Ezekwesili Slaps Jonathan Goodluck In The Face.

A table of values hangs over every people. Behold, it is the table of its achievements; a table that legitimizes political dominance and social segregation; a table that deepens the chasm between the truly rewarded and those consigned to the dustbin of obscurity. Strange as it may sound, we have all grown to internalize this petty-bourgeois mechanism that serves as a platform for rewarding, either in cash or/and kind those who are seen to have contributed to the elevation of the society materially or culturally. This reward system is the carrot end of the carrot and stick approach in management. The stick is reserved for those who either, as a result of complacency or disinterest or inability, are not considered worthy of being inducted into society's Hall of Shame. So, whenever it is required of you to stand back and make way for the members of the high table whose crumbs you must feed on, you should know that the society is peeing on your back and telling you it is raining. It is indirectly telling you to ask what you can do for your country and not what your country can do for you. Strangely enough, in Nigeria, it is those who do not do anything for the country that end up with oil blocks and the largest portion of the national cake. They are richly rewarded with prizes, awards, national honours, chieftaincy titles, governmental appointments and contracts, grammys and oscars. Those who have not been able to leave their footprints on the sands of time are left with no other option than to debate over the merits and demerits of such awards and whether the recipients are actually worthy of them or not especially after having one or two previous awards conferred on them.

Inasmuch as this reward system is a reification of plutocratic self-congratulation, we are not blind to the fact that certain individuals' stellar qualities and accomplishments stand out so clear that others perceive them as well and venerate that strange electromagnetic force oozing from such persons. The madness of the generation starts when the system, apparently in need of an act of social surgery and being persistently denied it, is propelled to travesty itself by blatantly bestowing prizes on undeserving persons, who while being conscious of their shortcomings, are however audacious enough to accept them. Barack Obama's audacity of acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, inspite of his paltry records and achievements, sends a clear message: the system stinks. If he had had the modesty of turning down the prize, he would have succeeded in endearing himself not only to Fidel Castro, but also to the Talibans. It is disheartening to say that our beloved president, being unable to reject the urge for instinctual gratification, went ahead to accept the prize. One must actually be very careful when turning down such awards especially if they are financially gratifying. This is because the whole world has become so obsessed with money and nothing accelerates our gravitation towards perdition more profoundly than every sacrifice to Mammon. You will be declared certifiably insane if you were to turn down an award that had 3 million dollars attached to it. Such was the case of Dr. Grigori Perelman, a reclusive Russian genius who refused to accept the prestigious 1 million dollar "Millennium" Mathematics Prize awarded by the Clay Mathematics Institute in Cambridge, MA. A lot of people said he was was suffering from autism, or aspergens or schizoid personality disorder. Just because he refused to accept a 1 million dollar prize.

Every once in a while, there comes along a clown who thinks they have contributed so much to society and yet are left unrewarded by the ungrateful society. They throw tantrums and constitute themselves into nuisance at every public gathering where awards are being given. Although American hip hop singer Kanye West is not the only person in this category, he is the uno numero cry baby. When society does not consider you or your work worthy of an award, then you shut the f**k up instead of crying a river. Better still, a man that craves so much for recognition and awards and is not getting it should go ahead to dig his own grave, so that in the event of his resurrection, those who were wont to class him with beasts and monkeys will be calling him a god.

The word maverick best defines Senator McCain and the Russian ex-President Boris Yeltsin. As a matter of fact, the world has a plethora of mavericks most of whom are unknown because they are either not in the public limelight or they originate from the Third World. Nigeria has its own fair share of mavericks, people who are not afraid to do or say something that the majority think is unthinkable. Professor Chinua Achebe, a literary icon, shocked the nation in 2004 when he turned down the award of Commander of the Federal Republic. Another shocker occurred a couple of days ago. In this age when the characteristic feature of the Nigerian political system is machiavellian power play and jostling for offices and governmental appointments, the innocent ears of the upright in the savannah of the politically corrupt were subjected to a rude shock when Ms. Oby Ezekwesili turned down the offer to serve as the nation's finance minister. Although she had in the past served as Minister of Solid Minerals and Minister of Education, her decision not to become engulfed again in the murky waters of nigerian politics, is not bereft of reason. She represents the best of homo sapiens, a thinking, wise and clever being who does not want to be used as a pawn in the chessboard of Goodluck Jonathan's power play. She must have listened to her inner voice, the same inner voice that told Sonia Gandhi not to take up the reins of Prime Minister after she led the Indian Congress Party to victory in 2004. Maybe it was the same inner voice that advised Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent and practising surgeon, not to accept the position of America's surgeon general.

Although a lot of people would argue that accepting the job would involve a massive financial sacrifice, we should not lose sight of the fact that this woman is a Nigerian afterall. And Nigerians are known for not ever getting bellyful. And her present position at the World Bank does not make her more visible and popular than she would have been if she were to serve as Finance Minister. It pleases me to no end to know that there are still people who would prefer to keep their dignity and values intact. One of such people is Ms. Oby Ezekwesili. If you nominate me, I will not run. If you elect me, I will not serve.