AUDU - THE DEATH OF COMMON SENSE

A few years ago, the baby brother of a friend died twenty four hours after moving into his duplex at Isheri.

At forty three, he was at the prime of his life with a good job and a wonderful family. His death, as painful as it was, was not unique as people die everyday.

The family reaction, in the typical African style was also not unexpected. The blamed everybody; his colleagues at work, the old witches in his homestead, and the most visible target- his wife.

What was unique, was that the wife blamed herself as well.

You see, the property was acquired about a decade earlier and was for all intents and purposes, abandoned. Until the wife decided to ensure that whatever it takes, the husband must finish the construction and they must move in by a particular date, which I understood was done with months to spare.

Her logic, if she had not forced him to move, he would still be alive.

Of course other theories now mount on that, the most imaginative being that the man's destiny was that he would die the day he moved to his own house, and that was the reason he was reluctant to finish the house.

Nobody raised the issue about the state of the man's health, his lifestyle choices or even his mental state, all they cared about was the coincidence of his passing with a landmark event, every other reasons are irrelevant.

I recollect this event yesterday when the death of the APC gubernatorial candidate in Kogi election was being speculated, and all the reasons being given and all the permutations being professed, and I fell sorry not only for the state of our education, but even the level of stone age religiosity being displayed by people you who should know better.

I know conspiracy theories are everywhere and in every societies,and while one cannot rule out foul play in the demise of a hundred year old man not to talk of a man knocking seventy, but again the most obvious questions needed to be asked.

1. What is the state of health of the deceased.
2. Was he physically fit to endure the rigours of the campaign.
3. Did he have an history of high blood pressure, or was he diabetic? Any previous heart attack or age related ailments?

Death is no respecter of age, status or landmarks, and a little compassion for the loss of a fellow human being is far classier than the rush to mock the man, fabricate stories and drop innuendos to snare the living, and show just a general lack of empathy, even if only for a few hours, that one begins to wonder about the level of our humanity, and the examples we are laying down for future generations.

May the soul of Abubakar Audu rest in peace, just as we pray that The Almighty Allah grant him Aljannah fridous.

My Ten Kobo.