How I wish We are Atoms: A Response to Gimba Kakanda’s Big Man’s Burden By Semiu Ayobami Akanmu

 To start with, Gimba Kakanda is one of the young Nigerians I only met virtually but the fraternal affinity as compatriots that have been developed toward him is unimaginable. He represents a part of the emerging generation of public intellectuals, whose socio-political leaning and ideological prowess ignite the hope of better Nigeria. The bond was firstly stimulated when I ran over his review of the Public Accidental Servant authored by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. Since then, I have always found pieces thrown out by Gimba to be thought provoking, psyche energizing and emotional intriguing. Lately, Gimba generously distributed copies of intellect-nurturing e-books. It was him that catalysed my hope of reading El-Rufai’s TAPS. I cannot do less, other than to join my voice with that of the elders’ to say kudos. It takes an above average philosophical visual strength to see the confusion in both the hypocritical yesterday’s men and the delusional today’s men.

Big Man’s Burden was also an essay written by Gimba Kakanda, posted on his blog on March 8, 2013 (Link: http://gimbakakanda.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/big-mans-burdens/ ). Just as usual, it spins thoughts over thoughts, analysis upon analysis. As I was trying to detach my mind from the heart-shaking effect of this sermon-laden piece, endeavouring to take a walk away from the illusion-like-reality aura of this world, I remembered a subject of discourse I had with my wife. It was a discussion sequel to call of academic exercise by his brother. A call to put heads together and pen a conceptual paper worthy of publication in web of academe, the idea was to conceptualize atomic behaviour as an antidote in view of addressing socio-economic crisis and dysfunctional class structure. After reading Gimba’s advice to the rich, I became morally obliged to share this construed concept to a wider coverage of readers. I wish to have written this earlier, but the reality of a research student, especially those at the teething stage like me has been disengaging me from my social activism. This is a complementary note to further strengthen the genuineness of Gimba’s call; a charging treatise to tell humans about a ‘scriptural’ message that behaving like atoms is the way to live a worthy life.

Creating the background, Gimba in his stylish usage of satires and literary spices summarizes the character of a rich man, the wannabe big boy and the irresistible public eulogy; activating public relations stunt. An Ibadan boy will call it ‘awon omo baba risa’, those who are ready to put their life on the line for the rich man to cross. The psychological damage by seeing all riches as prophets, the socially-constructed impunity for the payer of the tithes, the sponsor of pilgrimage and the most influential in the organised religious centres is alarming. Prayer portion from our clerics is directly proportional to the amount dropped by these ‘donors’ to boost the economy of the vineyard.

The most disgusting part of this scenario, when critically assessed from a global scale is that despite the volume of wealth said to have been acquired by some humans globally, why is the world poverty still in its bullish move? Does wealth acquisition have a saturated point? What practically are these people doing with this money, so much that the preachers of humanism are yet to pay them a courtesy visit? Are they oblivion of the ephemerals of this world, and the transience of our being on earth?

  I learnt the world’s 100 richest men earned what is enough to end global poverty four (4) times over in 2012 (RT.com, Jan. 20, 2013. Link:  http://rt.com/news/oxfam-report-global-inequality-357/), and not surprising also, that these world billionaires are hindering fight against poverty (The Guardian. co.uk, 19 January, 2013. Link:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/19/super-rich-fight-poverty-oxfam ). Why are we in this economic incongruent configuration despite the opportunity to co-relate for our betterment? It is because humans have not learnt to imbibe the atomic behaviour, we are yet to succumb to the staring reality that living the atom’s way is a way of living a worthy life. 

Without labouring the readers with undue scientific jargons, lessons about Elements, Atoms and Compounds were firstly introduced in the Junior Secondary School days, and later reinforced in Chemistry classes. Elements by their nature are inactive until they gain or loss electrons to become electronically charged; becoming an anion and cation respectively. It is the atom that takes part in the chemical reaction. It is the strength of the Element. The most interesting behaviour is their need to form compounds by combining with other elements, and the atoms of those that need to lose electrons will transfer to those that need to gain. In case sharing of electron will be appropriate, these atoms of combining elements mutually combine and the sharing is done.

It will suffice to note that those elements that cannot enter to ‘alliance’ with other elements because their atomic shells are full and cannot donate or receive are docile, they chemically non-reactive. In those high school chemistry days, any one who is not active due to one reason or the other is unreservedly nick-named Helium, Argon, or any of the group 8 elements. It is against the need for transferring or sharing of electron by atoms of elements, for the purpose of their healthy well-being that informs a conceptualization of this idea. It links that sharing and transferring of wealth among humans is a requisite for healthy living, both by the trodden and the down-trodden.

From a bigger picture though through a domestic lens, from nine (9) out of any arrested ten (10) accused persons in Nigeria, the lyrics of ‘I was frustrated to become armed robber’, ‘I had graduated for years, no job, then I resolve to kidnapping’ are mostly heard. On one hand, it got to a stage that I personally continue to wonder the tissues that made of my body that picks insistence in honesty as the only route to success.

On the other hand, we need to ask how this world would have been if the ‘excesses’ of these world billionaires are pumped to the have-nots in the spirit of atomic behaviour of electron transfer? How many young entrepreneurship projects would have been funded by these money monsters in terms of venture capital, in the spirit of atomic behaviour of electron sharing? How would this world have been if the hoggish propensity is not unlimited? Will we be living in this world of voluminous crime and criminality if wealth acquisition has a saturated point? What would have been our fate if we can live imbibing the atomic behaviour? The questions continue coming and the answers are felt by our daily experience.

How I wish we are atoms, how mutually enjoyable would this life have been?