TheCable

Whatever the state of any human being is, there are still basic fundamentals that such must be accorded. These include justice, freedom of speech, right to quality life and equity. When these are denied, society feels its impact through bad behaviours, gangsterism and recourse to finding fulfilment in many other vices by these underprivileged specie.

Any society which openly tilts the measure of equity in favour of the ‘haves over have nots’ will continually witness all forms of undesirable reactions. While there is no society free of biases or oppression of some sort, many advanced Countries through strong institutions and a deliberate give back effort ensure everyone is taken care of out of the common purse irrespective of their financial well being. But in Nigeria and possibly in many underdeveloped world, the poor are under a perpetual curse for not knowing the ways.

That is why poverty is the driving force or excuse many who ‘can not wait for their turns’ give for following varied paths of no return which put them on head on collision with the state Agencies. Following recent events of Code of Conduct Bureau’s acquaintance of the Senate President of Nigeria,Senator Bukola Saraki, of all charges and the Nigeria Judicial Commission exoneration of  some of the alleged Supreme Court Judges of all the offences against them, one is quick to support the notion ‘ justice is for the rich and judgement is for the is poor’.

How does  one account for series of judgement where an unknown person stole mobile phone and got twenty one years imprisonment or another one who  robbed a woman of twenty one Thousand Naira with the same sentence? Is the writer justifying stealing and bad behaviour irrespective of its degree?  Far from this. Our concern here is why is the judicial system keep favouring the rich and is very harsh against the poor? Why is the entire system very straightforward for the wealthy and the famous while everything is lopsided for the poor and the unknown?

The  story one hears about the unknown and poor specie  trying hard to associate with the mighty in the land is not even savoury. Take the instance of one of the aides of a popular National Assembly leader who recently died because he could not raise One hundred and sixty five thousand Naira (if the information is correct) to pay his bill for an urgent medical attention required. This amount is less than five hundred US Dollars. Where else does  that happen except in a country where ‘tear of mercy’s gland’ had been damaged and destroyed by the system which favour the rich?

The response we got from the boss was that  the system owe and  did not pay the aide’s salary. One may be quick to ask the ‘Oga at the top’ whether the same is true about him and whether he was so broke to the extent he could lend if he cannot give such amount to the aide pending the time the salary will be paid? We stand to be corrected on this. Had the same plight befallen the boss, sure the same system who owed the aide would have hurriedly approved and package international health response which will  fly him out of the Country to receive quality health care.  What is good for the boss may be an anathema for the aide in a system screwed in favour of the high and the mighty.

Is there any value placed on the lives of the poor in this country? Check the roads common men ply daily. I mean the street and the villages they live?  Check the quality of the facilities in the hospitals they are forced to attend? Check the schools the children of the poor attend, tearful stories of  dilapidated structures, run down facility, ill-eqquiped teachers among many other issues abound as part of the  battle they must confront.

What is not clear to the rich and the system that perpetuate the above  in this country is that the relationship that will continue to be is that of a bird which perches on a rope. Has the rich considered how much they need to invest in their personal security: house, cars? While an average person can still move freely to a certain degree and take picture in front of the US White House, how many Nigerians can move that freely in front of Aso Rock?

That is an indication of the negative effects such a lopsided society we live in offer us. This has also shown in the houses the rich build in this Country with high walls as well well as Millions of Naira invested in security apparatus of the same. Even with all these investments many cannot drive in to those houses during the daylight. Especially the houses built in their home towns. Not quite two months ago we read in the news how one of the top Politicians from the North was molested and attacked in his own home town. What a shame? Why did we allow the system to continue to disintegrate and yet the rich continue to remain untouched?

The same reason accounts for why many from the poor background with no hope became determined to ‘breakthrough’ by all means. We do know some individuals are heartless and wicked, but if one one has  followed  the confession of ‘Evans’ the great kidnapper, one would have seen how he kidnapped his boss only daughter and collected twenty two Million Naira ransom. That was not reported in the news.How many of such deals had been covered.  The ones we hear loudly are the children of the ‘have nots’ who are trying to make something out of life like that of Model College in Epe Lagos State.

My heart bleeds each day I think about the plight of the have nots in this country.  We can say they plan their lives that way or blame their lack of focus early in life.  But please tell me how any people are really self made millionaires without a push at a point in life.  While we must all take our destinies in our hands, what you know, who you know and what you do with both still count. More importantly a just and enabling system will help better.

But irrespective of all these, leadership of any country that is wise understands  if the society must remain relatively peaceful, efforts must be made to cushion the effects of poverty on those who are badly affected. So there is a social security put in place. While doing this, the countries involved are in no way supporting laziness or moral indiscipline amongst their citizens but like Yoruba adage says such country knows  ‘when hunger is removed from poverty, a greater burden has been lifted’. As long as the judicial, educational, economic and social systems are reformatted to favour the rich while the poor helplessly observe the trend, our society will continue to be an unsafe haven for the rich as well.

A system that perpetually placed the poor at the brutal end of the divide need to know its case is like a boy who thinks stowaway is the best strategy to fly from Nigeria to London. No safe landing will be guaranteed even if he is successful in beating the Airport security in Nigeria.