SUPERSTITION AND TRUTH ARE PARALLEL LINES
A RESPONSE TO FEMI FANI-KAYODE’S POSTULATION OF PRESIDENT OBAMA AS ANTI-CHRIST
During my secondary school days I was in the social sciences, this gave me ample opportunity to study much of geography, biology, physics and chemistry in addition to art course like literature, I still remember my then Literature teacher, Mr. Osamo who also doubled as our patron in drama group/ Literary and Debating Society. I can’t forget him because he took our work a bit too far, we did practically anything to drive home our point especially during competition with other schools.
Can you imagine that we once took a coffin on stage with a student inside as we tried to do our version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller? Scenes from our recitation of Abiku by J. P. clerk and Esu etc will usually feature demonstration of practices as if one was a real life native doctor with slaughter of chicken and doing all sorts of thing with its fresh blood on stage among other acts.
This has had great impact on my life till date especially to the weight I attach activities of native doctors, diviners or abiku spirit that is being enticed. The most important lesson I learnt was the demystification of the superstitious believes so I knew from early age that the ‘repeated death’ of the child could most likely from sickle cell anemia (SS genotype) or any of the diseases that kill children and not a spirit that prides itself at causing tears and anguish to parents.
I also cannot forget my sciences where we usually conduct all sort of experiment both within our curricular and sometimes to meet our own curiosity,
I am great full there was no major accident from our then very well equipped laboratory at St Charles College, Abavo, Delta State, another lesson I cannot forget is a theory in mathematics lesson which state that parallel lines never meet and various lessons in geography from orbit of the earth around the sun to movements inside the earth crust which sometime causes fault lines leading to earthquakes and if the earthquake were to happen underneath the sea the shock cause serious wave which Is Hurricane, even if one didn’t fully grasp these lessons then, every now and then Al jazera and CNN gives weather forecast and even show diagram of expected area of impact movement of wind and sea water as a result of earth quake, the Richter Scale also help measure the magnitude of earth quakes.
With the above analysis let me bring forward the argument of Fani –Kayode with which he accused President Obama as Anti- Christ and Anti-West who should not be trusted. Fani-Kayode started by criticizing the President for bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia and touring the middle east apologising for American foreign policy in the last 50 years, he went ahead to make a racist remark by asking Obama if the Hussien in his name was now at work rather than Barack, he went further to accuse Obama of desecrating the three Abrahamic faith of Christainity, Islam and Judaism by inviting an Open gay bishop to pray during his inaugural address in 2008 and further blamed Obama for intervening in political crisis of North Africa which is now known as the Arab spring that led to the dethronement of a hand full of self imposed dictators while accusing him of not doing the same thing in Syria as well as drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan which has had civilian casualties, he also wanted Obama to explain why before his two election there was a major storm In the United States which led to loss of numerous life before asking Obama to disclose his relationship with God and other Lesser deities and lastly he prayed that Romney should defeat Obama come 6th November 2012 presidential election.
Although the American election have been won and lost I am particularly glad that Americans did not heed his uninformed and to say the least baseless advise of Mr. Fani-Kayode. His postulation would not have needed a response at this juncture but for the fact that his position may wrongly be adopted as that of
Nigeria and Africa in general putting into consideration the high level government positions that he has occupied in not too distant past as a special adviser to the president as well as a minister in a technically based field of Aviation and my recollection of my basic learning in Literature, Integrated science and geography would also not have been necessary but to put the record straight his postulation is not a problem with curricular activity in Nigeria as the area of his clear misfiring as to the cause of storm are elementary knowledge, hence it is his problem if in this age he can postulate that storms happen as a result of who a presidential candidate of a major political party of the country is rather than a natural disaster. I submit that truth is one thing and superstition which Mr. Kayode based his submission is another and both are parallel lines that never meets.
Permit me to mention that the last time I checked Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode was facing a 47 count charge pertaining to dishonesty, embezzlement as well as money laundering to the tune of some unprintable Billions of Naira, as a lawyer I know that the presumption of innocence is on the side of every accused person until there is a conviction but it is now common knowledge that cases against the high and mighty like Fani-kayode usually never start because of their high influence with which they employ to thwart the judicial system while poor people get long jail term for stealing two crates of minerals those in class of Fani- Kayode get plea bargain, short jail term which is usually spent in a high brow hospital, hotel or option of fine.
President Obama has explained his greeting of the king of Saudi Arabia as a mere show of respect to an elderly person and a co-leader, Fani- Kayode also see something wrong with this basing his argument on superstition that says America is giving up leadership position in the world to Saudi Arabia because of that singular incident, I submit that there are over one hundred countries in the world that are presently pursuing America in all the various areas she exercise hard earned leadership like Economy, Technology, Education, Military might, Entertainment, Space expedition e t c but non of this is Saudi Arabia, a proper study of international politics will find Saudi maintaining strong alliance with America to ward of regional bullies from neighbours like Iran even Iraq under Saddam Hussien.
On apology by to the Arab world, most of the countries visited by President Obama are their allies though the show of unnecessary war muscle by his predecessor has put serious strain on this symbiotic relationship so a new beginning has to commence. before tackling Obama for allowing women more freedom in the decision on whether they will keep an unwanted pregnancy or not, this I leave him to the women folk who bear the brunt of nine months pregnancy and raising the child irrespective of whether the man who is responsible shows concern or not, Fani- kayode at a time in his diatribe started to quote the Bible warning American on using a verse of the Holy Scripture in other not to participate in Obama Care,
I should at this point ask him if he thinks he is the only person that has read that verse, does he think he read it before Americans who has been practicing Christianity for centuries hence should be given credit for his ingenuity? He also questioned Obama’s stand on the right of LGBT persons, a right which has the backing of a UN resolution, a right which has been acknowledge by the Holy See, the Representative of the Papacy at the UN and the Pope himself. The west and the united states of America lives futuristically, they know that change is constant so they usually quest to listen to dissenting voices and as much as possible accommodate them in the program of event, Obama is the child of a former slave, as at the time his mother married his father in the sixties segregation was an active government policies, so it must have been a bold step for his mother to marry his father at that time when many white people where not willing to be in the same restaurant or allow their children in the same school as African Americans, now the stone which the builder rejected have become the corner stone, America somehow found a way to continue to turn the eyes of the whole world on themselves by his election and re-election with unprecedented jubilation seen from Africa, to the Middle east, Europe and beyond.
God bless Nigeria
Robert Igbinedion Esq.
Salus Populi Chambers
Suite 209, Uche Ayoola Plaza
11, Olorunlogbon Street,
Anthony Village,
Lagos.
Tel; 08035016239
Email; robertdlaw@yahoo.com
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