Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters
By
Prince Charles Dickson
So, being the religious country that we are, I sat and asked my wife…Was Fela born again, what inspired his music, (I mean his lyrics)…is he in heaven…can we safely call him a prophet…I mean simply throw questions at the woman, and moreso, she had the companion of her cousin, abi na nephew sef…
As they both tried to answer my questions, I reflected on Reuben Abati‘s review of Benson Idonije’s personal effort at unravelling the legend called Fela. And I just could not get my mind off Fela’s “Army Arrangement”, and embedded in it is my admonition for this week…
[Chorus]
One day go be one day!
Those wey dey steal the money for government!
Whether you like or you no like
After you hear this true talk
Whether you like or you no like
After you hear this true talk
[Chorus]
Ge ge!
If you like e good
If you no like you hang
If you like e good
If you no like you hang
If you hang you go die
You go die for nothing
We go carry your body go police station
You die wrongfully
Ge ge, ge ge, ge ge…
Ju’di, ju’di, ju’di
Ju si le
Ju’di, ju’di, ju’di
Whether you like or you no like
After you hear this true talk…
Twenty-two women dey suffer him no fit talk na condition
Man dey suffer him fit talk na condition too
Man dey suffer him no fit talk na condition
Man dey suffer him fit talk na condition too
Suffer dey Africa, pa pa ra pa
I suffer dey, pa pa ra pa
Condition dey e, pa pa ra pa
Me I no say you be African man
And we dey suffer, pa pa ra pa
Which condition you dey I don’t know
The condition me I dey me I know
My condition don reach make I act
If your condition today make you shake
And you still dey not talk the way you feel
Make you open your two ears very well
To hear the truth talk me I dey talk
Listen make you dey agree for me
Every day and night you dey hear me talk
One day you self you agree with me
To dey act the way as you dey feel
Remember if you no act your own
One day of course we must die
Nigeria get the money
Foreign money for oversea
Nigeria get the money
Foreign money for oversea
Announcement start to happen
Newspaper carry them paper
Radio dey shout for studio
Obasanjo turn vocalist
Yar’Adua road manager
Every government statement
Seven billion naira missing
Missing from oversea
Foreign currency scandal
Them start to arrest everybody o
E no finish, e no finish…
Doctor, lawyer, hustlers
Engineer, photographers
Doctor, lawyer, hustlers
Engineer, photographers
All of them Kirikiri
Ten to fifteen years in jail
After one year inside jail
Civilian government take over
Them release all of dem
Them say dem be innocent o
E no finish, e no finish…
Two-point-eight-billion naira
Oil money is missing
Two-point-eight-billion naira
Oil money is missing
Them set up inquiry
Them say money no lost o
Them dabaru everybody
Supervisor Obasanjo
Them say make him no talk o
“Money no lost,” them shout again
Inquiry come close o
E no finish, e no finish…
Election story nko
Obasanjo plan am very well
Election story nko
Obasanjo plan am very well
Him take old politicians
Wey rule Nigeria before
The same old politicians
Wey spoil Nigeria before
Obasanjo carry all of them
All of them dey there now
E no finish, e no finish…
[Chorus]
Yeah!
The young Africans them get two ears for head
Them get two eyes too
Them dey see the thing wey dey happen
Them dey hear am too
Few people dey fat with big money
And the rest dey hungry
Me Fela, I challenge Obasanjo
Na wayo him dey all the time
Make him carry me go any court
I go open book for am
Na wayo government we dey o
E gba mi o
Na weak government we dey o
Ye paripa o
Na paddy paddy government we dey
E gba mi o
[Chorus]
Yeah!
We give money
Paddy paddy
Arrange ni
Wayo wayo
Economic
We give money
Paddy paddy
Wayo wayo
[Chorus]
Army arrangement!
Add am together, give me the answer
Give me money, add am together
Paddy paddy, add am together
Economic, add am together
Division or multiplication
Mathematician, put am together
One answer you go get
One answer you go get
Give me money, put am together
Wayo wayo, put am together…
Several decades after, it is 2016, and we are still embattled with each other on Ben Bruce who was singled out for owing…big men and their problems. Donkey years, which include 16 years of democracy or demonstration of craze as Fela once put it, I still hear supposedly, schooled Nigerians wail…”Buhari should open the borders so that food can come in.”
We are still doing an open and close dance, Henry Okay did not escape from Kure, there was a jail break but no one escaped, meanwhile it’s Charles in Kuje not Henry…Chief of army staff saved money to buy two houses in Dubai so says the Nigerian Army, and the dude has not resigned, although the questions should be did he break any rule? Reminds me of the man that told us that his house was burnt but he managed to save the mattress–all army arrangement.
We are still basically the wailing wailers, the hailing wailers, the wailing hailers, truth is in Fela’s lyrics “the same old politicians wey spoil Nigeria before…all of them dey there now, rather than a strong nation with an unquestionable sense of patriotism, we are still Biafrans, Arewans, Oduans, and others, we remain Christians and Muslims, who patronage idols more than the worshippers of the idol, and yet we want change. I dare say we are simply not ready, or are we—Only time will tell.
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