My Life Story: A Tale of Two Systems
Before I start this life story, I need you to understand that there are different kinds of politicians in this world. I can boldly say I categorize them into just two types; they are not categorized by name, but just by different geographic locations.
Now, I have a story to tell, but before that, I need to make a few comparisons between African politicians and their counterparts in Europe. Yes, no one is perfect and no country can say they have a perfect system, but this story I have come across is something that baffled my imagination. It made me question if truly Africans are normal, or if they deserve to be branded primitive.
The European Politician
The European politician is a simple man who advocates for better living conditions for the people he represents. He listens to complaints and tries his best to solve those he can; he regularly holds town hall meetings to know the needs of his people.
He gives accountability for every cent spent on public projects. He doesn’t go about sharing billions of dollars to his people when they need housing, roads, and electricity. He doesn’t go about sharing money meant for the building of schools with his cronies; if a contract is given, it is in the public domain, accessible to everyone, and an estimated time is given for when the project will be completed.
If there is a tragic event, he will honorably resign and beg for forgiveness, claiming that as the one in charge, he should have seen it coming—even if it is a natural disaster where no one can predict nature. The European politician has compassion, integrity, sacrifice, and the determination to serve humanity.
The African Politician
The African politician starts as an activist, a champion of the common man, and a fighter for justice. With time, he wins the trust of the people who then propel him to contest elections. The people stand by him and vote massively for him, and once he has won, the story changes.
The African politician is a heartless man who thrives on the suffering of the people. He uses billions budgeted for schools to buy the most expensive cars. He leaves his country and ventures to a European country to buy a castle where he can relax, yet his European counterpart never dreams of doing such. I have never heard of a US Congressman going to Africa—to a country like Nigeria—to buy a mansion. I have never heard of a US Congressman traveling to every African country to spend taxpayers' hard-earned money. No.
But the African politician does that. He junkets to European countries just to have fun; he embezzles money meant to provide basic amenities for his people on a frivolous lifestyle. The African politician is a curse to his people because he hates them. He has no compassion or humanity in him; he enjoys their suffering and wants them to worship him.
If you doubt my narrative, look at a country like Uganda and their past elections. Imagine a man who has ruled for over forty years, and you can see the suffering and underdevelopment in his country, and yet he still wants to cling to power even though he cannot walk unaided. If you look at history in Uganda, you will know the name Idi Amin, the dictator.
The Giant of Africa
What about Nigeria, the so-called "Giant of Africa"? A country that is unarguably the hotbed for a lot of professors, yet a country that lost its glory due to corruption and bad leaders. It is a country where I can boldly say is the headquarters of the devil himself. Nigeria used to be a great country, but no more. The country is ruled by heartless individuals and praised by sycophants who enjoy the crumbs thrown to them from the table of their oppressors.
How can a man prefer to use $30 billion to renovate a conference hall while refusing to pay workers their arrears and salaries? He claims if he pays them, there would be no money to buy cars for the politicians. Just imagine: they prefer cars over the welfare of the people. It is a sad thing to be a Nigerian, both home and abroad, because of the way the country has been destroyed by bad rulers.
The Story Begins
A Digital Dispute
It was a warm January night in a small fishing village in the southern part of Nigeria. There was a dispute online between two young men about their traditional beliefs. One of the young men is named Ziggy; he is an average guy who came from a poor family and lives the life of a simple man who earns his way through hard work. He is well known in the village—tall, dark, and has dimples when he smiles. He has a gap-tooth in the middle and he likes flaunting it.
The Shadow of Wealth
The other guy is Liam. He, too, came from a poor family, but he has a heart that is cold and can do anything for wealth. He is dark like the night with eyes as bright as a sunny sky. He doesn't have muscle, but he is built like a bull.
Liam sold his soul to the devil in order to get wealthy. He doesn't care whose toes he stands on; all he cares about is the wealth. As he sold his soul, he got connected to the elite of society, and one of them was a criminal who has links to the President. He is a criminal who has the army and police as his security escort; his name is Oliver. Oliver started his criminal activities by disrupting oil pipelines. He gradually moved to kidnapping and then started selling illegal oil to foreigners. He killed and maimed with no remorse, and he is the backer of Liam.
The Ambush
So, after Ziggy and Liam had a row online that January night, the next day as early as 5:00 AM in the morning, Liam and his boys kidnapped Ziggy. They took him to a secluded part of another village and gave him the beating of his life. They broke his spine, and when they noticed he was not responsive anymore, they took him to the station and brought in some officers on duty who still arrested Ziggy even in that condition.
"I want you guys to make sure this is never traced to me," Liam said as he kicked Ziggy one last time.
"Sure, boss," the officer said, rubbing his palms together with glee as he expected a good package. Liam grinned and handed over a brown envelope containing cash to the officers, who saluted him.
The Confrontation at the Station
Soon the officers noticed Ziggy was not responsive, so they contacted his family, ordering them to come and take him away. When his family arrived, they were given a half-dead body. His uncle was angry as he confronted the officers. "What is the meaning of this? What have you done to my nephew?"
"How dare you question an officer of the law? Are you mad? Do you want to be arrested?" the officer roared.
"This is not right," the uncle said. "How can you harm an innocent boy like this?"
"Shut up and take him away. This is not my business; I have no idea what happened to him. We saw him on the road and brought him to the station."
"Then how did you know we are his family members? How did you get our contact?" Ziggy’s uncle asked the officer.
The officer was furious and he backhanded the old man. "I said shut up, you fool!"
Ziggy’s sister, who is older than him, jumped on the officer for slapping her uncle. "How dare you hit an old man!" she roared. "You will pay!"
The officer just grinned and backhanded her, too. "If you dare touch me again, I will make sure me and my men have fun with you."
Anguish and Arrogance
Ziggy was taken home, but the injury was too serious, so they rushed him to the hospital where he was confirmed dead. The family was devastated; it was a huge shock to them, and they wailed their hearts out in anguish.
Liam was enjoying that morning when his phone rang. He frowned at the caller ID, not knowing who it was. He picked up his phone and answered, "Yeah?"
"Is this Mr. Liam?" came a voice.
"Yes, and who the hell is this?"
"This is Officer Mateo."
"Never heard of him," Liam said.
"You dropped a body with me and my men today," the officer said.
"Well, now I remember, and I paid you for that. So why trouble me?"
"The boy is dead."
"So?" Liam asked.
"Eh, they are investigating the cause of his death."
"How does that concern me?"
"You brought him in."
"And I paid you for that," Liam hung up with a sigh.
Justice Bought and Sold
He called his benefactor, Oliver, and explained the situation. Oliver told him to be calm, that it was not the first time he had killed and that he would take care of it. "Don't worry, my boy. I will handle this matter. After all, this is Nigeria; money can buy justice. It can buy a life, too."
"Thank you, boss," Liam said.
"Don't worry. I will talk to the President and he will just sweep the matter under the carpet, and we will compensate the foolish boy's family."
"That is great, boss."
The Phone Call
A Father’s Grief
Ziggy's family were grieving over his untimely demise when the uncle’s phone rang. He ignored it as he wept; he had loved Ziggy with all his heart. He had brought the boy up after the death of his brother, Ziggy's father. "What would my brother think of me as he meets Ziggy's corpse?" he questioned himself. "Why not me instead? Oh brother, forgive me; I have failed you."
His phone rang again, and Ziggy's sister answered it, putting it on speaker mode. With tears and a cracked voice, she said, "Hello? Who is this?"
The Billion-Dollar Deal
"Listen carefully," the voice from the other end said, causing the sympathizers and family members to quieten and listen. "You will do nothing and say nothing. The poor boy is dead and I sympathize with you. It was untimely, so here is the deal: I will give you a billion dollars, and I want you to drop the case."
The room went silent; you could have heard a pin drop. "Are you hearing me?" the gruff voice said again.
"How can you think money is worth more than a life?" the uncle roared. "How dare you say this to me!"
"Shut up. He is dead and nothing can bring him back. I'm offering you a better deal and you are talking about a worthless boy."
"I will not listen to you insult me and my family. I will ensure justice is done!"
"You must be a foolish man. What justice? I am Oliver; you know my name and what I am capable of. Just know that justice is sold to the highest bidder."
"You and your lackey will pay!"
"Oh, shut up. My boys will be bringing the money soon today. Good day and goodbye."
The Shadow of Greed
The room went quiet. The uncle could see the greediness in the people's eyes. He saw his sister mouthing the words "a billion dollars." He looked at some of his family members even bringing out calculators to start calculating what percentage each would collect.
He sat there, stunned, and knew he had no power over the situation. He stood up to leave, and one of his nephews approached him. "Uncle..."
"What is it, Noah?"
"Eh," Noah stammered, "can we have the number that called you? Just in case."
"Do you people choose money over the death of your brother?" the uncle asked, looking around. Everyone cast their eyes down, too ashamed to meet his gaze.
"He is dead and there is nothing we can do. We have no power. At least this money could help," his sister said.
"How could you say this? That boy practically called you mother!"
"I feel bad, but life has to go on," she replied. "After all, dead men tell no tales."
Conclusion: A System in Decay
This story is a true-life story that happened recently. It serves as a reminder to people that the life of a poor man is worthless in Nigeria. I tell this story to drive home my earlier narrative about the European politician and the African politician.
Can you see how the system is corrupt? You can see how those who are paid to uphold the law and make sure justice is done are the ones aiding and abetting criminals. This story is just scratching the surface; there are stories worse than this, and nothing can be done if you have no money or connections.
In Nigeria, criminals are the ones in authority. Those who are honest and have a sense of duty and humanity serve these same criminals because, as the saying goes, there is no food for an honest and hardworking man. My conclusion of this story is that Nigeria needs help in a very big way—and urgently—or all will be lost.
Author’s Note
I felt I had to share this story because silence is the greatest best friend of corruption. This narrative is not a work of fiction; it is rooted in a true-life story that happened recently, reflecting a painful reality that many choose to ignore. I wrote this because the gap between the leadership we have and the leadership we deserve has become a chasm that swallows the lives of innocent men like Ziggy.
When the law becomes a business and the life of a poor man is treated as a commodity in a criminal’s budget, we must speak up. I compared the African politician to the European counterpart not to praise the West, but to highlight how far we have fallen from the path of accountability. I hope this story serves as more than just a tragedy; I hope it serves as a wake-up call. We cannot continue to be a nation where greed is more powerful than grief, and where justice is reserved only for those who can afford the price tag.
When angels give everything to protect humanity: Fallen Angel
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