2024 in Nigeria did not begin on the 1st of January, it began on that fateful day in late 2023 when the Enlil of Africa mounted the podium in Abuja and declared, ‘Fuel subsidy is gone!’ From that moment forward, our destiny as Nigerians was irrevocably altered. I find it difficult to understand why Nigerians look to God/gods in heaven and in every other place for help except in the corridors of power. What other characteristic of Godhood is more discernible than in the ability of one’s words to have immediate performative effect in the lives of people. Those who have such powers are gods. Indeed, the Marxists are right in their assertion that religion is the opiate of the masses, a tool meant to divert their attention from who the real enemies are. It is then absurd for people to go to church or any other religious centre to pray against the devil in hell when they know already where the real devils stay. I keep saying that in the social world dynamics, reality is material and that it is an illusion to look for it in any other realm.
The truth is that leaders are the gods of this world, and the sooner we realise this, the better for us. Our communities and our lives can be transformed within minutes by the pronouncements and actions of governments. The fact that we continue to live in darkness in the 21st century Nigeria is a testament to the kind of leaders we have at various levels of society. If the government is desirous of changing our living conditions, it should not be difficult and it should not take so much time.
Whatever joys Nigerians would have experienced in 2024 were taken away by the pronouncement of the President on the day of power assumption the previous year. Hence, throughout 2024, Nigerians paid a huge cost in living. I believe that our experiences in 2024 should teach us a lesson in political participation and leadership choice. Since the words of leaders are so powerful, we should at least ensure that we elect leaders who measure their words because they know the effects their statements have on the lives of the citizens. Hence, in 2025, we should see our leaders as gods. We should pray to them, praise them, complain to them, kneel down, bow down and worship them. Whatever it would take to appease them and make life bearable for us. It is counter productive to go to church and pray to the harmless God in heaven to change our circumstances. All the prayers we prayed in 2024 did not work. Going forward, we should pray to our leaders. They are the gods of this world.
And those who have the penchant to criticise leaders should understand the slippery path they are treading. Remember that leaders are gods and, if they wish, they can hurt you in ways you cannot explain. Your life can be ruined without you knowing how it was done and who did it. Your reputation can be gone in minutes, your business can fail, you can be denied promotion or even be relieved of your position. If they so desire, the critic can be made to disappear. Hence, those who criticise leaders, whether directly or indirectly, should be aware of the consequences before they start because their bodies will surely go krack!
The truly wise people in this world know that the leaders are to be courted with flattery and praises. Why? It is because they are the gods of this world. They can make statements that can make or mar your life forever and forever. Leaders do not like criticism just as gods do not want to be criticised. Leaders love praises just as gods love worship and sacrifice. Get this knowledge as you move into 2025, otherwise the next thing you would hear is krack!
All that I have said implies that the Nigerian humanity needs to refocus their attention from God/gods and direct their attention to the centres of power around them. If they fail to do this, their bodies will continue to do krack! in 2025. This is in line with my theory, post-postcolonialism, which ties the oppressive structures in Africa to African leadership. Hence, when things do not go well, when there is too much poverty and hunger, when the people are dying under the yoke of underdevelopment, instead of praying to God/gods, let us pray to our leaders for help. They alone hold the key to development in society. If they ask us to pray to God/gods in solemn assemblies and epic worship centres, know immediately that they are trying to divert attention from themselves to the illusions that have kept humanity in slavery for millennia.
I appreciate the Creator of All for the many blessings of 2024 and the people He used to bring about these blessings. I equally appreciate our leaders at various levels for keeping society safe despite the odds they have had to grapple with in 2024. The truth is, it is not easy to be a leader in the Nigeria of the 21st century. It has never been owing to the many forces acting against Africa, its leaders and peoples at this time in our evolution. For one, the West keep making subversive inroads into Africa by installing stooges in leadership positions so that they can continue to control the fate of the continent. Apart from this, so many things are wrong in Africa and the people demand quick fixes. Since there already exists a deep sense of distrust between the people and the leaders, it is understandable why there is so much criticism directed at our leadership at this time. Leaders who take these criticisms in good faith and brace up for the tasks ahead should be commended. Even as we expect so much from our leaders, it is important to understand why they also need our support. We can support leaders by being good citizens, being productive at work and in our businesses, obeying the law, contributing our individual quotas in keeping society safe and secure, paying taxes and ensuring that government works optimally for the general good.
2024 marked my first year in the world of business. It has been quite an exciting year of faith and hope. It takes a plunge in the form of faith and hope to invest all one has in the Nigerian business environment and watch everything evaporate before your eyes. Yet you still feel that it was the right thing to do. After all, what other way is there to express faith and hope in the Nigerian project except to invest everything one has into it.
At Planeyo Publishers, we have published quite a good number of books and worked on interesting projects in our first year. Some of the titles we published in 2024 are Sophia Obi’s Not Like Other Girls, Monica Udoette’s Musing at the Bus Stop, Samuel Akpabio’s Improve Your Oral English Fluency: A Practical Approach, Nkiruka Akaenyi’s The Clever Tortoise and the Wisdom Stone and Stream Songs Edited by Eyoh Etim. I thank the authors who entrusted us with their books. I also appreciate the authors and publishers who entrusted us with the publication and distribution of their works. We look forward to a better 2025. To all the members of staff and associates at Planeyo Publishers, I am grateful for an amazing year.
In 2024, we equally launched Planeyo Journal of Arts and Humanities (PLANJAH), a publication of Planeyo Publishers in affiliation with the Faculty of Arts, Akwa Ibom State University. The Maiden Edition of the Journal was published in November, 2024, and was assigned its ISSN for both the print and online versions by the National Library of Nigeria in December, 2024. I am grateful to the seasoned academics who accepted to serve as members of the Editorial Board of the Journal. I thank, most especially, the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Iniobong Umotong, whose leadership insight and foresight has seen the Journal through its birthing process. PLANJAH is published bimonthly, hence authors are free to send in their papers at any time of the month.
I also established Planeyo Salon and Hair City located at Idoro Road by Ikot Oku Ikono Junction to help young persons skilled at hairstyling to earn a living. All this I did with the prize money I got from winning the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism in 2023 sponsored by the NLNG. I remain grateful to the NLNG for the Prize and the empowerment that the prize money has made possible.
My experience in business for the past one year is that people are the problems of businesses. Businesses can also be affected by the nature of the competition in the environment. Some competitors are sharks and they can go to the extent of sending people as arrows in the form of workers and customers to ruin your business. Hence, one needs to be blessed with a high level of business intelligence, while at the same time striving to maintain good customer relations and sound work place culture symbolised in mutual respect for one another.
I am grateful to the Vice Chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University, Professor Nse U. Essien, the leadership of the Faculty of Arts and the Department of English, Akwa Ibom State University and the leadership and members of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Akwa Ibom State Branch, for the Grand Reception done in my honour on Friday 25th May, 2024, following my winning of the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism in 2023. At the event, we also presented Stream Songs, a collection of poems by students of the Department of English, Akwa Ibom State University, edited by my humble self. At the event, I also gave a public lecture entitled The Role of the Critic/Criticism in the Development of African Literature and Society in the 21st Century. I must thank Dr Udeme Nana, the Founder of Uyo Book Club, for inviting us to read and perform Stream Songs during the September Reading Session of the Club.
What these events portray is that in the midst of negativity, we can choose to do something positive. And this is the spirit we should have as we go into the new year. Not all experiences were pleasant but I choose to be on the good side of human conscience because that is what pays off in the long run. In the end, good always overcomes evil.
Let us hope for a better New Year in 2025. Happy New Year!