Benue: Beyond our desired governor, a tale of three wasted wishes
By Kaanti Ernen
In an ideal society, man should not settle for what is good when he can pursue and achieve what is better or even the best.
I think it was in a hunt for a beacon of excellence that we the people of Benue State encountered and handpicked the gentle Rev. Father Hyacinth Iormen Alia to be the governor of the state. The state we claim to love so much.
With shoulders high, we entered every street, village and market squares with every single supporter exuding confidence in our candidate.
We drummed and sang the beautiful slogan “YES FATHER” until it resonated true unity in faith and total devotion to the shepherd making the name of the gentle priest, Alia, to evoke the imagery of a leader leading with clarity, wisdom, inspiration and guiding the people toward success and improvements.
Happy Alia is the governor today. But the probing questions remain: did we think Father Hyacinth Alia was an angel? Did we sit and think about what could make the gentle man’s hands to derail as he drives the affairs of the state?
Now I put this simple question to you. Yes, you reader. What do you think could make governor Alia to fail as governor of Benue State?
For me, if I should answer this question, I would first of all refer whoever cares for the answer to “The wood cutter’s experience” which could be titled “Three Wasted Wishes.”
Imagine a wood cutter once sharpened his axe and set out to cut down branches for his winter firewood.
As he entered the forest he heard a sudden call for help. The wood man rushed to the spot and found a tiny old man caught among the bush thorns. He cut away the thorn bushes with his axe and set the old man free.
In return for his kindness, the tiny old man said, ” I know that you are poor and I want to help you. I will give you three wishes. You and your wife can wish any thing that you please and you shall have it.”
Without waiting to cut his wood, the wood cutter rushed home. He told his wife about the good news. “Oh, how wonderful! Let’s sit down and think about the lovely things we can have with our wishes.” Said the wife.
He told his wife he was hungry. “Prepare something for me to eat. We can talk about our wishes while we eat.” Soon the food was ready. As they sat eating he told his wife they could wish for plenty of money.
“We can ask for a house like a palace, we can wish for jewels and clothes.” Said his wife. The man also added they could wish to be king and queen.
These people could not make up their minds what to ask for first until the man said, “this dinner is not very good. I wish I had a nice KYEGH SHA SHWA (Beniseed Chicken).”
As soon as he spoke, behold, a fantastic plate of Beniseed Chicken appeared on the table. This got his wife angry and she kept scolding him. “You silly man! You have wasted one of our wishes! How could you be so stupid? Oh! I wish the Beniseed Chicken is sticking to your nose!”
Behold, as the words were still in her lips, the Beniseed Chicken jumped and stuck to the man’s nose. It was in vain when both of them tried to pull it off.
Now it was the man’s turn to be angry. “You silly woman! Why did you make such a wish? I can’t go about with Beniseed Chicken hanging on to my nose! I wish it would go back to the table.”
The Beniseed Chicken suddenly dropped off to the table. The wood cutter and his wife looked sadly at each other. The three wishes were gone and they were still as poor as ever.
This is how terrible we humans can be. Most of the time we waste so much time and energy on trivial things.
Readers, is the wood cutter’s careless use of his first wish instead of carefully considering what he truly wanted or needed not terrible? He hastily wished for something trivial and unnecessary, a plate of Beniseed Chicken, while he and his wife were already eating. I think greed, if not only mental ineptitude, played here too.
His impulsive wish did not only waste one of their precious wishes but also angered the woman, leading to a conflict and a loss of a valuable opportunity granted by the tiny old man if not divinity.
Now, this is my message to us Benue citizens. During our political hunt, we heard the voice of a man who was caught up in the girdles of cassocks and chasubles restraining him from easily taking up the political sails on our behalf.
He was lamenting in the wilderness and calling for global repentance even in the Benue valley. Our pleading and seeming desperation for his resourcefulness in our politics jerked him away from the girdles of priestly legalia to yet interwoven helms of affairs as our governor with specified years of reign.
Do we now resort to unnecessary procrastinations, quarrels and aggressive jostlings over self gains until we waste the whole years that are legally mapped up for his leadership just like did the wood cutter and his wife?
