Political Odyssey Of Chief Madu Ndigba{ A Belief in totems by an African Leader} AN Allegory Part 10

CHIEF MADU NDIGBA’S DISAPPOINTMENT:
IMAGINED MEETING OF CHIEF NDIGBA AND MADIBA
IN QUEST FOR RATIONALE OF MADIBA OPTION

The appointment to see Madiba was not easy as the former President has at then excluded himself from public engagement. However, some South Africans who were in exile in Nigeria, used their contracts to ensure that Chief Madu Ndigba was granted audience by Madiba. No record of meeting was available to the public, but we imagine that a meeting took place; we can also speculate that on arrival Chief Madu Ndigba announced that he was the Secretary General of the largest political party in Black Africa. The chief approached the residence of Madiba with dignity. He was wearing traditional Nigerian attire, which included long bead of assorted colour hanging around his neck. He was also holding his walking stick which had the carvings of a crocodile. He also wore a black hat with a silver image of a crocodile, which glittered in the sunlight. As he entered the gate, he did an unusual thing by entering with his back. His dress and style of entering the premises was immediately noticed by Madiba’s valets and others around the premises.

When he was ushered into the waiting room of Madiba, he felt relaxed as he snuffed. Before opening the snuff cup, he muttered few words of incantations like ‘utaba, anwuru’ and called it, ‘the tonic for a clear head’. Madiba’s servant was amused by the incomprehensible utterances. Within a few seconds, tears dripped from his eyes as a result of the stimulant of the brown powder. He also brought out a white Kola nut and involved in a similar ritual in praise of the wonder ‘nut’. The wonder nut has brown or black pod. It is revered in the eastern part of Nigeria, it is widely eaten in the North, it is adored and produced mostly in western Nigeria. He didn’t stay long in the waiting room because Madiba was ready to receive him. When he was seated, he looked around the parlour and was impressed by the decorations of mainly of Zulu artifacts and various souvenirs collected by Madiba, before and during his Presidency. The sound of Koa, Koa, while chewing the nut also attracted the attention of the waiter as he also muttered;

“This kola has three pods, in Imo Basin area of Nigeria.
Three pods is a symbol of unity,
That is why we have Umenneato, Umunnato, Mbato,
To symbolize unity of families, clan or village