Wike’s Icarus Mentality

Students of literature are familiar with the ancient Greek myth of Icarus, Daedalus’s son. Christopher Marlowe, in his classic drama, Dr Faustus recaptures the story. Icarus, had an ambition to fly like a bird. He was obsessed with the ideas of a super human profile. He asked his father, Daedalus to make him fly. A caring father, Daedalus made for his dear son, wings and feathers from wax. But he warned him, “Fly too high, and the sun will melt you.” “Fly too low, and the sea will drown you”.

Ambition, pride  and recklessness conspired, making Icarus deaf to his father’s warning. He was intoxicated with his new power, prominence and praises. He forgot he was human. He flew high, near the sun. His wings and feathers of wax melted. He fell into the sea, drown.

Today, he is remembered not for his power and prominence but his recklessness and pride. He is used as a cautionary tale to illustrate the follies of man who thinks himself super human. Icarus represents the spirit of self destruction, the stupidity of the human mind, the vanity of his ambition, and his inevitable fall.

Wike is not Icarus neither does he wear any visible wings and feathers but one can see the Icarus instinct in him. A look up there will reveal him flying so high near the sun in his rough political plays. Many commentators  are of the opinion that he is a lesson in political science mirroring the mentality of most Nigerian leaders – the mindless search for power, the pursuit of greatness and the spirit to dominate their environments. Some analysts say he manifests the main character syndrome. However, this is not a psycho diagnosis but an observed political behavior. In this, the common sign is constant, that is, the story must be his no matter who the narrator is. He is the tale maker who sees himself as the state like Napoleon Bonaparte. To him, the cliche “self made man” is real . For him, he made all the political office holders in Rivers State, from the councilors, assembly members to the governor. With him, this is a feat no one has ever achieved in the state. So the orchestra must be about him and all the political officers in the state are his  pipers who must play the tune he dictates.

From Rivers state to Abuja, the story is the same. One fight after another. The confrontation is the same. The engagement never changes. He is constantly on the frontline. In his party, same story. One wonders why and how the energy. One thing he should understand is that he has shot too many arrows and should pause and reflect.

No doubt he is so much vexed by the political realities in his state. He trusted too much in his god like Eze Ulu in Achebe’s Arrow of God who was intensely angered by his people’s betrayal when the white man detained him. So much was his anger that he unwittingly destroyed himself and his god changing the religious beliefs and narratives in his Umuora community. He ultimately paid the great price for his anger and lack of tact.

Sadly, politics is what it is, a game of intrigues. Fubara played the joker by defecting to the APC. He sought refuge before a familiar god of power. It was a master political stroke. He now wears the armour of the gods. Touch not their anointed his new political god says.
Sadly for Wike, he thought Fubara a weakling but the environment has hardened him and the treatments from (Wike) has roughened him. In his blind fights, Wike boxed himself into a tight corner like the man riding the back of the tiger.

He forgot that greatness “isn’t a straight vertical climb. It is a spiral- up, pause, reflect, rest, then rise again.”
Wike should check it- history records all. Like the church song goes, “we are only remembered by our works here on earth.” Let him know when to dismount from the tiger’s back and save himself from the Icarus fall.