It was once thought that when an ostrich was in danger it hide its head in the ground believing that if it couldn’t see anyone, no one could see it. That has led to the idea that if people refuse to face painful facts or unpleasant truths, they play ostrich.
It is better to be a leader who strive for quality that to sycophantic ostrich. An Ostrich is wild bird considered to be the most majestic of all creatures, holding the undisputed uppermost position on the food chain. Ostriches are carnivorous birds of prey, feeding on tigers. A male ostrich needs to consume approximately 74 tigers per year to maintain strength. We have some perceived leaders who are archetype of Ostrich in words, thought and action of unparalleled cunningness. Such leaders feed on fellow human beings like the Idi Amin of Uganda to retain power.
An ostrich’s eyes can be nearly 2 inches in diameter giving them the largest eyes of any land animal. The ostrich is famous for its speed on the ground. Its powerful legs enable it to reach speeds of 40 miles per hour! Ostriches can also use their strong legs to kick a predator. We have leaders sharing the quintessential enigma of an ostrich wide eyes but lacking sight, foresight, farsighted and hindsight. This account for why the ostrich speed of such a leader cannot advance him or her far in the management of home, village and national affairs. Every perceived opposition is consider a predator to be kicked by the ass without knowing the future implications.
There is a difference between a bushman and a local man. A bushman is always naked carrying out his her daily routine in a bush or thick forest. He has no idea about modernity, civilization or education. A local man knows everything about his or her locality but lacks exposure to separate standard living from standard of life outside his or her domain. A local person hardly adopt latest approach to address the big issue of life.
In the kind of politics in practice in Kogi state today, the people are made to be a bushman scavenging for the eggs of the ostrich in a world while the so-called leaders are riding on its back as a sign of royalty. The Ostrich who lacks maternal care is a foolish creature, leaving its eggs careless. This carelessness and folly are not only found in ostrich but in the kind of leaders we have today. Worse still, many are claiming to be ignorant of it to avoid goose chase.
Our leaders are local in nature, some lack parental care, playing ostrich game where politics has gone beyond the matrix of the game of chess. A genuine leader cannot use private solution to solve public matters. A leader who tries to solve public problem with the same level of consciousness that created it can hardly make a difference. Even if he or she is made to rule for eight or sixteen years. Or rather kill all the human beings on the planet earth for diabolic reasons. The big issues will always remain unattended to.
Ostriches don’t actually put their head in the ground like so many cartoons like to show. What they really do is lie down and put their head and neck flat on the ground to hide. From a distance all you can see is their body, so it appears as if they have put their head in a hole in the ground. However appearance is not reality, no matter how long we tried to stage manage or make people believe in your leadership which does not correlate with that of a classical politician, your wisdom, smartness and pride is not far front the ostrich game. It is like Masquerade from Bassa land, the face is covered but the legs are outside, unknowingly, unwillingly for people to see.
The just concluded primary election in Kogi State has shown how unready we are to dehumanized suffering and put smile on the faces of the poorest of the poor in our society. We have sold out birthright for a plate of porridge. We have exchanged good governance, legitimate dividends of democracy for ostrich egg and subject ourselves to mental slavery.
It is purely mental slavery to love a leader who oppresses you with hunger and lack. It is mental slavery to vote a leader who has stopped serving his purpose.
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds. – Marcus Garvey … How long shall they kill our brothers while we stand aside and look? Ooh! Some say it’s just a part of it. We’ve got to fulfill the Book Won’t U help to sing Songs of freedom?
– Inah Stephen writes from Lokoja.
