guard against committing oppression, for oppression is a darkness on the Day of Resurrection, and be on your guard against stinginess for, stinginess destroyed those who were before you, as it incited them to shed blood and make lawful what was unlawful for them(Sahih Muslim)
In conclusion, we must ask ourselves, where is the first president of America-George Washington(1732-1799)?A politician, world leader, so to say, a military general, statesman, the funding father and first president of the United States(1789-1797),he is in the hollow! Where is Mansa Musa 1 of Mali, born in 1280, the ruler of Malian empire who got rich through salt and gold trade business? Now, in the ground? Imagine the riches of Prince Al-waleed bn Talal, popularly referred to as Warren Buffet, who made his fortune through astute investments, no more, he is, despite his riches! Qaarun in the Glorous Qur’an known as Korah in the Holy Bible was given abundant treasures by Allah in the time of Prophet Musa (AS), whose keys to his treasures were carried by very strong hefty men but got exulted because of his wealth; so easily he was swallowed by the opening of the earth’s surface! Fir’aon (Pharaoh), the powerful king, an acclaimed God who victimized, terrorized and almost distabilised the government of Prophet Musa(Moses) later got drown in the large of the red sea, where is he today?
M.K.O Abiola, the business icon, who was known worldwide in 80s, also, his contemporaries, Abdul Wahab Folawiyo Iyanda, Miftah Olanihun and a host of others, are perhaps battling with accountability questions on how one thousand Naira became Ten Million Naira and in multiples, may God ease them of the process. All of them left behind their acquired assets and was buried but with nothingness! Finally, Prophet Sulaiman (AS) who was very rich, surrounded with superabundant affluent, slaves, soldiers, spirits; and was even able to control ants, but by Allah’s power.
Where they have all gone is a permanent abode, and so we shall join them, sooner or later .What do we have in stock to face our Mighty God, the overall Judge of all judges?!I hope and pray that, Kwara state in general, and Ilorin in particular will administer appropriately judiciously, if the opportunity to do so arises, by extension, all Nigerian states. Learn a lesson from others’ flaws in order to make mends
It is my aspiration, that Nigerian leaders will have thoughtful moments and rejuvenate or recuperate on their system of leadership. Palliative distribution supposedly would have brought relief and succour to the deserving citizens but not to aggravate their sorrowful moments. He who makes others smile will definitely have the course to do same, together with his or her children; and for those who make others weep, tears shall but drop from their retinae to their laps because of their handiwork! Nemesis is unavoidable because what goes around certainly comes around!
Do have a blissfully blessed weekend! Assalaamu Alaykum…
