Abacha Awards : There Is Honour Among Thieves
Peregrino Brimah
Only a thief will give an award to a thief. Giving an award to a thief is not only a national insult, it is treason. Our pledge is to defend the nation’s honour. The nation has been dragged in the mud once again with this centenary abomination. What just happened in Nigeria is very serious. This is no longer an issue of ethnic groupings or religious differences. This is sheer limitless wickedness to the poor, the dead and dying. Nigeria has now been taken over by frank evil. This is a battle between good and the hopeful’s and supporters of good and evil and the aspirants and workers for the grand commander of evil. The devil. If the awards to Nigeria’s thieves of the past were given in error, open public apology and public and private repentance is urgently necessary. Stealing, and a thief is not defined by what is given, it is defined by what is taken. Abacha was a thief. Babangida was a thief. Obasanjo was a thief. There is no mincing these words. There is no room in our national honour rolls for these thieves. This is not an example to be given to our kids and an image to be broadcast of our nation. N300 million in foreign media propaganda will never redeem Nigeria from this abomination. This senseless political desperate patronage of the evil men of Nigeria’s painful past.
The United States has already smashed their foot in our bloodied wounds by seizing this moment of national disgrace to seize another $458 billion of Abacha’s loot. America has certified us as sub-human. This was the conversation across America this week. Children of thieves, like Sadiq have been given the gumption after years hiding to come out and open their ‘gutters.’
The $3-6 billion dollars Abacha has been confirmed to have stolen was not his right. It was money of the poor masses. Whatever ‘good’ the Presidency publicized he did is not reason enough to celebrate a thief, now or ever. Today it is clear to Nigerians who the President and his team of rulers and friends see as a mentor–Abacha.
The Bible in 1 Corinthians 6:10 says: …nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. In John 10:10 it says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” And to those who partner with, defend, support and celebrate thieves, the Bible says in Proverbs 29:24 (KJV): “Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.”
Those northerners, the family of Abacha and southerners who defend Abacha are thieves. Those who defend this national insult by Jonathan are thieves. There is no dillydallying on this. Many of us are not saints, but we do not deserve honours if we are thieves. We steal and are quiet about it. Nigeria must never celebrate thieves. By stamping and accrediting thieves we have brought unmeasurable curse upon us if we have not had enough curse already. These awards must immediately be stripped. The nation deserves a national apology. Dear Nigerians, I am sorry. I am sorry for you, I am sorry for me, I am sorry for this nation.
Each penny stolen is amenities deprived and results in deaths. Each kobo stolen means no health care will be provided at some corner, some thief will be free, some road not built properly. They don’t steal from the national cake. There is no national cake; on the contrary, they steal from the pauper’s loaf. These government thieves are assassins. Killers of the poor. It is a sickness, they are compulsive thieves, this is why we see they steal more than they can ever use and eventually lose our national income to foreign nations. Hell will be filled with these.
For the Muslims who get carried away with thieves-in-power and denounce their creed in defense of such thieves, a story of the life of Hazrat Umar Bin Abdul Aziz, the celebrated Umayyad Caliph should hopefully juggle them up a bit. In the early days of Islam, Caliph Umar’s empire stretched from the shores of the Atlantic to the highlands of Pamir (India). He commanded great territory and wealth of the early Muslim state. One day, according to the narration, the Caliph was sitting in his private chamber examining a pile of State documents. The dim light of the room was adding to the serenity and somberness of the place and the Caliph could scarcely feel the arrival of his wife, Fatima, till she addressed him, “Sire! Will you spare a few moments for me? I want to discuss a private matter with you.” “Of course”, replied the pious Caliph, raising his head from the papers, “But, please put off this State lamp and light your own, as I do not want to burn the State oil for private talk.” [Find ref online: http://www.renaissance.com.pk/novletfor95.html]
For the pious leaders, more was at stake and more was expected. They slept hungry unless they were assured that all their subjects had eaten. This was because they knew they will be held to account for misappropriating the people’s food if they ate while their subjects went to bed hungry. People used to run away and avoid positions of power for this very reason. Today we sign-up for executive suits and accommodation in hell by patronizing clear thieves, because they are ‘of our clan,’ or ‘did something.’ The only clan thieves and supporters of thieves belong to is the clan of the burning hell fire, be they government thieves or armed robbers. There is no honor here and nothing to defend, except among the thieves themselves. So if you defend a thief because you believe he is your ‘brother’ or ‘clansman’ then know what brotherly and clan relationship you share. The brotherhood of evil and clan of the doomed. It is a shame that thieves are now celebrated. Let them steal but cower in shame or hide away, but honour and awards for thieves only comes from thieves because today there is great honor among Nigeria’s thieves.
These are now very evil times.