Foolhardy henchmen like the Fulani herdsmen in the Nigerian political circus are brandishing their killer swords and the Nigerian citizens who have become mere spectators in the colosseum are applauding the dastardly display of one of the master gladiators. When Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal Barca at the battle of Zama in the Second Punic war, he became the terror of Roman military might. Yet a great blow has been dealt on Scipio from which he may never recover until he died unsung. History has shown us that time returns. In the Nigerian political scene, we are witnessing those recurring decimals in fractions of history which the whole numbers of sweet power conceals.

Nigerians, like spectators in the circus game, seem unperturbed by the looming sinister of the game of blood. There is always the blood sucking demon lurking in the dark corners of the gladiators’ hearts and the powerless and unprotected spectators are the victims of that quest. For an appreciable time the citizens of this country have been victims of the blood sucking demon of the Nigerian politics, who either actively or passively indulge with Boko Haram or make belief Fulani Herdsmen to massacre innocent civilians. For as long as these killings were going on, the senators and house members have been having a field day talking without walking. The battle was far from the comfortable vicinity of their dwellings. Buhari assumed the untouchable and too-smart-to-be-checkmated stance. Whereas the truth is that the citizens, as pawns, may easily be sacrificed to save the life of the king. The political chess game may have as well gone on but since the officers have become the target of the player on the opposite side of the board, checkmating skills are brought to the game. Bukola Saraki suddenly became a smart ass! Oh, sweet life!

The drums of war were heard in Benue, none of them blinked, the moans of the dying shrilled forth from Adamawa, Taraba and Borno, no one shrank, the cries of the homeless, displaced and wiped out ensued from southern Kaduna and fell on deaf ears, the trumpet of war sounded from Plateau and no attention was paid. Now the foolhardy henchmen like their folks, the Fulani herdsmen struck the last defences and Saraki suddenly pulled the smartness of a checkmate move. No one wants to die. From our side of the stadium, the battle line is drawn. You may deceive some people some of the time, but you may not deceive all the people all the time. These are signs of what is to come. In the streets of our urban settlements they parade as harmless cattle rearers, in the nook and crannies of our villages they turn marauders with AK-47 spreading death and we call them Fulani herdsmen, in our capital city, they sit in magnificent places like the foolhardy henchmen of the Nigerian politics. They are everywhere.

For the foolhardy henchmen, Nigeria will remain a theatre of war until all are bowed down or submit to the throne of their reign. No student of history will embark on the project undertaken by the foolhardy henchmen because they already know the project died before it took off. They are who/what they are, they think what/how they think because they have no sense of history and obliterate the possibility of its being learnt.

For the masters of the chess board; the gladiators of the circus, even in the silence of your recess, let there be no retreat; no surrender. The agenda is clear and anyone who plays on the gallery is out of the game. You can conquer the army of Napoleon, the people of Moscow did. You may defeat Hannibal Barca, the greatest war strategist of all times, Scipio Africanus did. Yet you cannot bring the truth to its knees; all the time, Truth is the conqueror of all times. If these smart gladiators would be fit for the golden crown of ultimate victory, this is their chance. They have just succeeded in a manoeuvre that may bring them assured victory. The way of the truth is the only way.

It is clear Buhari has no agenda for the progress of this nation, now is the time to frustrate him out of Aso Rock. The negotiation for Nigeria; to be or not to be should already begin. Now is no time for plenty talks; like you walked the disbalance of power; so make Nigeria work for Nigerians. 1914 is not the beginning of Nigeria; it is the year of British arrangement of a colony for the gains of the imperial power. 1960 is not the year of Nigeria’s independence, it is the inauguration of the internal renegotiation of a union that may or may not endure. 1970 is not the end of a civil war that threatened the unity of Nigeria; it is the beginning of the war with the external forces that holds bound the true independence of Nigeria. 2015 is not the end of corruption in Nigeria; it is the beginning of the unveiling of the face of the monstrous enemy of the Nigerian people. These truths cannot be conquered. Partnering with them would be the way of charting the course of a Nigeria that will endure. Most importantly, these gladiators and chess players have simply succeeded in booking a rematch. They have a date with destiny and their only weapon to a resounding victory is truth.
https://newsnow.com.ng/foolhardy-henchmen-nigerian-politics-chika-okpalike/