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Written by:
Paul thomas
Ireland


Dearth of Honourable Men

Honour is a virtue, a creed to which men of honesty, probity and integrity endear themselves to, even at the peril of their livelihood or high standing status in society. Honour is the unwritten code of high moral standing and unsurpassed ethicality of a few mortals. The true relevance of a man is not measured by the extent of his affluence or by the vastness of his wealth but by the depth of his honour. A truly honourable man is one whose life compels deep introspection in the lives of ignoble and little men.

Honour is a belief system by which all men must live and die, honour is the quintessence of virtuous mortals. Honour is the height of man’s dignity, the proof of trust in the midst of treachery. All through the ages men of honour are highly sought and most revered, simply because honour and being honourable remains a costly price to pay, especially in a society of falsehood and charade.

Due to the high cost of honour very few thread that path, because sometimes to be honourable is to confront the forces of wickedness, which sometimes lead to incalculable loss to he who upholds honour. An honourable man knows what right must be done so as not to exalt folly, an honourable man knows when to exit if his ability to function in the capacity to which he was entrusted wanes or is unsatisfactory. Honour therefore remains in the realm of aspiration, a virtue to which many can never attain. Many desire to be honourable but the price and the perpetual nudge for material pursuit and immediate gratification deprive weak men from maintaining the path of honour.

The honourable are not necessarily wealthy nor live in sprawling enclave, neither do they necessarily have highly placed friends or connections with the high and mighty; but they have what transcends all of the ephemeral of material acquisition. A good name and an untainted pedigree, the honourable leaves behind them trail of good will both from God and from men. They leave land marks that generations emulate and cherish. An honourable man never dies; his honour will always precede him and succeed him. He leaves behind him an indelible and inerasable foot prints to which others aspire to tread.

A nation where honour therefore prevails, that nation will enjoy justice, fairness, equity, order, peace, etc. unfortunately the Nigerian landscape is full of dishonourable egomaniacs who parade themselves as leaders. The typical Nigerian leader sees honour as alien to his political survival; he would rather be dishonourable and have the spoils of life than be honourable and live without them. Our chambers of insanity are full of dishonourable, honourables. Men who themselves chuckle at the appellation ‘honourable’. No where in the Nigerian society do we have the enormity of dishonourable men and women than within the leadership.

David Mark and Bankole have both chosen the path of dishonour, they have both exalted folly beyond moral reasoning. Can the leaders of a nation be so retarded as to perpetually trail the atrocious path of dishonesty and phoney all in the name of trying to interpret what rationally needs no interpretation? What reasonable allusions can you concoct to explain away the illogicality that has thrown Nigeria into the cyclone of negative world views? The ignominy meted to Nigerians by virtue of our dishonourable leaders is appalling. Must we arm twist the constitution to suit our inordinate ambition and rapacious insanity, cannot simple logic prevail in this matter? Must we make a simple matter complex simply because it does not suit or favour our cause? Must we go to court to explain what ordinarily needs no explanation?

Section 145 of the constitution need not go through the unending meandering simply because the status-quo favours a minority while the majority wallows in uncertainty and confusion. The penchant for mischief amongst the leaders has never been this conspicuous since the emergence of the Nigerian state. Why have a deputy if he cannot make decisions when you are unable to make one. Section 145 of the constitution needs no special invention or any high sounding explanation to convey what the intentions of the conveyors are. The whole episode of buying time and taking Nigeria on a fairy ride of mockery and abeyance is ludicrous.

Never has this nation been so lampooned than now. The laughable state of affairs clearly shows that this country runs not on the rule of law or any notable principles of governance but by cronies and the wish and desire of a few hegemonic entities. Ministers are too scared to be honourable; they rather protect their continuity in illegitimacy than leave behind values for posterity to emulate. The honest truth is their positions are transient and fickle. In one or two years they will all be gone into oblivion never to be remembered or recognised. Many have worked this path of shame before and have been completely forgotten while they live and when they die history expunges them amongst the relevant.

Yar Adua lies dishonourably and disloyally in a far away country buying time to stage a come back and rule his subjects that he left directionless and visionless months ago. Yar Adua understands the psyche of the typical Nigerian, that they are all talk and no action, he believes as soon as he arrives the helm of affairs everyone one who had went off tangent will come back prostrating and pledging their unflinching love and support for him. Majority of those who parade our leadership space are dishonourable elements whose desire for crumbs from their master’s table is enough to appease their scavenging souls.

The audaciousness and blatant chicanery of Yar Adua and his dishonourable men sends cold shiver down the spines of external observers and portend Nigeria as a dormant state occupied by apathetic bystanders. The greatest oddity of this whole (awada kerikeri) drama is the deception of the chambers of dishonourable men. The systematic process of time buying and the farcical sittings of no serious intention of coming out with any tangible road map that will put an end to all the Yar Adua shenanigans.

While the entire landscape of Nigeria waits for the magnanimity and good will of one man the whole nation stagnates. The political realm grows fickle everyday by dishonourable men. International perception of this nation grows askew everyday simply because dishonourable men parade the place of honour. How long shall we stand aside while folly is enthroned? Honourable men are dishonoured by small minded men who are bent on sustaining mediocrity. Yar Adua, history presents you with a unique opportunity even now to remedy the sadistic situation your lack of foresight has generated. Follow the pathway of honour that history may adjudge you kindly when honourable men write with the pen of gold.

Mark and Bankole can buy all the time they want and play to the gallery as much as they wish, they can have all the plenary sessions and all the Ghana-must-go debates, very soon it will not matter anymore for neither they nor Yar Adua can keep this theatrics on forever. As for the FEC conspirators, the transitory nature of your office does not allow you the luxury of being complacent and undecided. You must realise that posterity waits anxiously to apportion to every man the reward of his folly or wisdom. Those who watch madness and elevate folly shall one day themselves be watched as they display their madness and be elevated as fools. One thing is certain everyday is for the thief but one day is for the owner of the house.

Shalom.

Paul Thomas
Ireland

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