Abuja bloodshed warning and Nigeria’s Cassandra complex. by Festus Adedayo
Greek mythology, in the Aeschylus tragedy called Agamemnon, told the story of Cassandra. She was a pretty damsel highly sought after by the god, Apollo. The god promised that if Cassandra gave in to his advances, he would give her the power of prophecy. Though the damsel accepted the proposal and was immediately proclaimed blessed with the gift by Apollo, Cassandra refused to return the affection. Enraged by this insolence, since the god Apollo lacked the power to revoke a divine pronouncement, he placed a curse on Cassandra, to wit that her prophecies would never be believed. The effect of the curse was so sweeping that even when Cassandra accurately predicted the fall of Troy and the death of Agamemnon, her warnings went unbelieved and unheeded. So, when people like Nigerians are torn between believing a government that specialises in offering condolences when they are killed by terrorists, and a government known for proactively guiding its nationals from obsequies, such people can