Bob Marley: a seer of human nature
By Taiye Olaniyi

Our world today is daily degenerating into a world full of deceits, a world full of gluttonous individuals, captains of greed, and evangelists of corruptible idealism.

Lovers of good music especially from those great minds that had at one time or the other transversed the world like a colossus, are remembering the 41st anniversary of Nesta Robert Marley, Bob Marley's transition to the eternal realm. Bob Marley, surely would mean different person to different other persons and peoples all over the world but for the Son of Man, Bob Marley was not only a music maestro, a deity or demi-god but a seer who in his revolutionary songs disparaged those who revel in camouflaging as friends only to be later unmasked and found to be the generation of vipers.

This human attitude, is unbecoming of many humans most especially those in corridors of power, Bob Marley in his wide expanse of philosophical manner rebuked in one of his songs:Man to man is so unjust, children:

Ya don't know who to trust.
Your worst enemy could be your best friend,
And your best friend is your worse enemy.
Some will eat and drink with you,
Then behind them su-su pon you.
Only your friend know your secrets,
So only he could reveal it.
And who the cap fits, let them wear it!
Who the cap fit, let them wear it!
Said I throw me corn, me no call no fowl;
I say, cook-cook-cook, cluk-cluk-cluk.
Some will hate you, pretend they love you now,
Then behind they try to eliminate you.
But who Jah bless, no one curse;
Thank god, 're past the worse.
Hypocrites and parasites
Will come up and take a b***.
And if your night should turn to day,
A lot of people would run away.
And who the stock fit let them wear it!
Who the (cap fit) let them (wear it)!

Our world today is daily degenerating into a world full of deceits, a world full of gluttonous individuals, captains of greed, and evangelists of corruptible idealism who most times in many African countries are wizards in positions of rulership and leadership.

Many of such individuals Bob Marley again referred to in music as " Dem crazy, dem crazy, we gonna chase those crazy bald heads out of town...." Such individuals because of their selfishness and greed would never mind if the day turns to night, helplessness turns to hopelessness for others so far their lives and bread is buttered and their perennial survival is guaranteed at the peril of others' survival at the most minimal level.

They their lives as if devoid of conscience and disunite the unity of the entire citizenry with all appendages of convictions to steal and even rob the blind. Bob Marley though appealed for Africans to unite but the kleptomaniac spirits keep hitching their hearts and now xenophobia stung the African brothers and sisters day and night as if Mother Earth is disowning its children.

Who to trust is difficult to find because when in need, a friend indeed is difficult to ascertain but if full of affluence be it through clean, upright or unclean manners, be rest assured friends in need will be so many till my friend's sarcastic adage becomes a reality in the sense that, " A friend in need is a bloody nuisance".

Nigerians of today are badly and greatly in need to a very high level of constituting nuisance to many but then, in politics, politicians come around as friends to win our votes after which they betray trust and confidence in them.

Should they be trusted /and should you regard them as friends?

We thank God for this day, Bob Marley's Day as I live to remember the Postcard he used to send to me at Christmas when he was alive as a token of my membership of the Bob Marley's Fan Club in then late 70s when at the University of Lagos. I used to admire such a handwritten message postcard "All Hail in the name of Jah Rastafari". On this note, I say a hearty Happy Bob Marley's Day and "All Hail in the name of Jah Rastafari".

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Taiye Olaniyi, a retired Postman of the Nigeria Postal Service, is based in Lagos.