Children of the South-East By Eberekpe Ogho

When would they learn? When would they be abreast of the politics and polity called a country? When would they pause to allow the meaning and understanding of ‘determination’ sink into them that they attain mental maturity?

It was my beloved father who told me many years ago that; ‘Ogho, you do not deal with people the way you are but the way they are.’

When I listened on radio some days ago and a caller called in and said; ‘The reason why Senator Orji Uzor Kālu, representing Abia-North, was not given any position in the tenth senate assembly was because he betrayed his people.’

My recourse was; these children again, when would they learn, ever? What happened to their brains that they have become so bitter that they cannot enjoy the sweetness of good and sweet thoughts and reasoning?

How did the senator betray his people and who are his people, indeed? You simply do not want to talk about it, but you end up talking about it: the sick and sickening mentality of the people!

Sen. Kālu was the Chief Whip of the ninth assembly of the senate, and if in the tenth assembly of the senate the leadership of the senate deemed it fit to have someone else take the position or any other principal positions of the senate, therefore, Kālu or any other senator without position in the senate automatically betrayed their people?

I have said it often and many a time that growth, development and progress do not spring forth from the blues; they have their roots in our mentality, and if that mentality is rotten, as the one possessed by these children, then, we have a long way to go.

The caller forgot that Kālu is still in the senate for another four years after serving his first term of four years in the ninth senate representing his constituency and constituents.

The caller, and many like him, forgot that one does not need positions or principal positions in the senate to be in the senate and to represent a part of the country, but the determination by the will of the people based on the performances of the representative.

The caller did not know this and did not bother to know because of his ill and fixated mentality of his misunderstanding of the word ‘betrayal’ and the ‘people.’

First, who are the ‘people’ the caller referred to? Of course, it is no other than his sense of entitlement and the base of his tribal bigotry. Otherwise he would have known that the ‘people’ for Kālu means every human from every part of the country and beyond, the reason why in all of Kālu’s establishments every human from the nook and cranny of the country is to be found there working to earn a living and take a lift with their lives.

Poverty, of course, has two facets, perhaps more. One can be financially poor, yet with ideals and enlightenment with the understanding that the present phase is only a phase that would give way for the realistic picture the ideals and enlightenment would paint in no distant time.

But for the one who is with mental poverty, not even Heaven would be able to help such individual or a group of it.

Mental poverty is satanic, and the Bible paints it so well with the narrative of Satan. Because of the mental poverty of Satan, which the like of that caller has inherited, that continues to make him act and think and speak foolishly, the future is so opaque that he can never see the brightness of the present to brighten the tomorrow.

Kālu did not make his riches and wealth from politics. Kālu did not make his money from being a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nor did he make his fortune from being Chief Whip of the ninth senate; -read the book: *BEFORE NOW* by this writer – therefore, Kālu, and he alone can determine the use and direction of his interest. So he has not betrayed his people, according the caller, because if he had, there would not be a *UZOR KALU FOUNDATION* caring for all and everywhere to better themselves.

He would not be in the present senate to continue to represent his constituents and constituency.

Or the caller’s understanding of ‘betrayal’ stemmed out from his obsession for justice. Obsession is a poison and very poisonous, and not all are willing and ready to drink from that cup of poison and be poisoned by hate and anger and frustration when life can be lived with constructive anger and frustration yet not break the glass because of the possibility of the cut and tear the broken pieces of the glass may cause, which could be destructive.

What are the determinations of these unruly children? According to Christopher Paolini in his book, Elder: “Determination is as common among men who are dull and foolish as it is among those who are brilliant intellects. So, no, determination cannot be what were are looking for.”

When determination becomes stupid, no one needs or craves it.

Christopher Paolini was right; determination is for all, both for the fool and the wise, and both for the intelligent and brilliant and the dull and thoughtless, but what differentiate determination from the wise and foolish is its usage and application.

While some would choose to be determined to drink from the cup of poison and have themselves poisoned and be ready to die untimely, others must think otherwise and by-pass the poison and its poisonousness in spite of the various ill-treatments they had suffered and still suffer in a demystified polity and politics.

Yet, the children continue to drink from this cup of poisonous substance in their anger and hate and frustrations and continue to suffer and die in the process and those they cannot draw or lure in to travel with them to drink from same cup are regarded as betrayals and not rendering services to their ‘people.’

I wish these children would hearken to the admonition of my father; ‘treat people not as you are but as they are…’ and stop this poisonous substance they drink day-by-day that is killing them gradually while those who are what they are continue to mock them and aggravate their anger and hate even the more that they can no longer think straight; they should know, the only advantage from anger is that you become a prey to those whose only interest in you is to leave you disoriented, thoughtless and incapable of being fit for purpose.

And William Shakespeare would put it most aptly in his book, Twelve Night: “Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.” And: “Well, God give them wisdom that have it. And those that are fools, let them use their talent.”

It would be unfortunate if these children have lost their wit and wisdom, even their talent they cannot use to be thoughtful and positively creative and productive, and if the like of Sen. Orji Uzor Kālu decides to have his and be creatively productive about his, who should blame him for it?

Oh, children of the southeast.