Quickly, I do not have much to say than to record my condolences and much more, my father’s condolences.
“Riro ni t’eniyan. S’ise ni ti Oluwa. Man proposes. God disposes. Sometimes, the loss of one life brings grief to an entire nation of people. Here is such a case, where the loss of more than one life has brought us grief and left us disheartened. Our sympathies, first and foremost, to the families of one of us, a member of our association and his son, Tunji and Olatunji Okusanya. He was until his untimely death the CEO of popular MIC Caskets. We also share our sympathies with the families of every other single person on that plane. Again, may you all experience peace. God be with you and with everyone of us.” – Pa A. A. Jaiyesimi, National PRO, Molusi College Old Students’ Association.
That is not to sound so much as to mean I have no condolences to offer. No. On the contrary, I do have. May the good old Lord grant you all eternal peace, if truly there is anything like that. And to my late Pa Agagu, Ondo State former governor, you need more prayers. This is supposed to be your second death; what, in maddening environment, the maddeners would refer to as akutunku e l’ona orun. I’m not sure I can translate that. But it must also mean the same as saying RIP (Rest in Peace). To all other survivors and non-survivors, may God be with you.
It is my opinion that it’s our custom, knitted with the very fabric of our daily living, not to say the truth about the dead and to the dead. That’s okay. However, let us also remind ourselves that if this were true, then does it mean we actually tell the truth about the living and to the living? I doubt the anonymous answer is a yes. I’m sure you doubt it too. We all lie, many times, even to ourselves. How pathetic.
This brings us to the issue. If we were afraid to tell the living the truth. We should not when he’s dead. Hence, this is the right time to tell the dead the truth. And not a time to shower ‘crocodile’ tears for whom we secretly showered hateful frowns while he/they were alive. (Hey. If you’ve always been happy with thedead while he lived, please, stop here and continue crying for the dead).
Watch your steps!
If you are a University student and you are at home because the federal government says there is no money to save your University education (or is it because ASUU is being adamant to ensure your improved education?) and you’re crying, or almost crying, over the second death of Oga (you’re permitted to cry over the death of the others, maybe, that’s not my business), then, maybe I’m sorry for you.
Think again.
Will state funds (when I say state, I mean governemnt), even if just a kobo of it, go into Oga’s burial or not? Whatever your answer is, don’t forget, Oga’s friends have been telling us there is no money. Well, maybe that’s in order that you stay longer at home so that you can be witnesses to this second death. “Oga needs your tears at this critical moment.” So, you wanna offer it? Go ahead.
Now, this is my opinion. The gods must be angry. haha. An Akure-based friend of mine who was also expecting to receive the corpse of Oga at Akure, Sam-Czar, was justified when he said “the gods are angry”. It is from him that I plagiarized the title of this piece.
Are the gods angry?
If they are, at what?
And what do we do? Cry?
I’m sorry, a lot of us don’t believe in gods anymore. Let’s get some rest in peace.
lAkUnLeScReWs 
Shakespeare it is who writes in the tempest that “hell is empty, and all the devils are here” the truth is they are all unfortunately here on earth, nay, Nigeria. I happen to be one of those who believe Shakespeare must have had Nigeria and Africa at heart while he lived and detailed his prophetic books that we still read and are relevant to our socio-political and religious situations today. While the news of the crash hit my ear from the ‘rubble of broken and flying news’, my body language spoke of nothing close to shock or surprise, rather it displayed expectation. Why? I only knew a powerful man is never buried like that. We’ve all forgotten the traditional ethics and rites behind the burial of a powerful man. (Well, I’m not saying this as fact, but as mere thought originating from a mere hunch that Agagu would not have been a mere man). Let the concerned enquire from the gods what went wrong; why people perished and the casket was intact; why son survived, casket refused to open after hours of forceful attempt to open it, and sympathisers couldn’t make it out of death trap. May be, just may be oo the gods demand blood sacrifices before the powerful man’s remains are finally laid to rest. That he got already. Don’t mind me o past Lakz, na my own rubbish me just dey yarn ooo…*winks
Great yarn sir and powerful words.
What ekse can we say. The incidence was not only tragic but rather very very unfortunate.
I sympathize with the families of the departed ( whom I view as “sacrificial lamps” on Agagu’s home call)
Well, the gods are not to blame!!!
Hmmm, OK sir. It’s possible the gods are not to blame