A case to prove man, especially the Nigerian (as far as I’m concerned at the moment having factored in the reality of my human fallibility), has inadvertently, deliberately or serendipitously summoned cultures to be and almost true to the inaugural force of God during CREATION, according to the Holy Bible, these cultures, degrading, shameful, retrogressive and almost inhumanely unique, as they are, have come to be.

Man is an animal. An animal with a brain like every other animal? Maybe not! Maybe with a top-up to think? No! To speak? No! To build? No! To praise God? No! Then, what? Whatever it is, it’s a top-up to be able to organize ourselves, better than those ‘lower animals’, into tribes, religions, peoples, professions, neighbourhood and associates.

Wait a minute! Can we absolutely say those ‘lower animals’ are unable to organize themselves similarly or otherwise? Of course not! Rather, we should content ourselves with the assumption (or delusion) that, as humans, we are more advanced than the ‘lower animals’ in certain ways, while trying our best to ignore the fact that it may not be true considering some events and personalities within our so-glorified better organisations – so-called Associations.

While we imagine that the ‘lower animals’ approach life spontaneously with their instincts, hence almost barbaric or savage (these have though become relics in the world of words), humans have on the other hand been romantically associated or dogmatically assumed to be associated with discipline, especially in their relationship with fellows and things. The restraints evident with humans against savagery (that’s neither to say humans have never ever been savage nor that no such savage humans still exist, strive and survive against the incursion and flourish of modern human ethics and systems) is usually the hallmark of human advancement beyond the reach of the ‘lower animals’. So we are wont to think.

You will find that amongst my friends, the ‘lower animals’, they have a discipline that should be envied by humans. Sometimes, it should be imagined the possibility of the ‘lower animals’ being more advanced than the perceived advanced species of humans.

Take for example, an interesting attribute of the adjudged strongest animal in the jungle – the lion. Being the de facto King of the jungle (in human parlance, the KING, in Britain or Nigeria or anywhere else for that matter, is absolute. Not a democracy! What s/he wants is what s/he gets, not just what s/he needs), the lion gets to eat whatever it wants.

Like the story of the Yoruba Kings, who would capriciously gbe se le (never be denied whatever his whims lusts after) whatever it is they saw and wanted. This is not about necessity, it’s not about collective acquisition for a future of probable famine, it’s about greed, insecurity and immaturity against what you’ll observe with the so-called ‘lower animals’. At most, you’ll observe a crowd of ants milling around a heap of edibles bound up for storage and heaving it along to their safe-houses. But you see, they do it all together as an army. Are we really sure that with some of the personalities amongst humans, the ‘lower animals’ are not more advanced than the humans? I may be wrong? I guess not!

Talking of the King of the jungle. In spite of the absolute strength, a die-hard courage, an exaggerated pace and a firm grip sufficient to amass, in some interesting sweeps, all the glories of the jungle, the lion only contents himself with a meal per appetite. Lack of greed. Is that in obedience to Messiah of the Holy Bible who said something like, “Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed?” I doubt anyone will be lucky to find such an attribute in humans often.

When the lion goes hungry, it hunts down a prey and devours of it as much as he can eat, leaving the rest for other less strong animals of the jungle until the next appetite. While not advocating wholesale for this kind of animalistic savagery, there obviously are lessons to be learnt from it in line with the Messiah’s message to live without greed, personal greed for that matter.

On the other hand, you’ll find amongst us, in the Institutions we have created and prided our more-advanced inclinations in, personalities that are worse than the ‘lower animals’. Look around you. Have you seen that ‘King’ who believes everything belongs to him and as practicable as it could be, even you and your properties? He can at any given time lay claim to your land, your wife or you and he would do it with so-much vexing jest that you’d rather vomit venom on his bald head.

How about you having seen that Pastor, or self-proclaimed, quite-anointed-of-God, evangelist whose ministry, we have heard over and over again and have come to believe, is dedicated to spreading the gospel while in actual sense, they devote a large chunk of their time and energy to Church Administration, accounting matters (that’s money. Being keen on tithe, offering, special offering, thanksgiving offering, partnership offering, seed offering, building offering and just-think-about-it offering) and other matters of fancy – rather than the source-commission of the ‘gospel without the SELF’. Always about money and greedy acquisitions just because they have power and influence over their congregation and their rights. Chai! If these men were Kings and Lions….

Certain actors in the drama playing out at the national assembly and Nigeria’s econosphere have acquired such a profile in their short lifetime. It’s so shameful and almost great to have and hone the skill to fleece people of their money, acquire and futuristically acquire choice properties around the world that may not be needed in a lifetime; just because the people, who are the rightful owners, won’t bat an eyelid. Do they even care? So, you got an opportunity to sit on billions of Kwara State people’s naira and dollars and you stole a huge chunk of it for you and your family, you saw to the end of a bank with customers’ money resting in your numerous accounts, you left Kwara State being eternally indebted to you while you schemed your way to the upper echelon of the nation’s legislative body, you planned ahead all assets you would love to acquire with Nigerians’ money and when asked the littlest of questions about it, you scamper about with a hard face like a rat, whose house is found out with smoke.

And you, after stealing and laundering so much money, also with the help of cronies, so much money that even your prosecutors will shake at the mention of how much you stole successfully under the watch of your in-law as President, you still had the effrontery to turn around to beg Nigerians to pray for you for the healing of a cancer no one should care you have been afflicted with. These are the same people you stole their money and as a result caused them untold hardships and killed their relatives. What a gut!

Thank goodness, or what do we say, about the recent death of an ‘elder statesman’ who went into coma and later died due to cardiac arrest hours after an extradition order was given for recent crimes other than the already established crimes of ‘long-ago’ when you jumped bail, dressed like more like a coward than a woman. Na wa o….

I need be reminded, how again do we define savagery? Mind you, we may also need a redefinition for ‘lower animals’.