By Dr. Kinsomebody Egbuchu
The flies buzzed around them (the common man), and they wobbled indifferently. Kinsomebody Egbuchu (This writer) watched the common men and the hunches on their backs, wobbled along with them. Patches of discoloured skin dotted their fray body, and the burden on their backs weighed heavily. I crept after them and they moved on, their bones cracking noisily in the mid-day sun.
As the common men moved on, the street seemed to stretch endlessly and the hunches on their backs growing bigger with each step. I watched the hunches narrowly and shuddered! Suddenly, the hunches began to quiver and crushing sounds filled the streets. These common men seemed to crunch lower and their eyes also seemed to move back into their skulls. Tears gradually rolled down and filled what remained of my face. And I began to weep: Oh, men on the street, the bearers of our burden!
Yes, I could remember, few months ago, we were told to come and select our leaders. And as the time approached, we were beckoned out of our houses to vote for whomever we thought could lead and represent us well, both in the primaries and general elections. But we never knew that the political deities had already selected their interests while we were still voting. Our voting, according to sources was to make it a formality. It was then that I knew Nigeria is running a government of the selected few, by the selected few and for the selected few.
Again, the noise from the hunches intensify. Orders are dished out from Aso Rock daily to subdue the helpless citizens because the promises of a better society have been a mirage. At the same time, grand plots are also made daily from the same seat of Nigerian power to subjugate the Judiciary and Election Tribunals.
And as I looked on my crystal ball, I saw that these men on the street were projected to suffer more. Their destitution has been the game-plan of those who claim to care and protect their interest.
Then I peered at these men’s backs and the arteries holding the hunches stretched to a bursting point. The skins on the hunches broke into tiny ruptures.
Cockroaches sprout out and peeped at me with tiny rats waving their paws at me. Again, I shuddered. These hunches, cockroaches and rats are simply our so-called president, governors, legislators both state and national and some of our ‘leaders’, who selfishly enrich only themselves.
The common men on the street staggered on and the occupants of the hunches winked at me jeeringly. Immediately I touched a hunch, the cockroaches and the rats spilled out a decaying rupture. Quickly, they came after me, and I zoomed off.
Dr. Kinsomebody Egbuchu, a human rights activist is the Editor, NewRepublic Newspaper, National President, Jewish Restoration Congress(JERECO), Leader, Eastern Peoples Emancipation Congress (EPEC) and amember of many human rights groups.