Whilst falsehood will require thousands of its kind to endure, truth can stand alone till eternity. It does not need support or approval. A lie requires many other lies to prop it up always. This is because a lie, like a liar, is insecure! A truthful person is confident and happy and free. A liar always sees imaginary enemies and is forever living in self-imposed fear and bondage; his brain works more actively than normal for want of ways to cover up his misdemeanors. What is more, one of the ways of approaching one’s creator upon death in a worthy manner, is not to die concealing important truth, the knowledge of which can emancipate a people or bring much-needed peace to the world.

Last week, as the conclave began its voting for the new Pope, some text messages started appearing on mobile phones in Nigeria. The first goes like ‘BREAKING NEWS!!! OBJ has sent ANENIH and CHRIS UBA to the vatican to rig the pope’s election for ARINZE. They left yesterday. Do not say I told you’. Then when the result was announced and it happened not to be Father Arinze, another text started going round viz ‘I was told IBB will be going to the Vatican tomorrow to annul the election since Uba and Anenih did not succeed. Please don’t say I told you o. it’s still a top secret agenda’. The day after, yet another text popped up: ‘Tony Anenih and uneducated Chris Uba were sent to rig the papal election but they misspelt Arinze as Ratzinge. Don’t worry, election will be annulled tomorrow’.

Many questions. On a lighter note, this must be a way of poking fun at oneself, or is it? Who is the hilarious fellow that can come up with such modern day quips, and on the spot? Is he so pained that he likens events to the Nigerian reality or is he just a joker? How come most people subscribed to the texts and sent it round their friends just to underlie the fact that indeed most of us believe that the 2003 elections were so criminally rigged and most agree on the villainy of the names mentioned? Were the texts composed by a Nigerian or a foreigner? If a foreigner, does it not show that whatever you do, you are being noticed and recorded, be you an individual or a country? Were the texts composed by yet another Obj hater, who just wants to project in bad light, a self-appointed holy government, as will most likely be alleged by government spokesmen? Do the texts remind us of the fiascos of the past; that people protested the robbery that was perpetuated against them by the people who are adept at twisting the desires of the right-thinking members of the public, but were not listened to. Do the jokes remind us of the confessions of many a vote-rigger that had become contrite or had to confess after falling out with paymasters? Does it remind us of the Anambra high-drama in which some people contested and others who did not contest were sworn in instead. The same Anambra where one young man boasted to have single-handedly ‘appointed’ all members of the state house of assembly, all commissioners, all the senators and members of house of representatives and of course the governor and his deputy? Do the text remind us of Obj telling Chris Uba and Chris Ngige to ‘get out of his house’, after the two felons confessed to having subverted the will of their people by imposing all sorts of scallywags where the people innocently voted for better persons? Really, do the texts remind us yet again of June 12 1993 elections and its sanctity in our chequered history. Are the texts not a confession that we all know that June 12 would have been the right way to go and that its annulment was criminal? Do the texts remind the average citizen of Nigeria of his political hopelessness, occasioned by an impossibility to have a say in choice of the people that represent him or that ‘lead’ him? Do the texts remind us of the people who have taken Nigeria to this sorry pass and intend for the country to continue down a road that leads nowhere? Are we reminded of Obj’s hypocrisy in telling Ngige to go and settle with Uba by turning over the state treasury to repay election expenses or his two-facedness for mixing with any of these characters in the first place while laying claim to piety? Are we reminded of Chief Anenih’s stint as works minister and the N320billion disbursement for road rehabilitation, unaccounted for? Are we sorry for ourselves and the image we have created for ourselves internationally as a people who run away from the obvious truths that the whole world can see? Lastly, is it not amazing the amount of truth that Nigerians can know and not react while falsehood rules the land? We all know the truth! And the good books say that the truth shall set us free! That is if we embrace the truth. Up till now we have run away from the truth, so we continue to be in bondage, naturally. It seems this is a country, established on falsehood, grown on falsehood, and which intends to proceed into the future based on falsehood. Recall how some of our politicians (including the president), trooped to churches and mosques after the elections to praise God for giving them victory over their enemies in the election, when they knew vividly how they stole people’s mandates. Remember the show of holiness by this administration, what with all that Aso-Rock church services and representations at ‘holy ghost festivals’ and the presidential call on already starving Nigerians to undertake 7-days fasting and prayers? It’s amazing how much of grime Nigerians like to smear the name of God with. In that wise, one should also stand back and observe that in spite of our obvious love for God as depicted by attendance of Churches and Mosques, the country Nigeria is still prostrate in the comity of nations as adherents of religions ignore the most important message- love for each other and fear of God.

Recall also how vehement government’s advisers are when defending the piety of this government and other ones before it. Every government is perfect. Only the people are flawed. Governments in this corner of the world are totally correct. To the people who are close to the dispensers of favour, all governments in Nigeria have been humane, pragmatic, futuristic, pro-people, and every other thing that a government is supposed to be. The only problem is that the results of their ‘hardwork’ and ‘godliness’ is a testimony of all that is bad. If the truth is constant therefore, the following are ‘truths’ that we should all go home with. Every government functionary defends his/her boss to high heavens even when they are very wrong. Truth. Every Government in Nigeria has been so defended. Truth. It is after the government may have been displaced that the brigandage committed is exposed. Truth. The state of the nation as at today is a testimony to gross neglect of governance, tactlessness, brashness, egotism, deceit, conceit and an uncaring attitude expressed towards Nigeria by its leaders. Truth. A government with ‘good intentions’ should be able to sell its vision to its public’. Truth. The present government has been unable to achieve this first step in governance- it has failed to communicate. Truth.

It is possible for a government to damn politics and enact a couple of pro-poor policies. Truth. This government has claimed it doesn’t know poor people exist by asking ‘who are the masses’? Truth. Nigeria is where it is because we find it difficult to face up to the truth. Truth. Nigerians are basically good, hospitable people like most other societies in the world. Truth. We suffer because of our government’s lack of positive ideology and a vision to project us in better light. Truth. If all these are true, it doesn’t matter what government and government spokesmen say they are. A thousand years from now, because of the constancy of the truth, they will still remain what they are. The truth.