Tuesday 9 October 2007

Dispatches from Swearing in of Nigerian Union Executive Members (Hungary)Part 2

Beware of Busybodies...Ihaza told Her Excellency
By Hakeem Babalola

When God created Eve and Adam, we were told that a serpent searched for them in the garden of Eden, told them some rigmarole about God. The serpent had perfected his plan which was to set the battle line between God and those He loved dearly. The serpent deceived the first man and woman probably out of jealous and malice. Too bad that our antecedents fell for Satan.

The reason for using the above allegory is mainly to exaggerate how treacherous a busybody could be to peace and justice. I would liken a busybody to the serpent in the above horrifying allegory. He is a threat to the development of human and humanity. He goes here and there to meddle in the affairs of others.

Why does he do it? It may be because he is insecure or malicious or ignorant. What matters to the busybody is his innate ambition. He wants everything in a rapacious manner. He is incomplete unless he opens his mouth like basket to spit the venom of half truth or even outright lies. I ask, how does he do it? For even those who should know better often fall for a busybody's hanky-panky.

Dear Nigerians, how could someone even in his wrong senses proclaimed there was no Nigerian Union in Hungary? The Nigeria Union, Hungary was formed in 2001 and yours truly reported it in the defunct For African Abroad, a monthly Journal. I was appalled at the dramatic and climax of Peter Ihaza’s speech when he intoned: "Contrary to what Her Excellency might have been told that there was no Nigerian Union in Hungary..."

At first I thought he was merely joking until he added: "Half the harm that has been done to the Union has been caused by some omnipotent moral busybodies."

Who are these omnipotent moral busybodies that Ihaza was referring to in his speech? Were they present on that day? And were they called to the high table? It would be disingenuous as well as hypocritical if these people graced the occasion. Thus one can easily see through a busybody; he neither has shame nor conviction. He seems to indulge in eating with both hands and does not care a hoot.

I agree with Ihaza when he cautioned the ambassador to beware of these people. Hear him in his eloquent best: "I am sure on your arrival, you have met people like those. Whatever you hear, it is important to listen to all sides before you draw your conclusions."

Now that the ambassador knew what she witnessed on that day was not actually history but continuation of history, what would she do? Is she still going to respect the so-called busybodies who might have surreptitious misled her? Is she still going to associate or do business with them? The choice is that of Her Excellency but she should always remember that Nigerians are watching with keen interest.

Meanwhile if someone had posited that the union was having problems, I would have understood, for yours truly had criticised the Union on some occasions; but to declare there was no Nigerian Union in Hungary before now is a joke carried too far, it is a vicious attack on the history of the union. That's by the way. May God save us from the tantrum of a busybody.

Moving on to something profound. Although Ihaza told the audience that, he did not wish to dwell on "the achievements of my administration", he did just that when he looked in retrospect.

He said: "Chairing the Nigerian Union together with the members of my administration has been a great honour for me. Together with my executive members, we have always been in the forefront of the efforts to forge unity amongst the diverse groups of Nigerians and to promote dialogue, understanding, and meaningful cooperation between Nigerians and citizens of Hungary, which is a second home to most of us. It is within this overall strategic context that we have made our contributions."

He continued: "Since its inception in 2001, the financial burden of the Union has been borne by the members of the executive. This has prevented us from carrying out some of our planned activities. Despite this shortcoming, the union has been able to help Nigerians by representing them before the authorities mainly by aiding in the language translation, being present during interrogations, helping with job search, visiting detained Nigerians, successfully appealing deportation orders, advising (to the best of our knowledge) Nigerians on matters affecting their daily lives, responding to negative news articles about Nigeria in the press and communicating the needs of (that we know of) Nigerians living here to the Nigerian Embassy as well as visiting the Nigerian Embassy in Vienna in our search for a solution to the endemic passport problem . Together, we were able to launch and sustain many initiatives. Most of them succeeded. Others are work in progress."

The former Union President then eulogised the first patron of the union, Chief Abayomi Akintola, former Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary whom he described as honourable, helpful and a perfectly reasonable ambassador. He added that Akintola was never too busy to meet any Nigerian who requested his audience. Ihaza also paid tribute to the late Ambassador Greshen Guyit whom he said had a clear vision and meant well for Nigerians in Hungary but was mis-informed by his advisers.

He advised the new officers-elect to comport themselves as well as capitalise on the present momentum to rejuvenate the Union. "You should be example to all Nigerians," he said, adding that he believed the outgoing leadership had sent a spark to the new executives.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Hakeem!

I am very happy to read through your blogs. I personally think it is very important to have this kind of forum where we can read and obtain more informations about each other, and about our beloved country.

Thanks,
Olufemi Sodiya.