There was one story tale during my childhood which I will never forget till date about the unusual in the animal kingdom. There was severe famine in the world then in which the animals were seriously affected.
One day, all animal gathered to proffer solution to the ravaging pandemic causing the death of many animals in the forest. Animals of different species came together to share their thought including tortoise too. In their contributions, tortoise was of the view that the only way out is for them to fly to heaven as God has abundant foodstuff in his abode.
This brilliant suggestion of tortoise was highly accepted by Birds of different kinds.
The tortoise ruminated further that even though they have to fly, he is handicap by lack of feather to fly. The anxious birds further told him not to see lack of feather as an impediment to expedition as they all pledged to contribute a feather each to tortoise to enable him fly along with them.
True to the saying of the birds, they contributed feather to tortoise and they all made their journey to heaven. While on their way, Tortoise told the birds that it is will be very better for them to be known by individual name so that when they get to heaven, it will not be difficult for angle of God to identify the individual animal whom each foodstuff belong to.
Tortoise made this suggestion out of its’ craftiness and unknown to other animals, it was highly applauded by birds and birds of different kind. They begin to identify themselves as dove, eagle, parrot, owl, bush fowl etc. Whilst the birds proclaim who they were actually, tortoise declared that it should better be named or known as ‘’All of you’’.
Thus, these names were accepted by the animals on their journey to heaven. When the animals got there and an angle of God goes into the store and brought the first food for the animals. While delivering it, he said the food belongs to ‘’all of you’’. Without any argument, the animals present all pointed to tortoise that the food belongs to him as he earlier proclaimed to be known as ‘’All of you all’’. Different angles came to deliver different food items and tortoise having proclaimed to be identify as ‘’All of you all’’ keeps on amassing all the food items in its bag.
When it dawn on them that everything was all over without any food item given to any of them other than tortoise, they all demanded for the refund of their individual feather. Their decision was premise on the foolishness the Tortoise has taken them off.
The episode I have narrated above is not totally different from our current experience on the leadership in the country. Our current Leaders are self serving and their attitude is akin to Tortoise. These crops of people do not care about those who elected and supported them into various leadership positions. Will there be any changes, time will tell.
As we march to the polling units to elect new leaders in the coming next month election, the electorates should make it clear to those who had perform abysmally that power actually belongs to them.
– Stephen Ojate is a public affairs commentator writes from Abuja. He is reachable via phone number and whatsapp number 09075716236
