There is something called deep fake. It’s a department in the emerging AI, artificial intelligence technology where someone’s voice can be faked, recording and it will be made to look real. You could also put the face of John and add the voice of James and make the mouth to move like he is really talking and people will believe. That technology now exists and it is changing the world. It has it’s good sides and bad sides.

Nigeria is now a very dangerous space to exist. These days I take everything with a pinch of salt. Not because I am not a man of faith or a doubting Thomas, I have come to the realisation and very disturbing one thing that people are all out to deceive and make mockery of your good heartedness and trust. The line is now very thin. Be wise.

Every where you turn people are faking things, trying to make us believe what is not and telling us it is true. I thought I knew a few things about propaganda, naija has humbled me.

During the elections, we were made to see BAT as a mubling idiot who could not strong his words together and was afraid of debates and being in a crowd. They told us he had a leaking bottom and he slept through meetings. They told us things I can not even bring myself to recall for the sake of my sanity. Hmmmm. Today, I know different.

Politicians made us believe the President is a mumbling buffoon who sleeps through meetings and even wears diapers.

Majority of what Politicians tell you are lies. As a storyteller, they try to sell me many lies. They call in one of their aides or two to confirm, can you beat that.

If a politician tells you something and it did not happen in your presence, take it with a pinch of salt. File it away as ‘ them say’, repeat it only in the confines of your bedroom with madam…make it pillow talk.

BAT might have his health challenges. Any man in Nigeria today after seventy is living on borrowed time. But it’s certainly not the kind of picture the opposition painted.

Back track a little to when Jonathan was President. The opposition was desperate to destroy him and win. One of the things they said was that he was a drunk. They dubbed him, Ogogoro Ayeni. That he wakes up with alcohol and does not therefore care about the documents he is signing and what happens to the country. A drunkard is dead to the world and not fit to rule. What did we not hear?

These days even Pastors, supposed apostles of light and truth have joined the bandwagon. They contract special people to give testimony and shout Praise The Lord claiming diverse healings and Miracles, after service the people gather with their agent behind the church waiting for settlement.

The Pastor feels good, he boasts about the power of God in his church and a few new customers roll in to help move the ministry towards it’s permanent site.

Politicians fool us everyday.. They come to our hoods during election time with chummy songs and choruses, they share foodstuffs and envelopes, make sweet promises and play the nice guy. When they win, it’s goodbye for another four years.

The incumbents even go a step further in fooling us. They hire a tractor and leave it on our street, promising to fix the road. They dump a few tippers of granite and sand. Daily paid labourers are engaged with a makeshift contractor.
Sign that work wants to start. After election, everything disappears. What can you do to him? Where will you see him.

Most of the major bad roads have been done on paper. Civil servants and their bosses can be very efficient when they want to be. They know where the problems are. Most bad roads around you have been fixed on paper with drainage and street lights. The money has been shared many times by people in charge. Don’t always blame government. The people inside are the rodents eating up the vegetables.

In case you don’t know, there is also a scam called ‘wash wash’. Where people you know will convince you that they have balance dollars that can be washed with chemicals into original dollar bills. Usually, they will do a test in your home. Wash a few dollar bills with some drops of chemicals, powder detergent and water. After washing, they will iron dry and ask you to go and exchange it from the mallams selling dollars.

Naturally, you will be scared, but they will convince and follow you there, wait till you exchange it for naira and start spending. You done enter. This is where the con starts. They will ask for money to but more chemicals. They will leave the cartoon of blank dollars in your house, while you go around like a demented person looking for money to borrow or properties to sell off.

The dollar you spent is the last dollar you will ever see. When you part with millions of naira and no more dollar appears and start making trouble, police will appear and as the singer Portable says, pack everybody to the station. Part two of the con starts, you pay good money to bail yourself and kill the case. Many people you know have suffered silently, they won’t share the story because of Shame. The StoryTeller knows. They prefer to cry secretly. May God help us all.

Shine your eyes well oh. In naija, the more you look, the less you see.

By; Al Humphrey Onyanabo (The STORYTELLER)
Tel; +2347054674906
Email; Nigeria360online@gmail.com
https://nigeria360.com.ng/author/publisher/