Reuben Abati's article is significant. It corroborates everything I ever said about the pervasiveness of witchcraft superstitions in our society and validates my position that superstitions hinder good governance. It gives us a glimpse into how decisions are made in Aso Rock. How convenient for Reuben to blame his lackluster performance and that of the government he served on witches? Shocking as this might be, he is not the first Nigerian public office holder to blame witches for poor performance. Femi Fani-Kayode blamed witches for the plane crashes that happened under his watch as the aviation minister in 2005/2006 (http://www.nairaland.com/147088/fani-kayode-blames-occultists-2006-plane). When will our people learn to take responsibility? Reuben recommends that the government converts Aso Villa to a museum and spends millions of dollars of taxpayers' money to build a new Presidential Villa.
What a fantastic proposition to boost our struggling economy, empower our industries and reduce youth unemployment (it is estimated that nearly one in four Nigerians is unemployed). I do not know what hallucinogenic substances Reuben has been messing with, but I know they are potent! Clearly, he is out of touch with the realities of daily living in Nigeria. When one considers that this man advised our former president for five years, then one is left with no choice than to weep for our country. He preoccupied himself with the sex lives of the employees in Aso Villa to the point he knew which men had erectile dysfunction and which women used sex toys. Although the employees all went their separate ways after President Jonathan lost the election two years ago, it appears that Reuben managed to keep a tab on everyone's sex life. He confirms that all the men who suffered from erectile dysfunction have now recovered the function of their organs.
Hallelujah!! Think about it - this man advised President Jonathan about the direction to steer this country for five years!
Let us indulge Reuben for a moment. Hear him, "Should I become President of Nigeria tomorrow; I will build a new Presidential Villa: a Villa that will be dedicated to the all-conquering Almighty, and where powers and principalities cannot hold sway. I am tempted to suggest that this is indeed a country in need of prayers. We should pray before people pack their things into Aso Villa. We should ask God to guide us before we appoint ministers." Did Obasanjo not dedicate Aso Villa to the all-conquering God when he became president? Does God no longer dwell in Aso Villa Chapel and Mosque? What happened to all the prayers that people like Bishop Oyedepo, Oritsejafor, and Pastor Adeboye went to say in Aso Villa - have those prayers expired? Reuben gives the impression that the witches in Aso Villa are stubborn and far more powerful than the prayers of these respected religious leaders. What is the guarantee that the all-conquering God will reside in the new Presidential Villa that Reuben proposes we build in His name? I feel sad to say Reuben has lost the plot. He needs to retire before he does his credibility more harm.
Let us hear from Reuben again, "But what I got in response was that I was coming to the villa using Lux soap, but that most people around the place always bathed in the morning with blood. Goat blood. Ram blood. Whatever animal blood. I argued. He said there were persons in the Villa walking upside down, head to the ground. I screamed. Everybody looked normal to me." To me, this is the only part of his article that makes sense. No normal person walks on their head. Therefore, it does not surprise me to learn that many people in Aso Villa walk on their heads. Why else is our country in such a mess? It is evident that President Jonathan surrounded himself with the wrong kinds of people. I wonder how many Reuben Abati's he employed to advise him. Oh well, look where that got him and the country.
There is no evidence for the existence of witches, wizards, evil spirits, demons et al. If these entities truly exist in Aso Villa, then I am confident they are the people who plunder our commonwealth and make the bad governance decisions that impoverish our country. It is curious how these witches play with electric switches and start fires in Aso Villa apartments, but they appear powerless and incapable of frightening the residents from sponging off the "national cake." I must remark though that what these witches and demons do, they do very well - they are always willing to accept the blame for the failures and poor judgment of our leaders who, as we well know, never like to accept responsibility for their actions.
On a final note, I hope President Buhari will pay attention to his wife's warning to stop surrounding himself with the wrong kinds of people. We know from previous experience how capable of derailing government members of the powerful "kitchen cabinet" are. It would be sad to see the ugly scenarios play out all over again.
Ijabla is a Nigerian humanist and medical doctor. He writes from the U.K. and be contacted at: [email protected]
