THIS ANIMAL KINGDOM CALLED NIGERIA

By Osondu Ahirika

Olusegun Obasanjo knew something the rest of us didn't know, when he wrote his Prison memoir and titled it, 'This Animal called man.'

We are not however ignorant of who, or the class of people he was qualifying as animals.

Before this prose by former President Obasanjo, the legendary Fela kuti described the Nigeria power elite in
several hit tracks as 'Animals'. Indeed, his 'Beast of no nation', attracted the venom of the then Military overlords in the nation.

The rest is history It needs be noted that, the George Orwell's epic bestseller, Animal Farm, with all its satirical symbolism, prefaced the recent affirmations of man as an animal,
and in a more definitive sense, a beast.

Nigeria has come full circle to being fully certified an animal kingdom.

Folks ' are you aware, the Federal Government has begun investigation to uncover the importers of three
consignments containing 140 species of snakes and 660 other animals imported into Nigeria from Cameroon? Don't tell me you didn't hear what happened.

Okay! Let me update you.
On Wed July 26, 2017, security agencies intercepted three consignments, repeat, containing 140 species of snakes and
660 other animals in Calabar, Cross River State.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has since expressed fear of possible
biological warfare being unleashed against the country’s agricultural sector. He is right.

Sans quarantine to ensure quality and safety status of the creatures so imported, we could well be under threat.
We know that diseases such as avian flu, lassa fever, mad cow disease, and of late, Ebola virus, among others are contracted from different species of animals.

Were the importers on a trade mission to sell the creatures? What sort of Science expedition or research are the up to? Was it a relocation bid to better habitat
for animals threatened by extinction? As a matter of fact, several questions do agitate the mind.

However, I don't support the investigation of the importation of those reptiles and other unnamed beasts to
Nigeria . Nigeria is a farm for animals and we should not reject the animals when they come calling.

Is Nigeria not the same nation where a threat was issued that the blood of baboons and monkeys will be spilled, if
the 2011 elections was rigged? Did we protest that we are not dogs and baboons inhabiting the geographical expression called Nigeria? Only a few weeks back, First Lady Aisha Buhari, took to
her Facebook page to announce that, Hyenas and Jackals fiddling around the power loop, owing to her husband’s
illness, would sooner than later be sent out of the kingdom.

Hajiya Buhari was reacting to a message from Senator Shehu Sani, who earlier, on the First Lady's page stated that, in the President's absence, sycophantic prayers for the Lion’s recovery had waned. The two posts with their
overwhelming metaphors sent the social, print and electronic media into overdrive.

Yet, we could not successfully dispell our demeaning labeling as animals.

The imagery, as evocative as it was, found further consolidation with judicial ruling, albeit a by default. A day before the container filled with snakes and 660 other kinds of animals was smuggled in, a Sango Ota Chief Magistrate Court, struck out the case against Mr. Joachim Iroko, the trader was who was arrested and incarcerated last year, on accusation of threatening public peace by naming his dog 'Buhari'.

The acquittal of Mr Iroko may not be faulted, but, my argument is, since Nigeria has been turned into an animal colony, why should anyone suffer persecution for acting with the spirit of the time? Those who went out of their way to smuggle in 140 species of snakes know something we all don't know.

It may have more to do with the agelong enmity between man and the serpent in
the Garden of Eden, or more to do with Noah and his shipment of all specie of animals during the flood, to safety.

Whatever it is, I am still wondering why they should be investigated or prosecuted for bringing in more animals to the Animal kingdom called Nigeria.