Thank Toyota, Not God

A friend of mine was involved in an accident, in early 2013, in which his car somersaulted several times, ended up upside down and was so badly burned only the metal parts remained. He came out completely unhurt. When he told me, I said a quiet "thank Toyota", which was the car model whose safety features had ensured he escaped unhurt and alive. He of course was full of praises to god almighty for the 'miracle' of what might have easily been a tragedy if the makers of the car had not installed all the safety features that saved his life.

Legislation by the government of the country where the car was manufactured (Japan) and where it was first used (the USA) were responsible for his being alive today. He actually bought that car in the USA, drove it for a few weeks before shipping it to Nigeria. Today, Nigeria manufactures cars, but the only reason I would never buy a made in Nigeria car is that the immediate past administration which proudly lists this car manufacturing plant as one of its greatest achievements, did not bother to ensure that those cars were equipped with, at least, enough safety features to ensure minimal injury to its occupants in the very likely event of a road mishap. The roads in Nigeria are so poorly maintained and there are no standardized tests conducted before drivers' licences are issued. It is these same government officials who would go on to buy cars with the latest and state of the art safety and security features for themselves, their families and their sycophants. They of course leave the masses at the mercy of (who else but) god.

While I would not want to blame Nigeria's endless list of misfortunes on religion, it is clear that it is the christian churches that are profiting the most from all that is wrong in this country. When the people are impoverished, unemployed, uneducated, denied basic human rights and dignity, brutalised, extorted, blackmailed and oppressed by every imbecile who wears a uniform, and generally neglected by an uncaring and insensitive government, who do they turn to? The waiting arms of miracle-promising and wallet-emptying charlatans whose only interest is enriching themselves. They have no answers to any of the problems of the masses. They also welcome with open arms, and reserve the best seats for the same government officials and their lackeys who are responsible for the sorry state of affairs in the dying 'giant of Africa'.
While my friend was busy thanking god for his escaping unscathed from his accident, he either forgot, or never knew about the safety features, simple things such as his seat belt  and doors not jamming, the airbags, and the fuel tank which did not explode while his car was doing olympic medal winning stunts, that all combined to save his life. These are features that would, in all probability, be absent from all the cars being currently manufactured in Nigeria, because those whose job it is to ensure they are safe do not care. He also forgot that he was drunk on the night of that accident.