PROF.
BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons)
MA, PhD.
PORTRAIT OF A WICKED MONARCH
(PART 1)
THE BONDAGE OF PHARAOH
WRITER’S
QUOTE:
“Selfless leaders breed followers that
are willing to serve, but despotic rulers are naturally resisted”.
MAIN
TEXT:
“Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to
Pharaoh, and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
“Let my people go”… And Pharaoh
said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go?”--- (Exodus
5:1-2).
INTRODUCTION:
Pharaoh, the King
of Egypt, after the time of Joseph, son of Jacob, is better described as the “Monarch of Bondage” who strongly
opposed the freedom of the people
of God, Israel, who were destined for the “promised land.
Certainly, the news of the
deaths of wicked Kings stir-up
jubilation among those who love freedom,
but the sad side of history reveals that
they are often replaced with people of similar or
worst dispositions.
The Nigerian experience shows that most “ezes” (Igbo), “obas”
(Yoiruba), “emirs” (Hausa), etc are monarchs of distinctions in wickedness,
who have no fear of God or
the welfare of the people at heart.
Nigeria is not alone in the
problem, as most nations of the world are as well plagued with the same fate. This calls for caution, as to who becomes a
monarch in every modern community or nation. Having cited the above, please
notice that:
MONARCHS
ARE ENTHRONED FOR LIBERTY AND NOT BONDAGE
A monarch is the head of the type of government
referred to as “Monarchy”, which, Chris Dibie defines as a government by one
individual, who by designation may be a king, queen or emperor. Here in Nigeria, the Igbos call them “ezes”, the
Yorubas refer to them as “obas”, and the Hausas call them “emirs”. Other ethnic nationalities around the world
have different designations for them.
The head of a monarchy may or may
not be subject to any legal limitations, and this plays up the concept of a
constitutional monarch that is subject to legal limitations, as well as that of
an absolute monarch that is not subject to any legal limitation. Dibie also notes that hereditary monarchy is the
normal type, but the elective forms are also known.
Monarchs are enthroned for the good
of the people, but as Dibie moves on to say, “a monarch could be
despotic to keep the people weak,
so that they be unable to resist
him”, and this, really paints the
picture of the lifestyle of most
modern monarchs. Like Pharaoh of Egypt, certain monarchs are synonymous with
bondage, as their subject have no access to the air of freedom. It is
common knowledge that the woes of
certain members of some ethnic groups in Nigeria, and the world-over are traceable to their
monarchs, as some of them divert
funds meant for their economic
well-being into private
pockets or come up with harsh
policies that deny them socio-economic
empowerment, whereby leaving
them in abject poverty.
Based on the foregoing, let it
be cited that most Oil Producing
Communities in Nigeria suffer the brutalities of some tyrannical
rulers, who mindlessly rob the people of
the benefits of the gifts
of nature in their
fatherland, as well as use
government apparatus to suppress any attempt that seeks to query them of any
wrong behaviour, and by so doing, wanton destruction of lives and property
becomes the order of the day. In fact, a visit to the areas under review would
convince one that the “pharaoh-type” of Monarchs reign in such domains and that
divine intervention is needed to liberate the people from bondage, for in this case, pharaoh must
go, but the people must remain.
MONARCHS
ARE EXPECTED TO BE UPRIGHT AND NOT DUBIOUS
The concept of “dynasty”
takes its origin from God, and every privileged occupant of such
a position should learn to serve
in the fear of the Lord, as well as
maintain the principles of His righteousness in running the affairs of the people.
But, most monarchs do not consider their thrones as the integral part of
God’s system for good governance, instead, they think of them merely as
people’s cultural stools, devoid of
God, and so, anything goes. In fact, if the present day monarchs are sensitive of the sacredness
of their position, the society would
have been better in terms of
peaceful co-existence, and because most
of them toe the part of unrighteousness,
they become instruments in the hands of the devil to cause problems.
Today, certain monarchs are fingered
in crimes, ranging from; robbery, kidnapping, drug-trafficking, advanced fee fraud,
ritual killings, to mention but a few.
Therefore, if the allegations leveled against Eze Cosmos Onyeneke, the traditional ruler of Lagwa Okwuato Autonomous Community in Aboh
Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria are anything
to go by, then he stands out as a good
example of a wicked monarch. According to the Nigeria Newspoint Newspaper
of October 7-9, 2011, “the indigenes of the autonomous community in a protest
had called for the removal of their
traditional ruler, Eze Cosmos Onyeneke for allegedly stealing a Yamaha
generator for which he was jailed in 1982, kidnapping and killing the daughter
of one Jonah Okata in 2001, and one Ignatius Nwagwu in 1988. They also alleged that the Monarch had
sponsored several robbery operations during which his gang robbed, wounded or killed
some people”.---. All the same, whether
the allegations against Eze
Onyeneke are true or not, it is obvious the
most people who occupy the kingship stool in Imo State, Nigeria and the
world-over are people of questionable character who must go for the people to
be liberated from bondages.
MONARCHS OF WICKED
DISPOSITIONS ARE ENEMIES OF GOD AND SOCIETY
Pharaoh of Egypt distinguished
himself as an enemy of God and the people of Israel by refusing to grant them
exist from his country as was ordered by God, and the consequences of his
actions, everyone knows will never be wiped out of history. By divine
arrangements, countries grow out of countries, cities out of cities, towns out
of towns, villages out of villages, and families out of families to form new
ones at the appointed times. But, these processes are often resisted or
stampeded by those who think they have power to cage others, and monarchs are
champions in the type of wickedness.
In Imo State, Nigeria, Africa and other
parts of the world, there are communities or nations which are long overdue for
independence or autonomy, which the present day pharaohs work tirelessly to
hold down. However, such unscrupulous rulers should know in clear terms that
they have God to contend with, and that victory for the people has been
pre-determined from above, as nothing hinders the freedom ordained by God.
Also, self-motivated or pre-mature agitations for the creation of new states, nations
or autonomous communities should be checked, as God is never happy when people
take to courses. He did not initiate for them or overstep their bounds on the
ones He plans to execute.
But, certain monarchs kill to
demobilize the people, they hypnotize through occult means to cause confusion,
they even kidnap to suppress legitimate demands, as well as lie to change
statements of obvious implications, and the society, at times, may come under
the state of helplessness when these wicked means are employed, yet every hope
is never lost, as God continues to drive towards the appointed time, for at the
point of final decision, He will stir-up the people to embark on offensive
battle against oppressive monarchs, as they are enemies of God and society.
In conclusion, please note that it
is “by justice that a king gives a country (or community) stability, but one
who is greedy tears it down, (Proverb 29:4).
Therefore, a leader (or monarch) should be fair to all, as well as serve
the people selflessly, for this is the key to freedom and harmonious living. PRAY FOR MONARCHS.
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