Snakes, Anti-venom and the Jungle we Live

Running away from Snakes

I was thinking this morning.... about the jungle we live in and snakes. I read the headline in The Guardian Newspaper titled '91 deaths in three weeks from snakebites, and unavailability of anti-snake venom annoy senators.' 'Like seriously? Why are they annoyed? Na today snake don dey bite Nigerians?' These and many other questions flushed through my mind as I read the news article.

 

Yes, I know that there are snakes in Nigeria and I know of one or two persons bitten by snakes while growing up, but have never heard of 91 people dying of snake bite in 21 days. No, not even in the Amazon forest where anaconda is king. It seems while we were busy chasing shadows, wild animals have overtaken our land. Anyone reading that headline outside of Nigeria, will surely conclude that we are living in the jungle. How sad!

 

Maybe we are truly living in a jungle in the midst of wild animals. I suspect there are anacondas, vipers and rattle snakes in this our jungle and it must be these venomous snakes that are scaring Nigerians to death within and outside the shores of the nation. Yes, it must have been snakes that scared those 26 Nigerians girls from their homes to make that perilous journey through the Mediterranean sea to Italy, but unfortunately died in the ship and were buried like savages in a strange land. It must be the fear of snakes at homes.

 

Snakes are creepy and scary animals. It must be the fear of snakes at home that will make able-bodied Nigerians to choose the indignity of being sold as slaves in Libya, rather than stay back and work for a living. They probably said, like a typical Waffarian, 'I rather die.' Imagine my horror watching the CNN investigative report, not Kunta Kinte movie, with a salesman in camouflage gear saying, 'Does anybody need a digger? This is a digger, a big strong man, he'll dig, what am I bid, what am I bid?' Oh it must be the fear of snakes at home that will make them prefer to be in cages in Libya.

 

How can our senators be angry about these venomous reptiles biting Nigerians and be blind to the thousands that have died from economic, political and religious snakebites? As I dwelt on the thought, I realized truly that Nigeria is a huge farm of snakes. If you have seen that movie, 'Snakes on a Plane,' then you will understand the jungle we live in.

 

Truth is there will always be snakes around us, so what we need do is wade them off and have snake anti-venom available. But where is the good governance that will keep the snakes at bay and the social security that will neutralize the poison should we be bitten? Not available in Nigeria. I will therefore not depend on these leaders to protect me from snakes, but will rather hold on to Luke 10:19 that says 'Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

 

May God deliver us from human and real snakes.

 

Happy Sunday.

 

....Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey.