Nigerian politicians under abilu spell

Have you ever heard of abilu and do you know what it does? Well, I searched for an English name for it online and the most common I got is ‘evil works.’ As the English alias suggests, abilu is an unpleasant and harmful spell. Although it is Yoruba, but of course, the Yoruba may not have the patent to its making and application. There is evil everywhere under the sun and in different guises. I learnt that when anyone is afflicted with the abilu spell, things stop working for him as envisaged, every good thing he does turns out negative, every step he takes becomes a misstep, everything he says is misunderstood.
If you look deeply into the orbit of the ruling All Progressives Congress since taking over the nation’s leadership almost two years ago, you cannot but wonder if the party and its stalwarts aren’t suffering from an abilu spell. And you can say the same of the former ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party. In fact, PDP had been under a spell long before the APC was cobbled together. Till this moment, the spell that made the PDP lose power which it had wielded since the return of the country to democracy since 1999 had not yet been exorcised. That is why the party has been unable to fulfill the role of an effective opposition. That is why two chairmen are contesting the headship and all attempts to reconcile them have ended up in futility. Let’s not waste much time on PDP. Its case looks like the case of a mad person who has entered the market. You need more than a psychiatrist to cure such madness.
Let’s dwell on President Muhammadu Buhari who is the head of the ruling government and national leader of the APC. Who would have imagined that after contesting elections on four occasions before emerging president, and with the determination and zeal exerted to make the difference after being sworn into office, Buhari would now be bogged down by sickness? He himself was so stunned that he declared on his return from medical vacation in London on March 9 that he had never been so sick in his life. Meanwhile, while he was away, his aides made repeated statements that he was hale and hearty.
Now he has returned to London on his doctors’ advice. There is no information about how he is faring. The Presidency had stated that updates on his health status would not be provided, but this is generating another round of anxiety and wild speculations.
A simple letter the president wrote to the Senate prior to his departure for treatment also became source of controversy. Stating that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would coordinate the nation’s affairs while he is away was condemned by those who perceived the wordings as a ploy to prevent Prof Osinbajo from having the full powers of acting president.
Buhari had written similar letters to the Senate in the past, but the dust raised by this last one is still to settle. Following from the letter Nigerians are now watching every action, every step of Osinbajo whether he is truly the acting president who can sign budget and swear in new ministers or just a coordinator of the nation’s affairs. Would this confusion have happened, if the letter had simply stated that Osinbajo is acting president?
This spell has also struck the government spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. He says one thing and it’s wrongly presented and misinterpreted. He makes rebuttals regularly. The latest being denying that he did not say the Federal Government did not know who would sign the 2017 budget.
Sometimes mischief-makers post messages online and he is forced to deny them. In February the Minister of Information refuted reports quoting him as saying that President Muhammadu Buhari would not return home from London because his aircraft was faulty.
And after Buhari returned, the minister denied saying the president would henceforth work from home. What he said was that the president only decided to work from home on that day the statement was made.
Isn’t it shocking that rather than getting praises for negotiating the release of Chibok schoolgirls from the den of Boko Haram, many Nigerians believe the whole Chibok saga is a scam?
They allege that the kidnap was stage-managed to ridicule the government of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. The proponents of the scam theory argue that the girls are being released in batches to boost the image of the Buhari administration. Is the Chibok kidnap saga truly a scam?
I believe the administration deserves accolades for the release of the girls and if it’s getting knocks for the feat rather than kudos, then something must be fishy.
Last Tuesday,the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Burutai shocked the nation with the revelation that some politicians had been approaching some soldiers for undisclosed political reasons.
Gen. Burutai’s statement implied that some politicians were plotting to scuttle the nation’s democracy. He warned the Army officers and soldiers to steer clear of politics and politicians.
If some politicians were already plotting to invite the military back to power, does anyone require additional evidence that our politicians are under abilu spell?
Who could have placed a curse on the politicians? The answer isn’t far to seek. It’s the ordinary people who are suffering from many years of misrule. Many politicians do anything to get into office and their motive is self service rather than the good of all.
If the APC government leaves the stage and another party takes over, the spell won’t disappear.  It’s unfortunate that even the good-intentioned politicians are now suffering from the evil perpetrated by others. The sad development will continue to manifest in the output of governments until conscious cleansing effort is made.
Nigerian politicians must seek the face of God and rule with the fear that they will ultimately account to the Creator for every office held and resource expended.