Stories by Patrick Andrew
Well, they say mothers are always frank, and brutally so in some instances. That clearly was the case at the floor of the National Conference on Tuesday when a delegate poured diatribe on corrupt leaders, especially for wrecking havoc on the nation.
Delegate, Maryam Jumai Bello, who represents TUC, showed the trade unionism in her as she spoke unhindered and like a brave hart. Madam Jumai chose her time and took her stride in gait. It was her show and no one dared to stop her sauntering.
But if she sauntered in voice, the content was searing. The leaders here, she thundered, contributed immensely to the mess confronting the country. The leaders, both past and present have murdered innocent children and women.
Yes, by children she meant the youth in particular: After all, they the ones in charge as militants, insurgents, armed robbers and kidnappers, and not forgetting the harlots in brothels and red light spots in the streets and university campuses.
“Mothers no longer instill values in their children”, she paused and took more than cursory glance at the audience to weigh the impact. Of course, it was resounding and she trotted on safe in the know that men who had seem her initial focus of attack were relieved and no longer wore long-drawn faces.
“We-women, she emphasized for effect, push our husbands into corruption”. That shocked the hall into stunned silence, then muted applause from men and more than casual murmuring by the women.
She was not yet done as she added flesh to up her bare fact with substances that poured in from sundry issues. “Yes, we did not send our children for trading but when bring things from school we don’t force them to return them,” evidently in apparent reference to primary school pupils.
Then the tempo built as she hit another tenor. “We don’t search the bags of our children when they return from school. That used to be the pattern and it instills discipline because our parents would ensure we returned whatever was not ours. Not anymore.”
“Our girls bring all sorts of goods and we received them with warm embrace, yet we did not send to them to trade at school. No questions are asked because there is no value anymore. Our neigbhour buys a Range Rover and we urged our husbands to bring in the best.
“Our husbands bring in things we know their salaries can’t afford and we received them with joy never asking ‘come ooh where is the source of this?’ We mothers must change our attitude and instill values in our children,” she said and insisted unless women act responsively corruption will continue to ravage the nation.
Aside from the applause for President Jonathan’s inaugural speech nothing humbled the audience and drew spontaneous excitement and applause like Jumai’s confession.
