FEATURE ARTICLE

Monday, June 25, 2018
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BEWARE OF GREEK GIFT

anguage varies. In English the term 'Gift' means something freely given by someone to somebody else. But in German language 'Gift' means poison. For instance, "Das Essen ist giftig" (The food is poisonous). "Herr Schneider ist vergiftet worden (Mr. Schneider was poisoned). The German meaning of Gift comes closer to the meaning of Greek Gift, which is a gift given with the intention of tricking and causing harm to the recipient. Both German and Greek gifts are harmful by nature. However, it is not out of place that someone can receive an English gift that is harmful or poisonous as well. Are you with me?

Historically, the Greek Gift refers to a peculiar event that took place during the Greek - Trojan War, whereby the Greeks pretended to abandon the war and left the captured Trojan horse behind, which was allegedly offered as a gift to the gods. The horse was actually a trap against the Trojans. It must have been loaded with explosives. Fortunately, a Trojan priest saw the horse and understood its significance. Hence he cried out: "Do not trust the Greeks, even if they left a gift."

A favour done to a rat by a cat is intrinsically a Greek gift. From time immemorial, the cat and the rat have been enemies. Anything can happen when a cat invites a rat to a feast. After the feasting the cat will feast on the rat. The rat which attends such invited feast will have itself to blame. It is a suicidal feast. The ancient meeting held by the rats to track the cats ended in deadlock. The rats in that meeting decided to hang a bell on the neck of the rat in order to alarm them when the enemy comes to attack. But the herculean task before the rats till today is: Who will bell the cat?

Fishermen offer the fish in water Greek gift from time to time. The problem is that the fish has failed to learn from history. Each time the fisherman offers the fish a piece of meat hung in a hook. The fish swallows the meat and the hook. Then the hook pierces its throat. The fish tries to free itself but it is too late. When will the fish learn to reject the frequent Greek gift?

A popular local thief throws corns to an unsuspecting fowl going about its normal daily business. The fowl feels happy and swallows the corns one by one. As the thief throws the corns, he moves gradually towards his room. Then he throws some at the floor of the wide open door. The fowl comes there to pick them. At last he throws some inside his room. The fowl joyfully enters the room to consume the sweet corns. Cunningly, the thief closes the door after the entrance of the fowl. The deed is done. He catches his prey and slashes its throat with a sharp knife. The next moment, the slain fowl enters into hot water for eternal bath and consequent consumption. The innocent fowl dies by receiving a Greek gift.

Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwogbo alias 430 says, "If a man buys a pant for a woman, one day the man would want take his eyes to see how the pant fits the woman." When a young beautiful lady loses her husband, interested men go on voluntary errands. Some come very early in the morning to sweep the widow's compound, fetch water and do some other necessary chores. Some volunteer to pay the school fees of the widow's children up to university level. One or two of them volunteer to pay for the burial and funeral expenses. Even the blood brothers of the departed husband console the widow with some Greek gifts. The widow smiles and thinks that all is well.

Immediately the burial and funeral ceremonies are over, the men come from time to time to harvest their crops at the widow's house. They knock at her door at the dead hours of the night. Woe to the widow if she refuses to open the door. The Greek men would accuse her of ancient and modern crimes. The widow is accused of killing her husband either by poisoning or witchcraft. But if she accepts their amoral demands, then they would canonize her alive and do everything she wants, even giving up their inheritance.

In a certain parish church, a gorgeously dressed attractive lady brought an appetitive soup, garnished with stock fish, dry fish and chicken to a priest in-charge of the church. Even somebody two kilometers away can perceive the aroma of the soup and salivates from the distance. The innocent priest accepted the soup with great appreciation. When the generous woman left, the priest gave one of the pieces of meat in the soup to his house dog to test. The dog was smiling as it was consuming the stuff. Afterwards, the dog began to behave in a strange sexual manner. It jumped over the wall and traced the woman's house which was very far away. It started knocking at her door like a human being. The attractive generous woman came out with every anxiety to welcome her expected visitor.

Immediately she opened the door, the highly sexually aroused dog jumped over her. The woman screamed for help. Luckily, a security man nearby released some shots into the air and drove away the dog. As the dog was running away, it was pursuing every woman along its route. Eventually, it came across a policewoman and jumped over her sexually. She kicked against the dog and shot it dead with her pistol. Do you see what would have happened to the priest given the Greek gift?

Some men and women who have contracted the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are going about offering free sex to willing and unwilling persons. They do not want to die alone. They want as many people as possible to accompany them through the valley of death. Remember that AIDS is not written on the face. A certain man somewhere goes by the nickname 'Chop and die.' Therefore let us beware of sexual Greek gift.

Most recently, President Muhammadu Buhari validated the long annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential Election believed to be won by late Chief MKO Abiola. Chief Abiola was posthumously sworn in as the President of Nigeria and awarded with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), the highest Honour in the Land on 12 June 2018; twenty-five years after. I was ordained a priest in 1993, the year of Oso Abiola. Today, I am celebrating my priestly Silver Jubilee in the year of President Abiola's posthumous swearing-in. Thus President M.K.O Abiola is now the President and Commander-in-chief of all departed Nigerians in the world beyond. Any Nigerian who dies from now must pay allegiance to President Abiola over there before entering into Heaven or Hell.

There is no smoke without fire. Many Nigerians see the posthumous award given to Chief Abiola and declaration of June 12 as the new Democracy Day as a Greek gift offered by President Buhari to the Yoruba people in order to pacify them and seek their votes in the forthcoming 2019 Presidential Election. Is there any Greek gift for the Igbo people who have suffered exclusion and marginalization from the Buhari-led Administration? Is there any Greek gift for the Middle Beltans who have lost hundreds of their dear ones at the hands of Fulani herdsmen terrorists? Governor Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara state has declared that he is no longer the Chief Security Officer of the state due to the spate of senseless killings going on there, for which he is no longer in control. Is there any Greek gift to pacify him and his subjects? Are there any Greek gifts for millions of Nigerians who have lost hope in the Buhari-led Administration? Nigerians are suffering and being killed senselessly on daily basis. When will the political messiah come? In God we trust!


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