Ataga, Chidinma and Performance of Morality
By Emmanuel Ogbeche
It was the American novelist and screenwriter, Rafael Cimino, that opined that, “When the media enjoy such excessive profits from this mass hysteria, what incentive do they have to restrain it?” Truly, the salacious and grotesque intrigues, excites and gets the adrenaline pumping.
Given the riotous nature of adrenaline, people tend to push rational thinking backstage and become emotive and wax self-righteously. Since the story, tragic as it is, of the murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, and parade of his alleged killer, Chidinma Ojukwu, by the police on Thursday, June 24, the hypocritical mob are out in full force.
Chidinma Ojukwu
Those who have built cathedrals of puritanism are chorusing “unholy, unholy, unholy!” Including the choir of the sanctimonious. How convenient!
Read Also: Why I stabbed Ataga to death — UNILAG student
In all of these, it is performance. Performance of morality. Performance of righteousness and untainted. Without a doubt, the whole incident is sordid, disconcerting and calls for sober introspection. But is that what is on display?
Not too long ago, I put up a post on the sacking of an aide to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state for solicitation. Rather pimping of young girls, perhaps, Chidinma’s type to visiting senators.
The preponderance of comments indicated that the governor was sore because he did not get his “share”, and the suggestion that it was nothing “new,” therefore the governor should have taken a chill pill.
It was only one or two voices of which that of Sesugh Akume stood out to rebuke today’s shocked community of the indignant that the governor stands above board.
Are the majority of us not complicit in the decadence of what has become a norm? Side chic is only frowned at when such a tragedy unfolds. These days, the weird and woke are made excuses for.
Those who can afford to indulge in hedonism and its other vices are cut the slack with “it is their choice.”
The quick-to-sentence in this tragedy do not even grasp the wider misfortune of the macabre drama that is before us. It is easy for some to yap, “failed parenting, longathroat and useless man.”
Families will be torn apart, lives destroyed, perhaps, irrecoverable. That doesn’t matter to those who cheat the system, buy admission spaces for their wards, get jobs through hefty payments for their children and commit other lesser ‘high crimes.’
Before you wag your finger at the horror of it and the cold-heartedness of Chidinma, remember the admonition of the Good Book, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 1 Corinthians 10:12
If you can’t show empathy and ask what must have gone wrong with all the parties in this unfortunate drama, stop your performance of morality.
Ataga, Chidinma and Performance of Morality
