Obi Cubana’s Mother’s Burial: A Metaphor for the Nigerian Psyche.
By :Douglas Ogbankwa .
*If you say the love of Money is the root of all evil ,why don’t you try the lack of money?*
Quoting
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilomen ,
President of the Believers Love World .
All road led to the rustic town of Oba in Anambra State , as Obi Uyiegbu popularly known as Obi Cubana buried his mother with such ostentation and opulence unprecedented in public glare in the annals of our history.
Obi Cubana woke up one morning before the burial of his mother , to find that his house in Oba , Anambra State of Nigeria has become a cattle ranch, reason ?His friends have made donations of cow for the burial totalling about 267 cows and contributed over a quarter of a billion for him to spend at the burial.
The Cubana Chief Priest himself gave 46 cows to his boss -Obi Cubana , signifying the 46 years Obi Cubana has spent on earth .
Obi Cubana buried his mother in a 30 Million Naira custom made Casket, ferried from abroad. He immortalized her name in a 100 thousand dollars Diamond chain and pendant ,just as celebrities outdone one another in an obscene depiction of wealth,showering wads of hard currencies and naira on the celebrant .
Kcee -the Nigerian Singer’s movement in a convoy from the Asaba Airport to Oba in Anambra , made the convoy scene of the American blockbuster starring Eddie Murphy- *Coming to America* look like a joke as exotic cars and exquisite power bikes ushered him and his entourage into Oba in a triumphant manner ,that made the town stand still.
While the drama was playing out in Oba,the internet went abuzz as the show created a Twitter Tirade , Face Book Frenzy and WhatsApp Whistling as Nigerians watched and followed online , with bated breath as money was made to look ordinary albeit ,in a very reprehensible manner ,leaving the Youth with an emboldened psyche to do anything for Money.
Here lies the crux of this article ,the Nigerian people serve money as Mammon and worship those who have it as man made gods .The Leaders are not helping matters to quell the psyche , with the many unresolved allegations of the pillage of the Commonwealth , the impunity with which same is perpetrated, sometimes given an official imprimatur by some state actors, that make some believe that however you make money does not matter .
The Church has joined the trend as the *Can a Man Rob God* mantra is now the slogan of many churches ,leaving issues that are Christlike and focusing on mundane issues that do not help your spiritual life.Many of the Pastors are motivational speakers and business men. Nigeria now has Pastorpreneurs. Recently a very popular church with national appeal allegedly fired about 40 Pastors because ,they could not meet their “Targets”.The Banks are the masters of targets ,you are told before you enter if you do not meet your target ,consider yourself fired .
The Family -the primary agent of socialisation has failed almost completely. Fathers who are cultists now take their children to their respective cults, to become members, when they turn of age to continue in the family tradition. Parents now procure the paraphernalia or the starter pack of being a Yahoo Yahoo Boy for their children and go to native doctors for juju and support for them.When children come home with exotic cars ,parents throw parties for them ,with out asking for the source of the “sudden typewealth”.Some of those sudden wealth actually leads to sudden death,some times, the victims are the same parents.
This is the Hushpuppy Generation .No other thing matters ,but money, how you make it does not matter, just display it for people to see and you would have arrived.
This same Weekend Obi Cubana’s mother’s burial took place, the Vanguard Personality of the Year held in Ikoyi, Lagos, a paltry number of people knew about it .But that was the real thing, because there present where the movers and shakers of the Society.The Policy Makers ,Law Makers and Business Decision Makers just like any thing that matters in this Country , Nigerians paid no attention to it , but paid close attention to frivolities and inanities .The Next National Spectacle to divert the attention of the Youth from the real issues of this country beckons : *BBNaija*
In summarizing the trajectory of the week end in Oba ,the Multi Award Winning Nollywood Actor ,Alex Ekubo , posited thus :
*There 3 kinds of money in Nigeria:Nigerian money, Igbo Money and Anambra Money .If you are not strong enough, do not be involved in Anambra Money*.
By the way, do you know where your daughter or your girlfriend is right now ?
*She may just be on her way back from Oba*
About the Author :
Douglas Ogbankwa is a Benin Based Lawyer and Writer who is also the President of the Benin Writers’ Society.To join the Society , kindly send an email to douglasogbankwa@gmail.com