For some days now the entire country is literally in shock over the barbaric incident that happened in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where a four hundred (400) level student of Petrochemical Engineering of University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, was alleged to have heartlessly murdered his girlfriend (student of same institution), butchered her and equally harvested her vital organs for alleged ritual purposes.
The young man identified as Demain Okoligwe according to Punch Newspapers, had packaged his butchered girlfriend, Justina Otuene, in a Ghana-Must-Go bag and kept inside his room before the offensive odour of the decomposing corpse attracted attention that led to the invitation of the police.
Without mincing words, I will personally put the whole blame on the society we have successfully moulded and defined this prevailing evil menace as the norm and standard. Yes, because in the present Nigerian society you are nobody and practically worthless if you don’t have money, not just money to feed yourself and family, but money to flaunt and lavish. As such, this has put people under constant pressure, to be rich at all cost.
On the other hand, those doing the legit hustles and are making their money gradually are often despised, discriminated, disrespected and avoided by the society. As such, others are discouraged from walking that path, and the other road of illegitimate lifestyle becomes the immediate attraction. Look around you, how many young people are you still seeing learning trade, business, job, etc? Then look again, how many have something legitimate they are doing? And how many are into one form of illegitimate hustle?
Which is the reason why it doesn’t really matter how you make your money and become rich or famous, the slogan is “just make the money first”. Even parents no longer care how their children make or are making their money, all they care about is for their children to make that money, either by hook or crook. So, all the known institutions which are supposed to be a check on these things have rather joined the moving train, the origin or destination of the train doesn’t matter to anyone anymore.
That’s why you will see students of Nigeria higher institutions desperate to be millionaires while schooling, not from doing legit businesses or hustles, but via the illegitimate means as already glamorized and endorsed by the larger society. A student whose parents are still struggling to feed well, is seen driving Benz to school, throwing lavish parties here and there, paying for expensive drinks/whines in the club.
Funny enough, nobody is even ashamed of the illegitimate hustles they are doing, or bothered by what anyone thinks or says. This is the level of decay our society has really reached, with no sign of things getting better anytime soon, rather it keeps getting worse. That’s why you will see a young man, less than twenty years or less than thirty, have the mind to kill his girlfriend, mother, friend, etc, harvest their vital organs for money rituals, without feeling any atom of guilt over such barbaric act.
Go out there and interview a couple of young people, about what they do for a living, or what they intend for a living, majority will shock you with what will be their responses, such that will be so bold to tell you. Meanwhile, this thing is not just a male thing, it cuts across both genders, because most of the young girls do not want to have anything to do with any man who cannot be spoil them with wealth, expensive gifts, partying and clubbing with her as often as possible, doing dorime and other paparazzi.
Sadly, this has become a become an ideology rather than a trend, as such, it will be almost impossible to get rid of it easily. No way, it has out grown the stage were such can easily be achieved, because it has become a part of our body system. That’s the danger of breeding a monster, tomorrow the monster may have outgrown your ability and capacity to control it, as such, your own life is equally in danger.
There’s little or no more “dignity in Labour” in this part of the world, it has become a practice, “whether the fruit is ripe or not, pluck it that way”. Unfortunately, we have hundreds/thousands of Demain Okoligwe in our society, who have not been caught, and those aspiring to join them, so that’s even the major danger facing our society and our existence.
May God almighty have mercy on us, and equally help us to triumph over this evil ravaging our existence!!!
(photo credit: Google/Channels TV/Apprebite Magazine/LIB)
