Hardball wagers that adversity sharpens the mind. And here is an example. The excruciating living conditions of most citizens today, sharply brings to one’s mind, some kind of parallel between the biblical Prophet Moses and our junior oil minister, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu. Bible students will agree that Moses is perhaps the most significant figure in the good book, second only to Jesus Christ. Now how can anyone begin to place Kachikwu beside Moses?
Here is how: the great leader of the Israelites, Moses, despite being imbued with so much grace and anointing, was voided of grace at a point.
If you remember the great story of the Israelites journey through the wilderness, you are bound to lose it too if you are leading a pampered tribe on a most punishing desert journey. At every juncture, the people are grumbling and looking back to Egypt from where God miraculously sprung them from a vicious Pharaoh.
In one of those testy moments, the Israelites came to the wilderness of Zin in Kadesh and there was no water. And the entire people gathered together against Moses and his brother Aaron. And they spoke most contentiously: “… And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” (Numbers 20:5).
Moses and Aaron as usual, fall on their faces in intercession on behalf of their recalcitrant brethren. Soon enough the glory of the Lord appears to the duo. And the Lord speaks issuing clear, solemn instructions: “Take the rod; (the same rod Moses had used to wrought unbelievable wonders including parting the Red Sea) you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their very eyes and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock…”
What did good old Moses do? Already uptight and pissed off with an ungrateful clan, he gathers the assembly before the rock; and he says to them: “”Hear now, you rebels, must we bring water to you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; …”
Of course those who know the Word know the grievous consequences of Moses’ action. They also understand who the Rock represents.
Now to our dear Kachikwu: Asked last week when the fuel scarcity pain will ease for Nigerians, he said: “One of the trainings I did not receive is that of a magician but I am working hard to ensure some of these issues go away… and for the six months we have been here, NNPC has moved from 50 per cent importer to 100 per cent importer… so quite frankly, it’s sheer magic that we even have the amount of products at the stations. We are looking to see how to get foreign exchange…”
Can you hear Kachikwu sounding exasperated with the rest of us the way Moses sounded when the Israelites needed water? He has never queued in a fuel station before, Hardball wagers. But Nigerians need fuel and it is either he can do the job or not.
And Hardball thinks his job is very simple: he must work on new refineries pronto, lest the scarcity lingers till 2019. Nothing else will work.
