EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

The beautiful gates are not often opened by the rich, the poor man opens the gate at the command of the rich. An extravaganza was what I demanded for at my wedding party, and my fiancé had no choice but to grant my request. I wanted to be in place of Herod's daughter, whom her father asked her to demand for anything she wanted because she danced so well, alas, she demanded for John's head. My case was different, I demanded that the wretched housemaid of my fiancé's parents to do a stripper's dance for me. I hated the girl the first day I met her.

My wedding day approached, and so the excitement to spite the girl aroused.  Few hours to the party, the girl pleaded with me to allow her to cover a little bit of her nakedness, I refused, shouted at her and walked majestically to the venue. And when the time she was about to launch the dance came, some guests felt so disgusted at the sight of the girl, some walked away, but others enjoyed the show. To my surprise, my husband was so engrossed with the show, but my tap woke him back to life. 

I became restless and I asked him why his eyes were glued to the girl, he yelled at me saying; I wanted the crowd to get entertained, and he is one of the audience. That moment I knew I dug my grave with a mechanized machine. My husband complained of stomach upset and exit to the rest room. Few minutes to the time my husband went to the restroom, the maid rounded off her dance and went to the restroom to put on her clothes. I became restless and bad thoughts came rushing. 

The master of ceremony called the couple for the cutting of the cake, but my husband was no where to be found. I whispered to the MC to call my husband out of the restroom which he did, but I kept panicking till the end of the ceremony. At the end, I asked my husband what kept him so long in the restroom, he was so fast with his reply; " I took too much beer at the bachelor's eve, and I had to purge my system". I believed him and we continued our life happy ever after.

Two months later, my mother inlaw came with her maid, but I warned the girl never to sit on my couch. My mother inlaw pleaded with me to allow her a place in my heart. Some minutes later, my husband entered with his father and sisters, I started wondering what the unannounced visitation was about. They sat down and started pleading with me, but my sister inlaw couldn't hold her temper as she said; "the maid is pregnant for your husband and you caused it". I stood up and moved closer to her, but my husband stood up to protect her, and I heard those words that broke my bones.

The true confession of my husband stated that, he met the maid crying as he was leaving the restroom, and helped her into the ladies and that was when the attraction began as he couldn't resist the nakedness. He said he has never been attracted to the girl for the past 10 years she started serving his parents, but I made her naked for his eyes to see, and since then he could not live without her. My husband was having an affair with his maid, and all the times he was visiting his parents, his mind was always looking forward to seeing the maid.  I didn't get pregnant within the two months, but the girl did. My case is like a rabbit that dug a hole, and the hole finally trapped it. 

I cried my eyes out all night, but my husband left our matrimonial room for the maid's room. My inlaws had relocated her to my house, so I looked up and started thinking of how I would live in the same house with a dirty thing that disgusts me. Come to think of it, her offence was that she hugged my husband the first day I went to visit his parents, and I became jealous. See what jealousy has caused me. I lost my husband totally to a maid. I had no choice than to divorce, retrace my steps and get back on my feet.

Most times, we hate the poor, throw dirts at them, even get jealous sometimes, despite the fact that they have nothing. We always take joy in making them unhappy by widening the gap between the rich and the poor, but we shouldn't forget that all those pains are teaching the poor how to fight back, possess their possessions and rule over us. Nigeria got independence from her colonial master by fighting back because the slavery had sharpened her citizens to possess their possession. A rich man is not meant for only the rich lady, and the rich lady is not meant only for the rich man. Whenever one misuses the opportunity, there could be a role reversal. 

XENOPHOBIA: AGAINST THE SPIRIT THAT UNITES US

When we cannot comprehend our systemic failure anymore, it is easy to brand other people enemies of our progress. That is the new law in South Africa and they have made me look up word I have never looked up in the dictionary, xenophobia- the irrational fear of foreigners or strangers.

About two decades ago, every black person was good to the South Africa because every country on the continent stood firm for them eventhough those countries needed the resources they expended for their own development. Even unkind Abacha was kind to them.
The poem, Nightfall in Soweto was inspiring as Africans fought through apartheid even Nigerians elite fought it more than fighting the tyrants in Aso Rock at the time. But how on earth would the murderers' hands lurking in the shadows, clasping the daggers to strike down the helpless victims be those of apartheid kids saved few decades ago by those they now branded enemies? Now we are the prey, your fellow black men!

Mandiba the great came out of prison after twenty-seven horrible years and became president. He showed the world how to live by visiting the tomb of his jailer and discouraging the whites from leaving the land. Desmond Tutu was never wrong when he said, Nelson your people have failed you! Nearly all government in Africa have failed. They lack direction and now the black race suffer for their vision-less leadership. Libya is no place to live for a fellow African and now South Africa. We do not have to lose our heads as a strategy to eject criminal, it only requires working policies to put excesses of indigenes and foreigners under check, but our leaders cannot think to formulate policies that will make us prosper in our own land (except there's something in it for them), let alone foreigners without breaking laws.

Fellow Africans, if our heads have lost their heads and are not helping our situations, we should not lose ours by killing one another. Live according to the law of your host country as a foreigner: remember that earning little legitimately is far better than amassing wealth illegally, it is unjust to everyone in the land. Your ill actions affect everyone holding the passport of your nation.
May our leaders receive mindset, strength and understanding to lead us right. May the spirit of love, oneness and fairness regardless ethnicity and religious differences rest on us. God bless Africans!

Odunmorayo Olalekan Matthew
Author and speech writer