Redefining Vanity

'Vanity is the quicksand of Reason'- George Sand (1804-1876,French Novelist)

I was almost certain Baroness Sand had a few Nigerian friends and associates when i heard this quote. No other citizenry typifies this quote more than Nigerians. Nigeria's wealth, unknown to most of her citizens, is almost boundless and humanly incomprehensible. We boast of a rich crude oil reserve and an even more expansive quantity of natural and mineral resources. The Niger-Delta is riddled with Natural Gas, Enugu is heavily pregnant with Coal, Jos is endowed with Tin, Ogun and Nassarawa bask in their rich Limestone reserves and Kogi holds the purest forms of Iron Ore known to mankind. In terms of arable land, God is suspiciously rather generous in Nigeria's case. A common saying is that Nigeria was built with agriculture. Recall the days of cocoa farming, rubber, the groundnut pyramids in the North, cotton and the palm kernels. They say we were the 4th largest global exporter of cocoa in the 90s. We also have large expanses of water bodies meaning we are the hub of fishery and our large and arable grasslands encourage animal husbandry at its most commercial forms.

With all these, one would be tempted to believe i was vividly describing the Garden of Eden, albeit with clothed individuals. It is hard to believe and understand that this same 'natural paradise' is now such a hellish and utterly dangerous place to reside. The reasons for our decline in fortune has been the subject of a lot of discussion nationwide and globally. It leaves the whole world befuddled that 75% of this nation's citizens are poor. I however choose to believe that Nigerians are the sole architects of Nigeria's calamity.

The level of vanity we display as Nigerians astonishes me. Nigerians are arguably the most materialistic set of people on the face of the earth. To this end, i read a few days ago that the luxury car brand Porsche is putting things in place to ensure they cash in on Nigerians' crave for luxury. We spend billions on fripperies and are unrepentant suckers for the most exclusive of pricey and classy luxury brands.

Nigerians are enslaved to money and material things. It baffles me when i watch on television how men and women who are impoverished come out in multitudes to sing the praise of men like Gbenga Daniel, Olabode George and the likes. Nigerians openly sing praises to God when such men are 'acquitted' of charges relating to gross larceny. But then can you really blame them?

It is this galactically idiotic love for vanity that i wish to believe has brought this nation to its terminal state. How do you explain a member of parliament earning 150million naira p.a legally? How do you explain a single man's theft of £250million or the pocketing of 58billion naira of state fund by a single fellow? What exactly do these individuals need all this money for? I just read the story of the boss of the Ondo State OSOPADEC who the EFCC is investigating and found 27 luxury cars in his home in Akure. Do you not think such a man needs to have a mental state examination if he drives a car once a month in the same city where the roads are littered with poor people?

Some years ago, i read an interview by an aide of the late billionaire, MKO Abiola. The aide, who eventually founded DMT mobile toilets, said his epiphany was when he looked at the mogul's still body and palms and  noticed Chief Abiola was not holding a single naira note. A man who was worth billions in national and foreign currency was 'sleeping' with empty hands. The late Sani Abacha was another powerful Head of State and we need not remind ourselves of how he robbed Nigeria blind. Unfortunately, he was not spared on the 'Day of the Apple'. He left the world and was buried in a mat! A mat? How disrespectful! How do you explain burying such an affluent man with the lavish and expansive estate in a 'mat'. I would have expected that with so much at his disposal he should have at least been buried in a gold Bentley and maybe driven to his final destination in it.

Our current leaders are having a filled day at the office, looting and stashing away. They claim we are 'broke', yet every other day, they chase us off the roads with their loud VIP sirens and pilot vehicles. They need to sit down and reflect. History has however shown that man has not learnt from history. Most of them will tread the same paths as the likes of Abacha, Aikhomu, IBB and co. Unfortunately, the Book of Proverbs says '...The rich and the poor have this in common;The Lord made them both...'

To you the simpleton, who runs everyday in the 'rat race', you are not devouring your piece of the national cake yet, you are a comfortable average Nigerian who is waiting to 'hammer', i wish you well. I however wish to remind you that it applies to you and i too. We need to retrace our steps and ask God to help us. I have seen people die, rich and poor, young and old. I have had to sign death certificates for people who had hopes and aspirations. I have had to tell their close family and friends that they'll never see their loved one again in this lifetime. The most striking thing is the seemingly peaceful look they have after their souls have gone, there's no pain, no grimace, no smile, no frown....there's just a face. The next time you drive past Ikoyi Vaults or Atan Cemetery Yaba, ask yourself if there are houses or cars next to the occupants. Observe when you look at the graves, if you can tell who's rich and who's poor. You can even look at the surroundings and see if you see any wife, child,mistress or business partner living next to any grave. The common denominator you'll find in this overly serene neighborhood will be engravings on the tombstone. Engravings of a name and 2 different years separated by a dash i.e John Doe 1220 - 2012. Honestly the figures before and after that 'dash' don't really matter, it is that 'dash' that tells a story. You will account for what you spent that 'dash' doing. As simple and as inane as that 'dash' looks, it tells how you lived your life. It isn't how long you lived for, it is how well you lived.

What will you be remembered for? What story will your 'dash' tell?

My fellow Nigerians,ponder anew....