Natasha, when not to speak! -By Abdullahi O. Haruna

Dear sister Natasha Akpoti,

You spoke after a long time and what came out of your mouth was nothing but unheard diatribe. You spoke in gloating symphony, dancing on the beat of one’s misfortune. The mother of Abdulkarim Jamiu Asuku got abducted while in supplication to Allah by people cursed to condemnation. Instead of wailing in sympathy – not necessarily to Asuku, your political albatross but for the humanity in you, for the solidarity of womanhood, for the mother you are, you went offbeat in your dance as you jive in vengeance. Forgetting that misfortunes are occurrences that picks its victims at designated time. Today, it’s Asuku, tomorrow it is someone else- no one escapes the tributaries of life’s misfortune.

That your hurried release on the unfortunate abduction of that aged woman came too early, ill-timed and needless. She didn’t pray to be a victim, nature made it so. Don’t use her misfortune to justify your grudge against her son, that is taking things of this world to a very vain height. A dent on any human is a cut to all humanity, a woman like you who spends fortune on lifting and putting smiles on the faces of others shouldn’t be seen gloating over the ill-fated occurrence of another person, that is satanic malice.

During tragedies, people collapse misgivings and come in consoling embraces – serving as shoulders to each other. In your case, you rushed so furiously jubilating that your political enemy has been hit- like you have been expecting this to happen all the while. The holy prophet said humans must learn to cover up for themselves so that Allah can serve as umbrella for our own shortcomings.

Dear sister, Natasha, this isn’t the right time to have spoken!

Gaskiyally musing