Mind Hunters
A Class of Let’s Share the Land and Money Governors
By Ovie Edomi
All Students: Good to see you and Happy sabbatical Prof
Prof: Please remove the good and tell me what is happy about the sabbatical
All Students: God kept you and all of us and we are happy
Prof: We are not in the days of Noah, where God destroyed the entire world with water. He has promised not to repeat it so not even Covid-19 or flood will kill us. If at all anything will kill us in one full-swoop it would be politics and poverty.
36th Student – God forbid, my family and I are too loaded to be consumed by politics and poverty.
All Students: Yes ooooooooo
Prof: We tolerate too many nonsense in this class
All Students: Like what Sir
Prof: The other day, someone told us that it is his turn to be the governor of this class because he single handledly put his predecessor there. That to me is totally strange and absurd. The other time the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) and Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) went to Ajao Estate and demolished about 13 houses.
All Students: It is a terrible experience to buy a house or land only for the government to come and destroy it.
Prof: This particular land is owned by FAAN, the governing body responsible for the airports management across the country. About 200 affected houses were dealt with by the government, and the residents were allowed to use the land. However,13 houses located in a critical area where the gas pipeline was supposed to pass through.Despite the warning, some individuals, including speculators, went ahead and sold those lands to unsuspecting buyers who were unaware of the situation. Consequently, these buyers constructed houses, which eventually led to the demolitions. Other people’s landed Properties are taken over by Government because they bought land in Government acquired areas from the indigenous inhabitants
28th Student: Nwakwasolism is the answer
Prof: What is the meaning of that ?
17th Student – Can we have silence in the class – Peace! Peace! Peace!
4th Student – The Emeritus Professor, His excellency is talking
17th Student: Meaning
28th Student: We are all Stooges in the hands of those in power. When it pleases them, they swoop on some areas to claim the land. Where they have interest they say it is government acquisition area. Since the constitution handed over land to the state the people have not known peace.
4th Student: You are right. In my state, a place that was marked for general hospital during the Bendel state era was bulkanised when two states were created from the old Bendel state. The large area of land in several hectres have now become the personal property of the Govinors that have ruled the state since 1999 till date
Prof: You see what I mean? I know we have a replica of Nigeria in this class all this while. This class of 37 Post-graduates you won’t stop amazing me. Do we have the G-5 here and the progressive also?
34th Student:- We have them oooo. In fact, they are the people holding the class to ransom before you came Sir.
Prof: Who is their leader please
1st Student – I am here Prof, no shaking Sir. If you want justice in this land and ipso-facto in this class, give us equity and fairness.
Prof – So we have Wikenism in this class. Go and begin the fight in your various States. Ask them how they are sharing the land that the state acquired from some people and Communities. I hear some Govinor are re-allocating the land to their cronies, concubines and themselves. Even Properties they seized from landlords owing to building collapse or inability to pay huge tenament rate running into millions of Naira, they re-sell to themselves or their wives especially those located in prime areas
5th Student: Prof, you know I have once been there before and I can confirm what you are saying.
Prof – I see. You were once Govinor of which state and how do you think we should play this politics? Remember I told you that politics and poverty are the only things that can destroy us all.
All Students – We no go die.
Prof: And you think you will have your way?
5th Student: Certainly Prof
7th Student: Now that you know the calibre of post graduates you have in this class do you still think politics and poverty will destroy or kill this class?
Prof – Are you questioning me? Mind you we are not in great Britain or USA. You are in Nijia and subject to my authority so be careful.
All Students– All correct Prof
Prof – All better be correct otherwise I will keep all of you here and none of you will see your results how much more get listed as one of the graduating Ph.D students
All Students: You are correct Sir. Ever Correct Sir
Prof: In that case let us turn this class to a watch and pray Centre for 7days
9th Student – We have money to hire Bishops
Prof: No, we have primate Ayodele’s son in this Ph.D class? Let him lead the prayer, or has he not been Baptized to Prophesize for the class and Nijia
All Students – Wonders shall never end
Prof: Why!
All Students: He will give prophesy of doom ahead of us, Sir.
Prof: In that case, class and prayer suspended. Go home until the minimum wage in Nijia becomes N1m
All Students: We will then be worse than Zimbabwe and our currency will not have value anywhere in the world
Prof: I say this class is suspended until further notice
All Students: As your lordship, the Emeritus Professor A