Between the fanatic and the heretic: The farcical comedy of the wasted generation and the generational dimensions of Nigeria's travails.

By

Orok Edem

For the sake of this write up, I presume most of you understand the concept of age groups as it occurs in African societies, therefore, based on that presumption, I intend to transpose this concept to the Nigerian society as a whole, and group members of the wasted generation as those in their sixties and seventies, after this group comes the confused generation, in their fifties and sixties; the lost generation, in their forties and fifties, followed by the cash and carry generation, who are in their thirties and forties, and finally the kill and go generation, who are in their twenties and thirties. Please note that there would be generational overlap and the divisions above are not sacrosanct.

Why is the understanding of generational guilt necessary to understanding our state of development and the cause of our problems? Because, though we bandy tribal differences as the primary bane of our nation, it was members of the wasted generation who knew how to read and write at the end of British rule in Nigeria, that had the historical responsibility to see us through as a people and hand over institutions inherited from the British in the same state, if not improved upon to the next generation. If, today their children and grandchildren are running helter skelter, they should feel sorry for us members of the lost generation who would have to deal with the monsters they have created - the cash and carry and the kill and go generation. As for the confused generation, they did not know what hit them. They graduated from the finest universities abroad and at home when academics was academics, walked right into waiting jobs, car loans and their allocation of quarters in the government reservation area. Most of them did not think of building houses, the first salvo fired across their bow was when Gowon, a member of the wasted generation told lecturers to pack out of university premises. They still did not get the message. Today, they are too old to migrate, and too weak and honest to contest elections.

Members of the wasted generation are found amongst the early graduates of Ibadan, the Jubril Aminus, the Umaru Dikkos, the Bola Iges, the Ukpabi Asikas, Omoruyi, Saro Wiwa, Ifeajuna, Okigbos etc. Amongst this generation comes their counterparts like Asiodu, Joda, Ciroma, Ojukwu, Dasuki, Shagari, Nzeribe, Awojobi etc. Mix this setup with their academically challenged compatriots who flocked to the military like Nzeogwu, Dabang, Dimka and co. Little wonder the society had to explode. The dilemma of the confused generation, which came immediately after the wasted generation, is that before they knew it, all the institutions inherited from the British, had become undermined by the younger members of the wasted generation, and theirs, who had joined the army, a few of them caught on, but the rest plodded on innocently. When Murtala’s, 'immediate effect' sacking of the civil service hit them, they were most unprepared. The confused generation, constitute the bulk of the army of pensioners today who cannot make ends meet. The lost generation, on seeing this and being fortunate enough to have imbibed a world class education took to their heels, those that studied abroad decided to extend their stay. This created the vacuum for the cash and carry generation, personified by the Orji Kalus, to take over. They in turn have groomed the kill and go generation, as their understudies. Adebayo ‘Fryo’ is a typical member of this generation.

Now, enter the fanatic and the heretic. Within the past few months, what with all the trial, tribulations, deceptions and gloating witnessed recently in Nigeria, something that first started as a joke is now beginning to assume saddening proportions which really exemplifies the state of the nation, the times we find ourselves in, and the unfathomable depths to which members of the wasted generation have dragged us to. We first heard of this story from one Muyiwa Awe, a born again Christian, with his own church and flock, whom we have been told is a renowned physicist ,and one of the original founders of the Pyrates Confraternity. Awe, like every other person who cannot change his opinion nor change the subject, has been inundating us of his new found love for Christ, with a little jab here and there at his heretic friend one Wole Soyinka, who unlike Awe, does not believe in Christ but in a smaller deity that is worshipped by those in the minority. Soyinka, of course being one who has never missed a fine opportunity to keep quiet, has released rejoinders from his well stocked arsenal, Beware of imitations, and in between have come in friends, enemies and a chuckle here and there, from the rest of us.

The last of the intervention written by Bode Ogunlusi  Between Awe and Soyinka has certain statements, if not clarified, stands the risk of casting opprobrium on the two agbalabas above.

Is it correct that Muyiwa Awe, at any time in his life did witness or know about the beating of a student at the University of Ibadan campus by a group of people belonging to the Pyrates Confraternity, for the cardinal sin of being out studying and returning home in the wee hours of the morning, whence he was set on, not by one, but a group of cult members and was thoroughly beaten up? If it is true that Awe was aware of this incident and ended up paying for the door that was destroyed during the fracas ‘out of his pocket’, as the writer crowed! What moral or religious right does Awe, have to denounce anybody and flash textbooks at us about the dangers of cultism, when Awe has been confirmed to be the harbinger of the ‘above the law’ attitude of cultists on the campuses, by aiding and abetting a crime? Awe, stands condemned in the eyes of man. He could keep his apologies to his God. It is this attitude that led to other students forming cult gangs to protect themselves, that has now introduced the dangerous dimension of shoot outs in our campuses. Obviously, Awe is not aware, of the social consequences of his then actions and thinks that by telling us about Soyinka's disposition to wine drinking and fondness for hunting ‘bearded’ meat -  All This Sound And Fury, his own contributions would be forgotten. We are no longer amused. I have been drinking wine all my life, and I still do not live as well as Soyinka, maybe, its because I have been drinking burukutu! And the ‘bearded’ meat? No wonder Obasanjo, is always harping on lecturers and their relation with female students. I put that to envy, of course. 

Though, I am yet to hear of Soyinka, being directly involved in an incident associated with cult violence on campus, this hero worshipper of theirs, Bode Ogunlusi, a classic member of the confused generation, narrated a story as to how Soyinka broke into the premises of the then Western Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation and destroyed government property, with the aim of inciting the public to truncate the then ‘nascent democracy’. Bolaji Aluko, who is somewhere looking for a ministerial appointment, also narrated how Soyinka, appeared in their house at Nsukka to hide out, just like Adebayo ‘Fryo’ was doing with Keyamo. What happened after this? Soyinka was found not guilty. I believe, because the prosecution witness changed his story to having seen a non bearded man at the time of the incident, instead of Soyinka, who was at this time sporting a full beard. I don’t know how much this is true, but suffice it to say, these are the kind of heroic deeds, members of the wasted generation left for those of the confused generation to admire.

If the court then holding in Ibadan, had found Soyinka not guilty of a crime he was apparently guilty of, does it occur to this member of the confused generation that such incidence laid the groundwork for the loss of faith in the judiciary today? That, the so called moral perfidy did not start today in the Nigeria State. That, one Odunayo Olagbaju was murdered in 2001, fifteen people were arrested for that crime, all of them have been granted bail. That, the murder of Bola Ige is not less important than the murder of Olagbaju. Bola Ige, to all respects and purpose was a fulfilled man, that does not detract from the way he died, but his death is no more important than the death of Olagbaju, nor my forthcoming death, at least to me.

In fact, the death of Olagbaju, for anybody who understands Yoruba cosmology is more galling. Here is a young man, a member of the cash and carry generation, who had the presence of mind to take a fowl, alligator pepper and gin to his father to pray for him. Then he was killed that same night! Something had to give, but for the death of these two men, Yoruba land would have been on fire after the last election. A message was sent loud and clear. To wit: We were not going to stand for that kind of intimidation. Did Fryo, not also remove Obasanjo’s cap when he went to visit the Ife palace during his 1999 campaign? Did Obasanjo on becoming President have him killed? The truth is, members of the wasted generation have accepted assassination as part of their ways of doing business, that language has been ably learnt by the cash and carry generation, who recruit the kill and go generation, for its executions. You do not have to like it, but that is the reality on the ground. It is the collective failure of members of the wasted generation including Ige, that Ige’s son is running out of the country. We say welcome to the real world.

Does this young man not know that seventy five percent of the economic or political immigrants who are out of Nigeria today belongs to the lost generation, of which he is a member? What makes him think that he is better than the rest of us who ran out? What exactly is at stake here? I mourn Ige as a person, as a member of humanity who was murdered. I do not mourn Ige, because he was the Attorney General of Nigeria. Never! Ige was not a good attorney general in my humble and biased opinion. Ige, it was that conspired and kidnapped a Nigerian citizen and transported him abroad to stand trial in a foreign court, without due process. Ige, it was that instigated the judicial perfidy called the resource control suit, when he Ige, had shown such political sagacity when handling the Igbeti marble affair, for which he was hailed by all and sundry. Are the grandchildren of Bola Ige not luckier than the grandchildren of Akin Deko?

Why should the courts that freed Soyinka, gave bail to the suspects in the Olagbaju murder case, deny bail to Bamaiyi and Dan Baba, messed up the Rewane case, granted bail to Omisore., the institutions that could not sanction Awe, that has not found out and arraigned the murderers of Dele Giwa, suddenly right itself and do justice to the Iges?

We must acknowledge the fact that institutional decay and Nigeria’s travails did not start today. I remember asking a friend, whatever happened to the meters normally checked every month by the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, or the meter company that was opened in Zaria. He had no answer. Come to think of it, a generation has grown up in Nigeria that does not know that people are supposed to pay for the electricity and water they use, a generation that has never seen a mail runner or sanitary inspectors! What do we learn from all this? That societies that suffer a disconnect, and inappropriate transfer of institutions to the next generation are bound to suffer for a long period of time. Bringing in the best experts on earth, a job Adams Oshiomole was sent abroad for, is downright stupid, what would the Okonjo Iwealas do, when the Auditor General is subjugated to the president? Obasanjo is just setting her up as a ready made excuse for his incompetence.

To survive the mess created by members of the wasted generation, and as one who is planning to return permanently to Nigeria soon, I have imbibed the ‘do nothing’ philosophy of Obasanjo, because it is the best case scenario for everybody. It is anchored on the assumption that Nigeria as a unified state is better for the survival of the African race. But owing to such disconnects as mentioned above, even with the apparent injustices in the system. It is better to patch and hold it together until such and such a time that we acquire the necessary institutions to run a modern state. The critics, of course would argue that with the kill and go generation waiting in the wings, what future is there for Obasanjo’s grandchildren. I appreciate that argument, but I believe Obasanjo, is working on the precepts that if he does absolutely nothing, he would be regarded as being wise, because mistakes would have been avoided. Don’t forget, every body is ignorant on different subjects and any new initiative by the wasted generation would cause more trouble than it is worth.

As we await the next series of exchanges between the fanatic and the heretic, spare a thought to the amount of intellectual firepower that is being expended on trivialities. What exactly do we expect from this farcical comedy being force fed us by members of the wasted generation? Their track record from their gross incompetence in running a government to organizing an election, throw in the ordinary teaching of students, and their collective failures at their historical responsibilities is damning. Their actions and inactions have left the confused generation bewildered, and the lost generation absconding its responsibilities, leaving the running of society to members of the cash and carry generation, who do not know their left from their right. Finally, let us contemplate the future awaiting us from the kill and go generation, (all graduates of university cults] with guns in their hands pointing at our general direction, waiting to be settled?

June 2003