By Bisi Lawrence
Flatterers have abounded down the corridors of history. They lurk in the shadows or dare the glare of public awareness in various forms and shapes. They grovel on the floor as toadies, or crawl on all fours as creeps, or put on the bold face as full-blown lickspittles. Whatever their colour, they are distinguished by one fell purpose:cupidity.
Flatterers have abounded down the corridors of history. They lurk in the shadows or dare the glare of public awareness in various forms and shapes. They grovel on the floor as toadies, or crawl on all fours as creeps, or put on the bold face as full-blown lickspittles. Whatever their colour, they are distinguished by one fell purpose:cupidity.
It is, to say the least, a shameful pastime. It creates a disgusting, nauseating sight, when grown-up men and women publicly bend and fawn before others who are not necessary better as human beings but are in position of power, from where they can pour largesse on those who have turned themselves into praise singers of filthy lucre.
Udenta O. Udenta
They do not espouse any admirable cause; neither do they exert themselves to promote any particular ideal because it is worthy of their support, nor do they even consider the overall eventuality that might arise from their nefarious efforts. Their principals derive great pleasure in being lauded to the skies for these accomplishments, no matter the quality of genuine respect they fail to acquire, or how poorly they actually perform with the powers they undeservedly obtain.
They adversely affect their period. And they do have a period. They thrive when the estimation of self-esteem depreciates to a very low level in the society; when success is measured by acquisition, not by accomplishment; when profit overwhelms propriety. That is the season in which we now find ourselves: the season of sycophants. The country is now awash with the patrons at this time of impending elections to high office. The chief patrons, of course, are those who are aspiring to the highest positions—those of State Governors and, of course, the President.
Politics has become the most profitable of all occupations in Nigeria now, and normal ambitions have deteriorated to the point where they spawn desperate endeavours, and motivate dangerous enterprises. It need not excite the wild passions that now beset us, but such environments are created by the tenor of the leadership which dictates and directs the temper of the storm..
It might have been interesting, even inspiring, if the grip of the desire on the mind of the thespian had not risen to the height of an obsession. This is the main danger of the drama that is playing out and spinning out of control, right before our eyes. We are faced with a protagonist in whose efforts to attain of the fulfilment of the role he has cast for himself subverts almost every other consideration of decent and humane value. That culminated in the harrowing embarrassment of the transformation of “#Bring Back Our Girls” to “Bring Back … whatever”
We may now all very well criticise the tardiness of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in distancing himself from that insensitive, obscene billboard which featured the parody of a heartrending plea by representatives of a diverse humanity, grieving over the abduction of the Nigerian schoolgirls spirited away from Chibok some 30 weeks now. We might, at the same time, wonder what we did about it? Could it be that there has been such proliferation of the obnoxious materials for presidential campaign that they had become crushed by the surfeit? But, in fact, campaign materials of this nature are not supposed to be so widely publicised at this time for, at least, some three months before it was set up.
Other activities that openly pre-empt the regulations about hustings at this time are already in vogue. There are, for instance, the rallies that publicly request, even demand, the declaration from the President that he has a desire to retain his position within the structure of the nation’s government. Some of these supporters actually beg him to say the word. One could have easily been fooled. The gentleman has said it in a multitude of ways short of directly opening his mouth in public. And we all know it. It is like taking the bend even before the race had started.
In extolling the virtues of their hero, the sycophants blandly ascribe credits that are questionable. They compare Jonathan’s virtues as a purveyor of change with those of Martin Luther King, Lee Kwan Yew, Nelson Mandela and even Barrack Obama. The nerve! Of course, the recipient laps it up. The sycophants increase their blandishments to unlimited degrees since they know that they have the protection of their powerful patron. Apart from the favours gained in this manner, their guaranteed shelter from any manner of reprisal is another source of danger.
It is dangerous because it swells the ranks of these miscreants. The police and other security agents look away from them or, even more, disturbing, enthusiastically join forces with them. We have the recent case of a Commissioner of Police who took on the State Governor, and got promoted to boot. He then went public to describe himself as a “Lion” who had tamed a “State Leopard”.
It is an example of unbridled impunity the like of which has developed in this era of glorious sycophancy. Other instances occur in various directions of government activities. The era has spawned myriads of praise-singers whose number is said to have risen to more than a thousand. They credit their president-patron with a houseful of achievements like, improved security, better electricity supply, good highways, blooming agriculture and glowing infrastructure, among other unseen phenomena.
The greatest danger of this season of sycophancy, however, is the goods it eventually delivers. The end-product, in any event and on all occasions will be one of bland mediocrity.
the black scorpion at rest
Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle died peacefully in his house at the age of78. “Home is the sailor, home from the sea, and the hunter from the hill.”
He was the most successful soldier of the Civil War which is said to have been fought to keep Nigeria together as one sovereign country. He acquired the reputation of a fearless warrior more than as a nationalist. He probably saw himself as a combatant first and last anyway, for he was not given to an inordinately high opinion of himself. But he believed in high achievements to which he was totally committed as a soldier.
Not many people had the benefit of knowing him intimately. He was never anxious to expose the inner man,. The personal “Benjie”—warm, witty and generous to a fault. I was favoured with a close, though not prolonged, contact with him. He was a great mimic who, for instance, could make you roll on the floor with his impersonation—in carriage and speech—of his erstwhile Commander-in-Chief, General Yakubu Gowon.
He had a stock of such diversions. His knowledge of the great battles in history was vast, covering tactics and strategies extending to biblical times. And so was his passion for the “music of the masters”— Beethoven, Bach, Mendelssohn, Wagner—stuff like that. And I remember him most of all—for stuff like that.
He also possessed many other sterling qualities, like loyalty and steadfastness. However, it was for his military efforts that people remember him. The Black Scorpion is now at rest.
Time out.
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