PROVERB OF THE DAY | AFRICAN PROVERB

In this world full of heated struggle for power, many unimaginable things happen. Black is called white. A desert is called a densed forest. Cars are said to fly in the sky. But only the naive and the gullible accept those hook, line and sinker.

When our politicians are in power, they forget their vain promises. The Paradise they promised to build on Earth only turn out to be a castle in the air---- a mere illusion! No wonder Funso Aiyejina, a Nigerian poet, writes in his poem, 'And So It Came to Pass':

"...Men we had taken for fearless warriors
As protectors of our secret recipes
Suddenly turned crabs, carapace and all
Shedding shame like water on a duck's back..."

The above poem was written during the post-colonial era in Nigeria, when a crop of new Nigerian politicians sprang up. The poet writes that people have hope in these politicians, but they all fail the masses, the electorates that voted them into power.

Yes. And the cycle of disappointment and its consequent disillusionment continues. The politicians, during their campaigns, employ all manner of propaganda in order to woo the electorates. They promised them that they would turn water into wine. And the masses would shout with joy. They would make manna fall from Heaven. And the masses would shout and sing, not knowing they're composing their own funeral dirges!

According to this proverb, a good politician does not promise to build bridges where there is no water. And, I will interpret this using the slogan on the campaign poster of our Governor, the incumbent governor of Anambra State, Nigeria. The slogan read: IF IT'S NOT BROKEN, WHY FIXING IT? There is no point providing something that people do not need. It is like taking coal to Newcastle. When people already have one basic amenity, provide another. Don't destroy the existing, functional ones.

Building bridges where there is no water is building something where they're not needed. Such projects are like tinsels or white elephant projects that glitter but have no value.

This is a message to all:
To the politicians, fulfil your promises and build valuable projects.
To the masses, don't be carried away by these self-professed Messiahs called politicians. Don't be gullible!