“In The Shadow Of A Hero”
He sits in church, the one within the villa, with his daughter by his side and does not negotiate with God. He has done this all his life and is now weary of promises he cannot keep. The service is to remember a hero of Nigerian democracy and even though he has always been aligned with the great sacrifice said hero made in times past, he is still buffeted for not declaring a national holiday over this soul.
The preacher on the pulpit is making that point at this very moment:
-he stood against the things that made him strong and rich and stood for the right of every Nigerian to choose who serves them in office. He did not need Nigeria as much as Nigeria needed him. Does this, on this fine Sunday morning in this fine building, in this villa built in his blood for democracy, remind us of anyone?
Richard thinks this all a bit heavy handed but nods along to the applause.
After the service, he shakes the Papa’s hands and smiles up at those rabbit teeth with all the reality of feeling he can muster. There is little said, and he hurries his daughter Halima along before she can be overly influenced by jerry curls and cupid shaped bibles.
She tells him in the car:
-mum says religion is like a mild amusement to you
-ha
-don’t you care about what happens when we die?
-of course, I do. I want sermons about me too.
She does not smile back at him.
Later still, at a special dinner for the slain should have been President, he is accosted by the other Halima, the wife of the Vice President, who tells him it has to be done and even adds in a little Yoruba to her supplications.
Her husband, not far behind, laughs and tells her they are working on it.
The two men share an after-event drink, one strong and one just juice, to ruminate on this shadow of a day.
-apparently it is not that hard to do? Bello says.
-yes, but then we will have a holiday for everyone
-is that your excuse?
-no. yes. Well, I am looking for a stronger one
-I do not have a strong feeling about him.
Bello points at the large picture of the man looking down at them in the anteroom.
-I got no credit for putting that up.
-might as well give him a holiday. They say he is a stronger symbol of our democracy than anything else.
Richard looks away for the first time.
-did you see the inflation numbers?
-yes.
-I am superstitious about numbers. And we had that rice thing. I wanted to see the prices.
-thinking of stopping the blockade?
-yes. We subsidize fuel by paying criminals. Why not focus on the safety of the rice?
-we will kill local farmers
-they have subsidies coming in the Agric bill
-there is that. Then again Ngozi is at 96%.
-someone showed you that
-yes, I have spies too
-I am sure
-it is strange they think we hate each other
-I have always respected you
-well, I respect you now
There is silence for a long minute.
-66
-what?
-if you were wondering about my approval ratings
-oh, all that does not matter now
-everything seems to matter now. Maybe we should actually work on this June 12 thing. See what that does to our ratings.
Now, through the closed wooden doors, with the winding down of the band, the left-over guests can hear them laughing at their own joke.
Dramatis Personae
Richard Edewor Williams-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Abubakar Bello-Vice President
Halima Bello-Wife of the Vice President
Halima Williams-Daughter of the President
Article in Daily Chronicle
Column: “June 12 And The Stain Of The Truth”
Excerpt
Anthony Nwabunor
“The President is a popular man with popular ideas…he wants to be loved and respected and garlanded as a reformist visionary…June 12 is a stark reminder of what real visionary leadership looks like…it paints a picture we must always look to as a reference to who our heroes truly are…”
MEMO: POLLING FIGURES
HIGHLY RESTRCITED
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK JUNE 12 SHOULD BE OUR DEMOCRACY DAY?
Yes-78%
No-21%
I don’t care-1%
