For Azazi And Others: The vainness of vanity By Remi Oyeyemi

 “Former NSA, Azazi; Kaduna Gov., Yakowa feared dead in helicopter crash”- PREMIUM TIMES Dec. 15, 2012

 “Governor Yakowa Of Kaduna, Former NSA Azazi Dead In Helicopter Crash.- Saharareporters.com Dec. 15, 2012

 So ran the different headlines on the evening of December 15, 2012 on the above news websites that I visited. On Saharareporters website, right next to this story is a column with the title “Related Content.” The number one content under this column is another headline culled from the reputable and highly esteemed investigative medium, PREMIUM TIMES. It ran thus: “Former NSA, Azazi, Acquires Multi-billion Naira Properties In Abuja-PREMIUM TIMES.” Two steps below this item is another headline which ran as follows: BREAKING NEWS: Gen. Azazi (rtd) Appointed National Security Adviser.

INVESTIGATION: Azazi, former NSA, acquires multi-billion naira homes in Abuja.

The breaking news of Gen.Azazi’s appointment was posted by Saharareporters.com on October 4, 2010, exactly 796 days ago today that he died. On August 27, 2012, the culled story about the acquisition of “Multi-billion Naira” properties by him was posted. That comes to exactly one hundred and eleven days (111) to this day of tragedy and inescapable mortality.

Reading the tragic story of the death of retired General Azazi and others this evening, one finds it inescapable to connect it to the details therein contained in the “Related Content” column, that are in propinquity to each other. For the last few hours, it has been difficult to shake off the fact that here was a man, who just acquired billion naira properties in Abuja, one hundred and eleven days ago and he is no more! He is dead. Now and forever.

One’s mind then tried to imagine what he has gone through to acquire all the money with which he acquire the properties. Since this writer was not with him every step of the way while he was working in this government, under President Goodluck Jonathan, one could not say for sure how he made all the monies. The only thing one could do would be to speculate if one goes by the attitude and idiosyncrasies of our rulers.

In the course of amassing this stupendous wealth, what has he done or failed to do? What were his thought process? What did he think he was doing? Did he think he was putting in place a security for himself and his family? For the rest of his life and that of his next generation? How long did he expect to live? Did he undercut any fellow human being? Did he bring anyone down in the course of amassing this wealth? Dis he play it straight or zig-zag? Did he allow his conscience to guide him or not? Was he ruthless or considerate? Was he cruel or kind? Was he mean or nice?

These are the questions none is in position to answer for General Azazi and others who walk in the corridors, relax in the lounges and sprawl cozily in the inner rooms of power. But  some who knew them, who worked for and with them would be able to have an idea. Those whose paths crossed theirs would have an idea. It could be positive and it could be negative.

Our men of power, who behave and act as if they would never die, do they have the time and space to think about what they are doing? Do they have the time to refect that one day the end would come? One has not idea if Azazi and Yakowa did. But the rest of them living still have the opportunity . They still have the chance before it is too late. This is because the end is inevitable. When the hour comes, what would flash through your mind? Think about it. What?

It is one’s belief that our rulers are shallow minded. They are too vain. They are also myopic. They are bereft of any modicum of philosophical knowledge of their milieu. They are mostly myopic, visionless, thoughtless, and are intellectually arid, They project crass opportunism, manifest lawlessness, exude mean-spiritedness, revel in inertia and nauseating ineptitude. To suggest that they are mentally ill at times would not be too far from being correct.
If the roads were good, there would not be any need for helicopter. If there was the need for an helicopter, it would be in the best conditions. Though, mistakes do happen, but it would not be fatal mistakes all of the time. An efficient government would train its staff from time to time and ensure that they rank with the best in the world.

If there was no corruption, or the race to amass wealth to buy billion naira homes in Abuja and elsewhere, attention would sincerely and honestly be paid to the security of the polity. The officials would have the courage to travel through the country without fear of militants. There would most probably, no recourse to an helicopter. Untimely deaths could have been avoided and prevented.

But our rulers are complicated idiots. When General Abdulkareem Adisa died as a result of an accident he had on a road he ought to have rehabilitated while he was the Minister of Works, it ought to have been a good lesson to persons of modicums of intelligence.They ought to have learnt that if they repair the roads, they would benefit from it. If they equiped our hospitals, they could receive emergency treatments from there. If they enforced the laws in the aviation industry, they and their families would fly safe. If they don’t practise corruption, and chase not, crude accumulation of money and allow things to work, it would benefit them before the rest of us.

Yes, they are complicated idiots. They lack the intellect to understand that if kidnappers are reigned in, they (the rulers) would be safe like the rest of us. Their mothers, husbands, daughters and other relatives would be safe like the rest of us. Our rulers could not understand that if there was law and other, everyone would be able to live in peace and society would be able to make progress.

But ala! Our rulers believe more in the accumulation of money than anything. They are so moronic that they could not understand that no matter how rich you are, no matter what access you have to London, Washington D.C., Frankfurt, Paris, Bombay or any other capital of the more serious countries, if and when there is an emergency, lives would not be saved. It would always be too late for them to be saved. How could they not know that it would be easier to get to Ibadan, Lagos Abuja, Kano, Enugu, Port-Harcourt, Sokoto, Kaduna, Akure or Maiduguri from any part of Nigeria than any part of the world? Even with private jets, don’t they have to cover distances?

Why are they so dumb? Why are they so vain? Why are they so shallow? Even, if they do not love the rest of us, do they hate themselves this much too? How come they think that having huge personal accounts solve all their problems? How come they have not learnt from John F. Kennedy that “A country that can not provide for the many that are poor, will not be able to protect the few that are rich?” Don’t they realize that we are in this together? That our lights have to work? Our roads have to be paved? Our hospitals have to be equiped? Our water has to run? Our Fire departments have to function? Our Judiciary has to function independenty? And that our laws have to be obeyed?

It is in their interests to realize this if they have the brains to grasp it. When they do this, they may be helping the poor man on the street, but they are helping themselves more. And more importantly, they should grasp the vainness of vanity because it is just so vacuous.

INVESTIGATION: Azazi, former NSA, acquires multi-billion naira homes in Abuja.