…in this Ludo game, only one man wins and he is ready to play the game with anyone as long as your dice is a common dice and his is special one made by him for everyone.

On his palm, as with everyone in the game, is a dice. You roll once and he  rolls when it is his turn. A fun and entertaining game, it is.  No cheating, the face that comes out of your dice is what you deserves. No manipulation. Fair game.. . When you throw your dice, whatever comes out is the number of steps you would advance forward. You’re free to bring your dice from home. Whether big, small, medium, and whatever colour… just use it.

But in the General’s hand, is a dice where all sides give only one and the same outcome. It is customised to his preferred number and no matter how many times he rolls it the outcome is the same as he wanted. His opponents do not enjoy this privilege and they do not have knowledge of his game plan either. At least, they don’t seem to notice.

Game on…

Roll the dice, you (his opponents and critics) get, one, two, six.. But he keeps getting same figure…His own figure… He sits quietly and looking so clueless, and sluggish, yet he is advancing faster than his opponents who have been running at high speed and putting their brains to the task of outwitting him.

It is time for his opponents to pause and check his dice or continue their games and face defeat as surely as mysterious General from Daura projected. But his opponents are over confident, after all the General is not educated and he can’t even remember how to count his fingers. So they have calculated  that they would easily beat him in this game.

Game on…

First, it was elections.. He was unelectable, having failed three times. And having no political base to garner national supports. ahe was clearly at disadvantage. Confidently,  His opponents rolled the dice and came up with complex permutations and combinations that they can’t even make sense of. They went to town with all sort of theories and misinformation as well as played all manners of tricks to ensure he fail.

He spoke less, even to the utter displeasure of his supporters. He has learned from his last three mistakes, spanning 12 years and he has learned well. Nigerians love talking and grunting at the same time and they forget  events so easily that they move on to the next activity and topical issue without resolving the former, even if it means repeating the same activities and earning the same results, like the Einstein insanity prognosis. Of course, they have no idea it is insanity, because it is fun. Gossip and spreading of unverified and misleading information is fun in the Avian kingdom So the General rolled his dice and they rolled theirs.

Game on…

He  promised little… His handlers, sensing confusion, and defeat, and being more experienced on how things work in this part of the world, went to work and came up with a well structured programme for him. They called it political manifestoes and some called it 100 days promises. It was well received and globally applauded.

“I am ready to play with anyone,” he said. All cheers. Even from his opponents, as it represents a platform of weakness they can capitalise on.

Oh, he is ready to play Ludo with anyone, as long as he is rolling his own dice and they have theirs. fair deal…

Game on…

Elections come, elections go, the taciturn general won to the chagrin of his opponents. All eyes on the Lion of Bourdillon and his henchmen, and the Ludo aficionados. No one really knows what was happening but the general won.. The opponents were thrown into disarray.

Declare your assets, his opponents howled. Even his own supporters would not be drawn into his game. They were disappointed. The cacophony of noises and the euphoria.. At the risk of losing his support base, he said nothing.., but allowing his opponents roll the dice, moving round the circle and when they are tired, they went to sleep. Then the general rolled his, and set them all into frenzy… “He has won,” growl, his supporters .. “He is a fraud,” wail, his opponents.

Game on…

…and then came his 100 days. . “I have made no promises” He said, through his megaphone, a tireless image launderer. The opponents cry foul. “he is a fraud,”  A section of his supporters were disappointed and with divided voices, they expressed it with caution,  due to fear of losing the plot. They dug their hands into creative pot and reshaped the face of change..They suddenly remember the forgotten  Chatham House interview where the General disowned the promises. This they spread widely. Smart folks… after using the promises to campaign and win elections..

The game has changed. They are no longer to count achievements in form of outcome but in potentials and future expected tenses..it is no longer about promises but now about cleaning the old mess…

Game on….

And then, a cunning member of his supporters hijacked the House of Commotion,  where members spend more times on recess and noise making than playing to the rule. “I am ready to play with anyone,” The General repeated. But the Lizard heading the House of Commotion nodded approvingly at this gesture and further emboldened to go against the family will.

Day after day, the cunning man has been turned into regular reader of the famed “Rapsody of Reality”. He has joined the opponents side of the game and he has been sleeping less and less, after murdering sleep.. CCT is after him and he has been running from pillar to post. How he beat the General to this part of the unstructured  game is yet to be conjured. His own game is unique, he has been playing against the General by proxy and the General has obliged him in playing the Ludo game by proxy, until someone returns home and seek reprieve…

Game on…

That reminds me of his ministers. Few weeks ago, they tore up one another, while trying to take a stand on his inability to appoint his ministers and hit the ground running. The opponents dug into law books; the intellectual bandits were let loose…Each stealing ideas and opinions from public commentators to marshal his/her positions… For or against the delayed appointment.

The General rolled his dice again: He has been busy cleaning the mess your mentor left behind and preparing for the assemblage of saints and capable hands to take charge, once the rule of laws have been put in place. His supporters were pleased and they went back to their business of protecting and defending  their mandate.  Still, they have no idea what next is going to show up from his dice but they trust him.

And the wailing wailers???  they do nothing but wail until they are tired of wailing and then move on to the next stage of the game whose rule they are not in control of and they have not been notified. .. Still, the general has his dice and is waiting for his opponents to run out of steam before he throws..

This is September, the promised month when saints and miracle workers shall be assembled to formally take charge of the Avian kingdom… the wailers need to have learned a lesson, in this Ludo game, only one man wins and he is ready to play with anyone as long as your dice is a common dice and his is special one made by him for everyone. But I can bet with my two kobo, they are going to shout and grumble but the General would have his way..

It would be four interesting years ahead. Even the world waits with bated breath.

Game on..

——————-

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Connect with the writer via @IsqilNajim