By John Uwa (PhD)
Throughout history, some bards, prophets, and musicians have often served as societal commentators, sometimes predicting the downfall of powerful figures, even before their hubristranslates into tragedy. This phenomenon is rooted in the ability of these prophetic individuals to capture and reflect the prevailing anxieties and aspirations of their time through their art, renditions or messages. In the bible, Daniel the prophet correctly predicted the downfall of King Nebuchadnezzar for a set period, Prophet Elijah predicted the death of Queen Jezebel and the prophet Micaiah correctly predicted the death of Ahab. In Nigeria, popular musicians in the past and present like Fela Anikulapo Kuti in ‘Zombie’, Ras Kimono in ‘Under Pressure’, Mandators in ‘Inflation’, African China in ‘Mr. President’ and Edris Abdul Karim in ‘Jagajaga’ have used their songs as tools to gauge the nation’s progress, demonstrating how artistic expression can function as a form of social commentary andhow songs can be potentially predictive and prophetic. These music icons play vital roles in preserving historical events and offering insights through their songs.
One prophetic song that appeals to the archetypes of the collective apprehensions of the world in general, to which Nigeria is a part and parcel; and as metaphor for answering the seemingly begging leadership questions underscoring our dilemma as a nation, is the ‘spiritual’ of the late sage and legend Robert Nesta Marley, aka Bob Marley, titled “Natural Mystic”. The song suggests itself as a timeless oracle,(fore) telling what was, what is and what will; and allowing the critic of Nigerian sociopolitical and economic spaces to draw allusions.Bob Marley’s “Natural Mystic” transcends a simple song; it’s a multifaceted commentary on the human condition, blending spirituality, prophecy, and social awareness. Marley’s repetition of “There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air,” acts as a metaphor for the(un)seen forces shaping our world, to which Nigeria is a microcosm. This “natural mystic” suggests the existence of deeper, universal truths and energies, perceptible to those who ‘listen carefully’.
As with Nigeria,what appears to be chains of pervasive political activities, from political state capture through executive rascality and fiats, the politics of insecurity, the weaponization of poverty through mass impoverishment, and the establishment of political Eldorado for corrupt political office holders, signaled by mass defections from the opposition parties to the ruling party, speak of a deeper cancer pervading the moral fabric of our nation. These pervasive political active gain traction through some subtle executive legitimization of unconstitutional activities and the complicit silence of the nation’s watchdogs,encourage heightened awareness and a deeper understanding of these pervasive influences. Even in the state of heightened awareness, Nigerians remain hopeless and the ‘leaders’ hapless—making repeated decisions with unforeseen negative consequences. This combined dilemma seems toresonate with Marley’s lyric that “many more will have to suffer, and many more will have to die”. In essence, the song’s deeper implication lies in its invitation to contemplate the unseen forces at play in our lives and the importance of heightened perception and understanding of these forces.
Perhaps, it is this heightened perception and understanding of the forces dragging our nation into the abyss that has turned the writer into a prophet. In the literary scene, Chinua Achebe, a renowned writer, is believed to have preempted the first Nigerian Military Coup of January 1966, orchestrated by five Majors headed by Major Kaduna Ezeogwu and countered by General AguyiIronsi in July 1966, in his book—A Man of the People. In the book, Chinua Achebe painted a picture of greed and corruption in post-independent Nigeria which prompted a military take over. The picture painted by Achebe is arguably reminiscent of the current attitude of Nigerian political actors; but more intriguing is that a real life coup took place in Nigeria moments after the release of the book. Equally intriguing was J.P Clark’s comment when asked to review the book before a public gathering; he remarked that he knows that Achebe is a Prophet, that everything in the book (A Man of the People) except the coup, has happened. Surprisingly, in the evening of that same day, a real live coup of January 1966, sacking the civilian government, was staged. By the same token, many scholars agree that Christopher Okigbo predicted the Nigerian civil war in his volume “Come Thunder” where he expressed the anxiety and tension within Nigeria that culminated in the Nigerian civil war. While some are not always explicitly predictive, most of the critique of the Nigeria state through arts can retrospectively be interpreted as foreshadowing societal shifts and the potential downfall of leaders. They underscore or foreground the potential for art and artist to act as prophetic voices within political discourse; and in the process, reflect the societal tensions and potential consequences of actions.
Unfortunately the hubris of most political office holders in Nigeria continues to shield and seartheir human tendency for pity, fear and empathy; so that they continue to carry on, with brazen disregard for the interest of the common and deafening ignorance for the transient nature of power and life. Otherwise, why should the General in a pair of perpetually-dark-glasses forget the meaning retribution before his priceless possession, the breath of life, is abruptly cut short by sudden death? why should the ‘Evil Genius’ ignore the crippling fate of the aged, at his prime as head of state; only to return, trying to rewrite history through a remedial autobiography? And why should a man who prides himself as being a seasoned democrat, justify, through his political (in)actions and miscalculations, the apparent obliviousness of his own complicity in the undemocratic downfalls that has characterized historical presidential figures in Nigeria?
The complicit obliviousness of the current executive arm in Nigeria clearly shadows a conglomeration of Nigerian political actors on a political stage, acting out the script of a military-piloted democracy; which started with an expositionthat threw the P.D.P government on the stage in 1999, climaxed with the emergence of APC government in 2015 and now entering the denouement withwhat appears to be a paradoxical democrat, clad in all the appurtenances of a military regime, unwittingly steering the democratic wheel of the nation toward its cradle—the military government. Herein lies the metaphors, paradoxes and tensions of the current democratic intrigues in Nigeria; which, whether the political dramatists are aware of it or not, require resolution. For example, replacing a democratically elected governor with a sole administrator of military origin in a democratic state, not only portends severe implications that can undermine the fundamental democratic principles of the nation, but also illuminates something unique and uncommon about the Nigerian ‘democratic’ institution. It shows that ours is a country with a convenient capacity to operate a military regime in a democracy and a democracy in a military regime.
Historic events and slogans like ‘Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA)’, the June 12 annulment, Odi Massacre, 3rd Term bid,Okuama Massacre and the recent declaration of a state-of-emergency in Rivers State foreground the convenient, but unholy, relationship between militaryrule and democracy in Nigeria. In fact, the recent ‘gameplay’ of replacing a democratically elected Governor with a Sole Administrator or unelected authority, through executive fiat, or is it executive rascality? could be interpreted as an action which constitutes a significant breach of the constitutional framework that guarantees democratic governance in Nigeria. The public outcry that has greeted the action of Mr. President has yielded interpretations relating to a deliberate erosion of democratic principles, undermining the Rule of Law, threat to civil liberties and fermentation of political instability—all of which, in history, have been reasons presented to justify military take-over.
It is therefore important to remind the President that replacing a democratically elected governor with a sole administrator, with military background, has profoundly negative implications for a democratic state and the democratic credentials of Mr. President. It undermines the core democratic principles on which he rode to power and prominence, weakens the rule of law, threatens civil liberties, fosters political instability, and invites international criticism. The chain of political maneuverings and intrigues preluding ‘2027’, when placed on a timeline and magnified through the ‘Marlian’ mystic lenses, translate to authoritarianism and an unwitting invitation of the Nigerian Military to once again desecrate the temples of democracy in Nigeria. To that extent, the earlier the Executive allows the ‘watch dog’ to watch and “the last hope of the common man” to become independent in the truest sense of the word, the safer the present democracy from the natural mystic of military take-over blowing across Africa. And one last thing—“don’t ask me why”.
