This is a little recount of the various stories that make a country once called Nigeria, an animal kingdom.

Nigeria is said to be a country located in the Western part of Africa. In reality, it is a country made up of people numbering over a hundred million from different ethnic groups which are recorded to be around 256. It is also said to be the most populated black nation on planet earth. More often than not, it is referred to as the giant of Africa.

Contrary to the popularly held believes and knowledge of the country, Nigeria seems to be an animal kingdom now as it looks from so many indications, that the country has been taken over animals.

One might read this and laugh and ask why would one call a country said to be the most populated black country an animal kingdom. The answer to this question will be given in due time as you follow the story.

So in the year 2017, on the President Buhari travelled to the UK for the treatment of an undisclosed illness where he spent 51 days before returning to pick up his mantle of leadership. Eventually, on the 7th of May in the same year, the President travelled once again for the continuation of his treatment where he spent an ample time of 103 days.

The Era of Jackals and Hyenas in The Seat of Power

During the period of President Buhari’s medical trip, there were so many rumours about a certain cabal controlling the mechanism of government, and ruling the country in the absence of the President. This rumour kicked so hard that it was also said that the said cabal was against the Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who was at the time made the Acting President and thereby given the authority to control the country.

The rumours of this unidentified cabal kept on kicking so hard that it was also spread around that the Vice-President who was at the time the Acting President was about to get impeached for going against the promptings of the cabal. That period was so terrifying that various media houses started publishing stories on how the country was on the verge of a breakdown because of the interference of this cabal in the mechanism of the government, and the ruling of the country.

Following up from the publications that a cabal was ruling the country the wife of the President and the First lady of the country, Aisha Buhari, caused a serious media storm when she made statement affirming that a secret cabal had taken over the mechanism of government, and now rule the country in her husband’s stead.

Stating more correctly, she said that hyenas and jackals had taken advantage of her husband’s illness and would be sent out of the kingdom on the arrival of her husband. This statement was made in solidarity to the statement made by Senator Sani who had in an earlier post said that the jackals and hyenas were in the absence of the Lion, tramping on the weaker animals in the belief that that the Lion would not come back. He went on to say that it was the prayer of the weaker animals that the Lion should come back.

In response to his post, Mrs Buhari replied saying that God has answered the prayer of the weaker animals. That the hyenas and the jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom. She went on to say that they believe in the prayers and support of the weaker animals.

This statement by the First lady gave an insight into the play at the Nigerian seat of power in the wake of the undisclosed illness that kept her husband away for a period of 103 days.

For those of us who are familiar with the story of the Lion King, this may not be so difficult to understand as we may recall in the course of the story, where Mustapha got killed by his brother Scar, the allies of Scar who were the Hyenas and Jackals took over the Kingdom and ran it into the ground where there was serious suffering and pain.

This was prior to the arrival of Simba who in the story was referred to as the Lion King. On the arrival of Simba at the pride, he launched an attack at his uncle Scar and his allies which were the Hyenas and the Jackals and sent them packing from the kingdom.

Taking a look at the statement made by the First lady and Senator Sani, it is quite very easy to that their statements bore a similar relation or narration to the story of the Lion King. This was the first point at which the most populated black nation on earth called Nigeria, was brought in a very close comparison to an animal kingdom.

https://thediurnal./2018/02/21/the-tale-of-an-animal-kingdom-called-nigeria/

Taking a look at the statement made by the First lady and Senator Sani, it is quite very easy to that their statements bore a similar relation or narration to the story of the Lion King. This was the first point at which the most populated black nation on earth called Nigeria, was brought in a very close comparison to an animal kingdom.

The Era of Rodent Infestation in The President’s Office

After waiting for a very long period of 103 days for arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari, and he finally returning back to Nigeria, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Mr Shehu Garba during a press conference, said that the President’s office has been ravaged by rodents as a result of the President’s elongated medical trip to the UK which lasted for a period of 103 days.

Mr Garba went ahead to say that the rodents had caused serious damage to furniture and air conditioning units, therefore, making it impossible for the President to return to the office and resume operation from the office in the condition it was.

This statement made by the President’s Senior Special Assistant as regards to the infestation of rodents in the Presidential office caused a major media storm as there were so many publications mocking the country declaring it a jungle and an animal kingdom.

The mockery became so bad that international media houses started making caricature and cartoons depicting Nigeria as a jungle/animal kingdom. It even got to a certain extent that there was a certain publication titled “The Daily Zoo”. What a mess of a country.

It is so disgraceful that the President of a country like Nigeria got chased by rodents from his office. So indirectly, we are telling the whole world that we are unable to fumigate the President’s office. Now just imagine how the other parts of the country will be.

Leaving it to one’s wild imaginations, you will keep on imaging the rest parts of the country infested and overtaken with not just rodents, but dangerous reptiles and wild animals. This is another time that Nigeria will be referred to as a jungle, or brought in close comparison with an animal kingdom.

The Era of Snakes Swallowing Money

Barely seven months after the media storm caused as a result of Mr Garba’s statement that rodents chased the President out of his office, we are hit with another storm where a Jamb clerk admitted that a snake swallowed up a whooping sum of N36m. For the sake of one’s sanity, can these people take a break and not kill us with laughter.

It will remain a mystery to the human mind how a snake can swallow money and not animals or human beings. From my calculations on how banks package money, that will about three hundred and sixty bundles of N1,000 notes and seven hundred and twenty bundles of N500. If such cash were to be put in a Ghana must go bag, from my wild guess, that will be about to small or one medium Ghana must go bag. This may be irrelevant but still noteworthy.

Now the next issue here is how come a Jamb clerk is left in control of N36m, and why the money was not left in the bank, and why it was kept in the office vault. The next issue is how did the snake enter into a locked vault, and when and how did snakes start swallowing money and not animals or human beings as the case may be (did snakes become cashivores without humans knowing). The next issue is how did the snake after swallowing the money, disappear without a single trace. There is a long list of questions to be asked with regards to how a snake could manage to swallow N36m cash and disappear without a trace.

At this point, one has to take a break before he/she loses his sanity as this country alongside its uncanny experiences is capable of driving one mad.

How does it sound to a reasonable human being that a snake swallowed the money gotten from the sale of exam registration cards? We, however, wonder and get provoked when other countries mock our country and tag it a zoo, a jungle, or an animal kingdom.

The truth is the countries that mock our country are not to be blame neither are they far from the truth as they speaking with regards to the facts we provide them with.

The Era of Valuing Cattle Herds Over Human Lives

Nigeria is a country made up of so many ethnic groups which are said to be up to two hundred and fifty-six in number. However, there are prominent ethnic groups which are referred to as the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria namely; the Hausa/Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Igbos. Amongst these predominant ethnic groups, the Hausa/Fulani group are known for their cattle herds and their nomadic lifestyle. They are often at times, referred to as Fulani herdsmen. These herdsmen so as to control their cattle herds, move around with sticks over their shoulders to hit the cows every now and then so as to put their cattle herds in the right part.

Contrary to the popular belief on what the herdsmen move around with to control their herds, these Fulani herdsmen are now said to move around with guns and other dangerous weapons and have been said to be wreaking havoc in various parts of the country for quite some time now.

There have been various reports of Fulani herdsmen destroying lives and properties in various parts of the country. In a sharp contrast as to what is expected from the government to quell the attacks by these herdsmen, so as to prevent the further destruction of lives and properties, it now seems that the government is now protecting these herdsmen from facing justice.

Also, it seems like the security agencies are protecting these herdsmen from facing justice. Just recently, it was reported that a soldier killed a vigilante member who had disarmed a herdsman who wanted to wreak havoc in Edo state and also freed the herdsman after killing the vigilante member.

In the same vein, certain security personnel in the country have come out to say the Fulani herdsmen should not be blamed for their actions as they feel attacked by the various anti-grazing laws being enacted by the various state governments. Following in the same pattern, a certain senator said that the Fulani herdsmen have a good justification for their actions as they cherish their cattle herds, and are not wrong to kill those attack their cattle herds.

As a result of the insistent attacks carried out by these herdsmen, there has been serious pains and suffering endured by residents of the regions where the attacks are most prevalent. However, when a top ranking military officer was asked what the army was going to do about the herdsmen attacks, he said that the military has no business operating inside Nigeria.

Let it, however, be noted that the military had carried two major operations in the country namely; Crocodile smile in the Southern part of the country to shut down the operation of illegal refineries, and Operation Python dance carried out in the South-Eastern part of the country to quell the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). So when and how did the army stop having a business operating in Nigeria?

As though that was not enough, rumours of the Federal Government trying to enforce cattle colonies all over Nigeria started spreading. What that would have meant is that these Fulani herdsmen will have the right to take over your land once they deem it fit for the grazing of their cattle herds.

Taking a look at the actions of the government towards the attacks carried out by these Fulani herdsmen, one will not be wrong to insinuate that the government now places the lives of the cattle herds owned by these Fulani herders over the lives of citizens.

https://thediurnal./2018/02/21/the-tale-of-an-animal-kingdom-called-nigeria/

The Era of Monkey Making Away With Money

As though media storm caused by the story of how a snake swallowed N36m from a JAMB office in Benue State was not enough, another story of how monkey’s entered a farm and made away with N70m has caused another media storm.

The revelation was made Senator Shehu Sani who gave an explanation on why Abdullahi Adamu who was the chairman of the Northern Senate forum was removed. In giving his explanation, he decried harebrained story of how monkeys entered the farm in which the money belonging to the Senate forum was kept, and made away with it.

The first question to ask here is what is N70m doing on a farm. The next question to be asked is when did farms become a bank for keeping the money. Although it is possible for monkeys to make away with properties, the question to be asked here is how did monkeys make away with a whopping sum of N70m.

Nigeria can really make someone go insane.

So now, let us all take a breather and now understand why one may not be too wrong to call Nigeria a zoo, a jungle, or the Animal Kingdom as the case may be. First of all, it was the issue of hyenas and jackals taking over the mechanism of government and the lion king, coming to send them packing.

Next, was the story of how rodents chased away the President of the most populated black nation out of office, followed by how a snake swallowed N36m. Following that is how the certain personnel in the government, are placing more value on the lives of cattle herds over the lives of citizens which they are meant to protect.

As if the preceding stories were not enough, we are now being told a ridiculous story of how monkeys entered a farm and made away with a whole N70m.

At this point, one gets encouraged the more to give up on this country.

Taking a look at all the stories, one will be prompted to ask, “is Nigeria still a country, or are we now an animal kingdom?” I think I will leave the answer to that questions to the readers to give.

https://thediurnal./2018/02/21/the-tale-of-an-animal-kingdom-called-nigeria/