Emmanuel Ogar|16 July 2016|7:27AM
For a number of progressing days now, I have deliberately sublimed from the face of social activism and my pen granted compulsory sabbatical. The last time my slumbering interest was almost awakened was when I received a copy of the petition written by the counsel to the Ukwortung chiefs, which was addressed to the National Human Rights Commission over the cold-hearted treatments melted on the four traditional chiefs few months ago by the state coercive apparatus at the trigger of Governor Ayade’s consent. Also, providence and other naturally occurring exigencies overwhelmed my will not to prevail and the interest was indeed superimposed snappishly.
Of all the recent happenings in this world of hatred with particular reference to our country, Nigeria, where politics has become a breeding domain for all manners of evils and religion a factory where these evils are designed and constructed; nothing was strong enough to politically, psychologically, emotionally, socially and economically arose my shrewd interest other than the seven minutes and thirty-five seconds I spent in Afokang prison few days ago. We occasionally hear that, “when there is life, there is hope”. This saying is truth. That is superior logic. Nevertheless, if life becomes meaningless and imprisoned, it would then mean that hope is dashed and gone! And, then why hope for hope when hope for life is not evidence?
That very day, a sunny noon, though the temperature was evidently high, my system was pretty charged and my countenance grumpy. By obedience as an errand boy, I found myself in a world inside a world but separated by huge wall of partition. My father-in-the-Lord sent me there to pass a message across.
A cross-sight-view revealed to me that this is where the almighty freedom is cramped. After a brief security check, I was ushered through a giant gate into the new world. When I flipped my eyes, I observed that the birds were flying with absolute caution because their liberty seemed to be trampled upon. The wall of this new world is titanic and exceedingly impenetrable even without a feeling. This is likened to the iron curtain that partitioned Eastern and Western Germany then.
As I was being led inside this new world, the resolution of my optical nerves was at its maximum and complete revolution was successful as I exclusively captured the details of size and sound of my experience. My business was to meet with a clergy at the Chapel of Mercies in this very world that was established in 1890. The Chapel was full above its capacity with what I would call true worshippers. When my feet found a space, there was a relay of modulated spiritual impulse that my inner-man instantaneously and gladly synchronized. This I confirmed that the presence of the Holy Spirit was apparently perceptible. The prayers ascending up high were condensing and solidifying in such beauty that they could be respectively felt like liquid or solid. I spoke in a completely new tongue as I had never spoken before. And all the worshippers were men.
Few minutes gone by, I was introduced to the man of God. I gave him the parcel and soberly turned to leave, soon as I made the first three steps, I beheld men of different age brackets busy carrying stuffs around. I asked one of the warders who the people were, and he told me that they were inmates waiting trials or condemned.
At that point, I became emotional; gradually droplets of tears had unconditionally began converging into standing spring of fountain on the oval base of my chin. As I initiated to mop up my face before the now flowing fountain could drench my shirt; my stomach racked, the blood splashed on its containing vessels, my heart banged and pumped uncontrollable due to the rattle of the towering thoughts in my mind. All I could see were people who were not haggard; though hardened; paled with un-moisture dark complexion due to the pang of excessive exposure to sun rays. I needed no services of an oracle to tell me that most of them have been panned with enhanced interrogation.
‘I must leave fast’— I soliloquized. My mind was made-up but my legs were for the very first time in many years uncooperative. My spirit had gone steps ahead. Those things of mine would not move; but lackadaisically moving like that of babies having their maiden trial— until two young men walked up to me.
“Good afternoon sir”, greeted one of them. I responded and kept walking. “Sir, I need assistance from you”, he said. “Please, I want to make call, but I don’t have credit. Help me with N100.00 to buy card”, he requested. Poor me, what do I have! Do I have money to give them? Well, the few Naira notes I had on me were well arranged. I knew where N100.00 note was, so I gently brought out one and gave him. I noticed that they were very pretentious. They were talking to me and at the same time keeping their faces elsewhere in order not to attract the attention of the warders.
When they were gone, I hastened my pace and within few minutes, I found myself in a free world, and I took a deep breath, hmm!
With what I saw there, and the anomalies in our nation, I just could not help but to shout eiyah! Please permit me to ask these questions: why would they spend so long a time without prosecutions? Are they all guilty of the crimes they have been sentenced for or accused of? Does our remand homes have capacities for rehabilitation? Why is it that people go to prison in Nigeria and become hardened instead of becoming properly orientated? The answers are not far-fetched. The rot in the system, family and government. The society has gone crazy. Morals are no longer inculcated; discipline is now a crime and an act of child abuse.
Parents are sparing the rod and unknowingly spoiling the children. Over pampering is now a means of being affectionate from parents and guardians to their children and wards respectively.
The young men in that isolated place are supposed to be the work force of our nation. Some were the hopes of their parents, kith and kin. Nothing good or bad goes into our prisons and comes out better. They most get worse. Chai, wahala dey o! Malcom X was a criminal. He went to prison. There, he was transformed from a gangster’s leader to one of the world renowned Civil Rights activists. 50 Cent came out of jail and became one of the most celebrated and richest Hip Hop songsters.
In Nigeria, a hoodlum after serving his prison term; returns and becomes an armed-robber. Sweet and cookies thief would turn to bank robber and shops burglar after prison experience. The prison system lack correcting capacity. The innocents become the vivid victims of others’ crimes. They languish in jail for years. Justice is often far from them or never delivered at all. What a country we hail from! Day after day, the prison yard is getting congested and yet crime is not reducing. Why? The source, which is corruption is yet to be hewn down. That is why I reaffirmed my pledge of supporting president Buhari to use any means necessary to fight it to finish under the precinct of the law— even if they tag it as “selective justice”.
The prison would continue to give birth to well-trained armed robbers until the Judiciary and her enforcement agencies are thoroughly purged from those things that infest the system negatively. The Judiciary is so bastardized with bad practitioners.
We live in a country where corruptible Judges are reverend. Where there is no need to hire a lawyer when you can as well buy the Judges. Where most of the lawyers commits evils and cover them with the wig and gown. They ought to be sued first because some of them fan the amber of crime by accepting bribe from the respondent thereby paving conduit access for the complainant to be jailed. Judgment is often for sale in Nigeria. The highest bidder receives the favourable verdict. Hear this: those that pervert justice shall be judged by the Chief Judge of the universe.
On the other hand, I just realized that political party is another breeding sphere for evil in our country. The two largest parties in Nigeria are overwhelmed in the shadow of their interest so that the general interest of Nigeria is thrown into the trash can. APC and PDP ought to consider fore-mostly the Nigerian goal first. By so doing, a union of cooperation would be knotted irrespective of the variance of party’s affiliation, political affinity, faith and ideological orientation. Rather, they shamefully exist in perpetual confrontation.
The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo once opined: “If you close the school gate, indirectly, the prison door is opened”. Maybe, for now, while the school gates are opened, we need national orientation, morals and discipline to be inculcated into the school curricula. Prison is a place for reformation of character and not a place of deformation.
Comr. Ogar, Emmanuel Oko
Coordinates the Youth Alliance for Northern Cross River Dreams, YANCRiD and Modern League of Classical Experimental Writers, MLCEW.