BONAWE was born in Tumu village where indigenes took to farming and hunting for a living. Every eight days, he would watch traders from the village take their wares to trade in the popular Osise Market in the nearby city, some kilometers away. During the dry season, it took nearly five hours drive from the village to the nearby popular city market, and even more hours during the wet season due to the muddiness of the non tarred road caused by the rains.

Life in Tumu could best be described as ancient, because there was no electricity, no pipe borne water, and no hospital. Majority of Tumu citizens resort to oil lamps to provide light at night, streams for water supply, and traditional medicines for healing. The only school existing in the community was a primary school of one classroom block with patched roof and a lean workforce. Those who want to seek further education usually relocate to the nearby city, that is, if they have a relative or someone residing there to accommodate them. In short, development was a far cry from Tumu village.

But yet, Bonawe had heard that Tumu village is the largest supplier of food that is sustaining life in the city, because the city lacked fertile lands for farming. When he was a child, he had heard that all the lands in the city had been taken over by big buildings that were mostly residential, with only few used for industries that require raw agricultural produce. If so, Bonawe thought to himself, why is nothing being done to recognise Tumu village despite her importance? The answer he usually got was that, because nobody from the village was a member of the ruling government, development hardly comes to the community.

With that knowledge in mind, Bonawe promised himself that when he grew up, he would join the government so that he would influence development to his marginalised Tumu village. And so time flew by.

After some time, Bonawe joined the Progressive Front Party (PFP), and no sooner, with his determination to bring about change, the party dislodged the ruling Great Development Party (GDP). His contributions were immediately recognised and he was appointed as a Commissioner for Projects in the state. This attracted to him so many influential friends some of whom introduced him into making deals that will bring about great riches. In no time, Bonawe became stupendously rich. Coupled with his insatiable taste for the latest material inventions he began to strive for more money to acquire the latest cars, palatial buildings, and first class businesses. And because he was taken by the glittery life in the city, he totally forgot what life was in Tumu village.

When his attention was drawn by his peers to the sufferings of his people, he would promise them that he would soon act as there was always time. With his ambition to become successful, he started making foreign trips and international deals until the election year came around. Unexpectedly to him, his party lost out in the election due to the waning confidence and allegations of corrupt practices and insensitivity to the plight of the masses. And as expected, he was dropped from his appointed position as Commissioner by the incoming government.

Not long after, evidences were obtained on his corrupt dealings and he was charged to the courts. On his being found guilty of the accusations, majority of his properties were confiscated and the few were auctioned off to settle imposed fines and the rising profile of indebtedness. And being barred by the courts from taking active part in public office, Bonawe fell from grace to grass just few months of his party losing in the election.

He had no option other than to relocate shamefully to the little home he had built for his family in Tumu village, the only developmental project in sight in place of the promised tarred road, connection to the national power grid, provision of healthcare facilities, classrooms blocks and portable water supply, the people had long expected from him.

No doubt, things have gotten worse in Tumu village. Heavy gullies have started building in the only road linking Tumu to the city. The primary school building is on the verge of collapse. Strange illnesses that defy traditional medicines were surfacing, leading to the death of many of the locals. The water in the stream was regularly contaminated.

Bonawe could not face the citizens of Tumu. He wished for a second chance which he knew would never come. Efforts by him to use some of his influence to attract development to Tumu failed on many occasions as some of his friends who jumped to the ruling political party forsook him, while others wasted no time reminding him that they had their own communities to develop first before any other.

Bonawe is the pathetic story of many of our regular citizens, who when opportune, betray their own communities by turning their backs on the people. No matter the state of where you come from, God has placed you there as a solution and not a problem to further derail it. If you have the opportunity to transform your community positively today, don’t procrastinate, do it now, because you hardly get more than one shot in life!

PhotoSource: Artshow.com

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