The Rhythm of Futility
In the canon of Igbo literature, Goddy Onyekaonwu’s Nwata
rie Awọ Ọjụ Anụ serves as more than a story; it is a mirror. When the
character Awọrọ cries out, “Ma ụtụtụ – waa waa waa; ehihie – waa waa waa
a, ike ya agwụla m,” he is not merely complaining about a bad day at the
hunt. He is describing a soul-crushing cycle of expectation followed by
emptiness.
Awọrọ’s traps were set in the hope of sustenance, yet they
yielded nothing at dawn and nothing at noon. This "waa waa waa",
this consistent, rhythmic "nothingness" has transitioned from the
pages of fiction into the very fabric of the Nigerian political experience. As
we look toward the horizon of 2027, we must ask the question that haunts every
dining table and bus stop from Kaura Namoda to Yenagoa: Has the Nigerian
political system become irredeemable?
The Parable of the Empty Trap
The Nigerian electorate is like a hunter who meticulously
sets his traps every four years. We wake up early; we stand in the sun; we ink
our thumbs. We check the "morning trap" of the primaries, only to
find the "waa waa waa" of hand-picked candidates. We check the
"afternoon trap" of the general election, only to find the "waa
waa waa" of snatched boxes and altered figures.
By the time the sun sets on an election cycle, the voter is
not just tired; they are exhausted in the way Awọrọ was. It is a
fatigue that transcends physical labour. It is the exhaustion of being lied to
by the very mechanism meant to save you. When Awọrọ told his father,
"Don't you know I am old enough to do as I liked?" he was declaring
his independence from a failing tradition. Today, our political class has made
the same declaration; they have outgrown the "tradition" of
accountability. They do as they like because the traps are empty, and they own
the forest.
The Palate of the Toadeaters
The book’s title: A child who eats a toad refuses the real
meat offers a chilling psychological profile of the Nigerian politician.
The Acquired Taste
Corruption is the "toad." It is toxic, unsightly,
and spiritually corrosive. Yet, having gorged on it for decades, our leaders
have lost the biological capacity to digest the "real meat" of
development, patriotism, or sacrifice.
The Refusal of Excellence
To a man who has grown fat on the spoils of a rigged system,
a fair election is a threat, not a goal. They have "tested" the toad
of Machiavellian power and found it sweeter than the "meat" of a
legacy built on truth.
The 2026 "Funeral Repast"
The recent 2026 electoral reforms were marketed as a
"review” or “reform”, but they functioned more like a funeral repast.
A funeral repast is the meal served after the body is buried, a way to satisfy
the living while the dead remain dead.
The elections we witnessed last week in Federal Capital Territory,
Kano and Rivers were grim reminders and rehearsals that the so-called "reform"
was merely a rebranding of the "waa waa waa." The ruling party
is not building a bridge to the future; they are building a wall against the
people. They have fed the populace the opium of lethargy. By making the
process so anomalous, so opaque, and so predictably fraudulent, they have
numbed the electorate from head to toe. We are becoming a nation of the
"dead living", walking, breathing, yet politically paralyzed.
The Point of No Return?
To say Nigeria is "politically irredeemable" is a
heavy verdict, yet the evidence is written in the "waa waa waa"
of our daily lives. When the hunter stops checking the traps because he knows
they will be empty, the hunt is over. When the voter stays home because he
knows the "reform" is a ruse, the democracy is dead.
We are currently trapped in a loop where the morning brings
disappointment and the afternoon brings despair. If the "toadeaters"
continue to lead, the "real meat" of a functioning society
will remain a myth whispered to children. Nigeria stands at a crossroads:
either we find a way to break the cycle of "waa waa waa," or
we must admit that we are merely guests at a perpetual funeral, waiting for a
morning that never catches any game.
As it stands, if you are not frustrated, you are not paying attention. And if the system cannot be moved by the frustration of the living, then it is truly a kingdom of the dead.
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