Following severe warnings by economic and financial stakeholders, clerics, ‘unenlightened’ family members, jealous friends, colleagues and neighbours, superstitious spouses and that ever-present conscience which the realities of recession, and for some, simple common sense refused to ignore, we really are left with little choice but to call on the forces beyond the skies, as it is our Nigerian style.
They say for You, Lord,a thousand years is like one day. For MMMers, the next one month, when the MMM site will supposedly be unfrozen, will seem like one million years and in our human folly, we know not what the future holds. And so we must pray…
For Yakubu and Abel, the LASEMA guys, who as they join forces to carry out oga’s instructions to barricade the ‘jumping’ point at 3rd mainland, are eyeing the railings with smothering confusion, smiling on the outside but seething with fury at Joseph, that idiotic senior colleague who had threatened to deny all involvement if they opened up to oga that he runs a mini MMM stall at the office and just two Fridays ago, had convinced them to buy into the scheme;
For Mama Michael, who has shared an uneasy silence with her husband for the past 24 hours – he has been owed months of salary arrears and was barely making ends meet – and is contemplating swallowing some of the sniper she recently bought, because she had, barely 168 hours ago, finally convinced her husband to follow in the footsteps of his mates, exemplified in her neighbour’s husband, Papa Ayo – who recently celebrated the acquisition of a motorcycle from his MMM returns – and practically nagged him into investing the N174,000 left from the sale of their only land on MMM;
For Sister Rose, who had concluded plans to start the dry fish business, and who repeatedly lies to her husband about collecting their joint cooperative funds meant for their house rent, which has been due for a little over a month now, but who planned to collect her MMM returns onFriday after making a whopping N130,000 extra on the original rent she had invested;
For Iya Risikat and her ajo buddies, who were just recently convinced by her daughter’s fiancé to render help, and who, rather than restock her shop for the festive season, chose to deposit her savings, amounting to a total of N370,000;
For Timothy, the fiancé, who has kept cursing his luck and has been contemplating suicide for not just giving help with the money meant for his wedding – which amounted to more or less his entire life savings plus debt – but for the evil spirit that inspired him to set up a small business of taking charge of Iya Risikat and her entire cooperative people’s investment, amounting to a total of N1.7 million, all for the 10 per cent he had hoped to gain from their MMM collective referral bonus;
For Chukwudi, the thriving businessman, who had recently been paid double of the usual amount owing to the Nigeria’s foreign exchange woes, to supply fancy light bulbs for his customer’s newly renovated guest house, but who had chosen to wait awhile, and instead, had rendered help, secretly glad that the dollar rate was as it was, as that would ensure his 30 per cent MMM profit was sure;
For the siblings, John and Mary, 300 level students, who had recently resumed school and had been convinced by Chika, who had just close to N35,000 extra from giving help and had convinced the siblings to give help with the fees sent by their father, who had thought wise of sending the money earlier, as his employer, the state government, had been magnanimous enough to pay his December salary earlier in the month;
For Pa Luke, the emaciated pensioner who recently struck gold with Baba Ijebu, but who had been convinced by his police neighbour, popularly called Force, and had given help with all his winnings that fateful 9th of December, and who had lost all appetite for food or drink;
For Chief Agbabiaka, who, just two Tuesdays ago, gave help with the N2.2million meant for his workers’ salaries, in the hope of getting something extra to pay for junior’s school fees, give his second wife – whose entire life revolved around parties – money for aso ebi, and buy that phone his mistress had been bugging him about for the past couple of weeks;
For Pastors and Imams, who knew well the risks associated with MMM, and who members gladly shared testimonies with, giving freely unto the Almighty from their bonuses, and who had done nothing but with silent smiles had encouraged them, with some secretly giving help, albeit under aliases, after all, MMM is the god of ‘unexplainable miracles;’
For the many more examples too numerous to mention, and even those who have refused to admit their involvement but whom our all-knowing God sees their various situations and reasons for somehow mistaking MMM as God’s gift to Nigeria in its recessed state;
And for a government of parables, proverbs and excuses, who may have, in no small measure, contributed to the state of the nation and have drummed this beats that has made over 3 million Nigerians dance this dangerous macabre of frustration, increased hypertension, broken marriages, failed businesses, school drop-outs, among others, and who, in their cozy cocoons of disillusioned comfort, have absolutely no idea the true state of affairs of the people they should serve;
And for those who simply wanted something extra, those who laugh now but who secretly wished they had given help and gotten that juicy 30 per cent, and for those who think it is by their strength they are able to withstand the temptation of ‘free money;’
For some, MMM was some means to get quick money, without the hassles of hard work. After all, in this recession, who hard work epp? But for some, until one knows what it means to have nothing but the hope of some phantom consolation, whether 30 per cent or less, we may never understand.
Alas! We are all sinners and we plead Your forgiveness, strength, blessings and grace to withstand this trying moment. Let he/she who is sinless laugh, snigger and by all means, pick up the first stone
