By Ayodeji Ologun
To Serve Them All My Days is a novel by British author R. F. Delderfield and was First published in 1972, the book was adapted for television in 1980.
Each time I see the book among the few I had collected over the years and remember the content thereof, I get reminded of a ‘valuable’ hardworking slim president of the world’s most populous black nation who has led my dear nation with his fellow slim and hardworking generals in close to four years and the memory of his voice blithering over the speakers at his inauguration at the eagle square nearly four years back where he swore to the constitution of Nigeria which guaranteed equity and protection of lives, flashes smiles and grins across my lips.
He leads us and he bleads us!
To Serve Them All My Days mirrors the history of Britain in the post–Great War era, casting David’s experiences against the difficulties, contradictions, and social issues of the interwar years. David’s life focuses on how Britain comes to terms with the turmoil of the Great War, the General Strike, socialism and the formation of the National Government in particular.
Some commentators have remarked on the similarities between this book and the earlier Goodbye, Mr. Chips, which has a similar theme but is less pointed politically and socially.
“I have just seen the IG, I think he is losing weight, so I think he is working very hard” will remain the most insensitive commentary about security to be made by a nation’s head until the record is broken. Each time it resonates, it either exude laughter or curses from different lips for different reasons but one thing will remain unarguable, the president, the IG and the other security chiefs are ‘working very hard’ and yet insecurity daily increases. They are actually working but for who will continue to seek answers.
As hundreds of thousands of Nigerians look forward to the second and final oath taking of the president, the ceremony will symbolize a colourful welcome and commencement of farewell to the god of politics and human control amid mixed feelings of joy and sadness.
Words meant to enhance the beauty of the hitherto bride are offered to her in this ceremony. They could be seen clicking pictures, taking selfies around the mandap and playing sindoor.
The new Nigeria will perform what the Indians call the Sindur Khela ceremony to mark the end of a age and the beginning of a new. The ceremony will symbolise a colourful farewell to many aides of the president who might never have a glimpse of the seat of power again but their misdeeds and words spoken will be remembered in history amid mixed feelings of joy and sadness and just before another mantria will be proclaimed, the ritual of listing achievements will be performed. Needless to say, the never-ending defeat of bandits and technical defeat of Boko Haram will be one of the achievements? The IG is working
For the past four years, the wonders of Buhari like hurricanes, have had names. No single names like Katrina or Floyd – but full names like technical defeat, private visits, Fulani herdsmen, next level, and many more. Like hurricanes, their arrival was both predictable and predicted for it would have been a curse to expect more from a government that took over six months to form a cabinet and can’t successfully decide who leads her Parliament and yet somehow, when they landed, the effect was still shocking for we never had it so bad.
We got more than we expected!
We do not yet know the name that will be attached to this particular season of new coming, He is still out there, playing Call of Duty, finding a way to relaunch and perhaps he would get back some honour and some encomium that greeted his coming judged by the performance of the would be rebranded Bubu, time shall tell.
The precise alchemy that makes one particular death politically totemic while others go unmourned beyond their families and communities is not quite clear. Facts and Video helps, but is not essential and to say the least obvious, Bubu and all that he represents shall stay with us for a long time for if one is to judge by the calamity that befell Nigeria by the government before his, nothing should be expected of a government that will come after his except a miracle unknown to politics happen.
This is not my desire; it is my prediction. You can feel it building with every statement made by the captains of the different teams as the nation looks forward to 2023. You can hear it from conversations with strangers at joints and bars. It is an unpleasant prediction to make because, ultimately, these leaders like Bubu himself highlight problems they cannot, in themselves, solve; and it is an easy one to make because, as one bystander at a motor park where I write this put it, “You can only put so much into a pressure cooker before it pop.”
This is the summer, Buhari will lead us for another four years (at least that is what it seem) after 8 years as president, perhaps he will return to the realities of his errors and how popular the enrichment of a few cronies made of him at the expense of so many that believed in him and trusted him only to be disappointed.
Offensive humour is political and highlights a connection between our identities, politics and the pleasure of laughter. When people in power engage in joking about loss of lives and security there are intended and unintended consequences for society.
In contributing to a blurred distinction between a culture of value to life and humour, jokes may contribute to the normalisation of such abuse and make it more difficult than it already is for victims of insecurity to get protection and justice.
There may be a place and time for certain offensive humour. But if you’re unsure about just how damaging a joke could be, it may be wise to think it over one more time before delivering it.
Let someone tell Mr. President that his jokes are too costly.
Ayo Ologun is a broadcast journalist, a social commentator and he writes from Akure
