IT IS NOT FOR KINGS! O PEOPLE!

Have you noticed? That the giants are now in dwarf forms! The ugly ones are packed in beautiful costumes! Just like hidden thorns of a beautiful flower, they are appealing to the eyes, their outfits are adorable, and they are attached to good milestones in life; graduation, prosperity, success in examination, good family life, marital bliss, celebration of births and even the celebration of death.

But the fact still remains, no matter how impeccable the packaging, no matter how friendly; how serene the surrounding atmosphere, no matter how beautiful the content, the sting is ever painful!

Illustration

It was a terrible event to remember! Adeyemi was a young man with a promising future. As a medical student, he had waited patiently for this day to come so he could be free from the 6 year intense training that must be fulfilled in order to become a doctor; passing the part six medical exam was a dream come true for Adeyemi and his colleagues.

Before the examination, Ade and his colleague have discussed several times on the best way to celebrate the success in the forthcoming exam.

Have you guys noticed the bill board in front of the university gate? Asked Segun, I can’t wait to be like that guy!

What bill board? The bill board Segun was talking about is a very big bill board in front of UI gate. It holds a glamorous picture of a young guy on a graduation gown with a beautiful lady beside a beautiful car, holding a bottle of an alcoholic brand. The picture depicts a successful graduate that was associated with a particular alcoholic brand; a perfect alibi for a terrific killer.

Just like a host of other forms of making the criminal a saint, the big bill board is working for the work it was employed to do. They all were happy. They immediately left in Segun’s car after the part 6 medical examination result was pasted.

In the spirit of celebration, they drank; never knowing they were drinking their lives away! After passing much time in a club house in the art of the town, Femi tried to gather everybody so they can get back to the college teaching hospital where they resided. Already, Segun the car owner was unconscious and had been behaving funny. So, Ade volunteered to drive the car, a mistake he would never make again! After some few minutes on the road, the car had a head on collision with an on-coming 911 Man diesel trailer.

It was already late, people were unavailable to help; the doctors became victims and the helpers were unable to receive help themselves. These doctors fulfilled their dreams half way! Not only did their families invested in vain, even the country had lost valuable assets.

Thanks to the killer in a beautiful skin.

Now, as Solomon described it

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its colour in the cup, when it moves itself aright, at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

When a man beats his wife, check very well, alcohol has hands in it, when a young man suddenly remove his cloth on the road in an abnormal way, alcohol has a hand in it, when a young lady is raped, alcohol has a hand in it, when a man kills his mother, blaming her for his unemployment state, alcohol has a hand in it.

Like a thief in the night, little by little alcohol steals the mind away! Sometimes, it invites any or several of its accomplices to complete the havoc; cigarette, kola, and other psycho active drugs.

It has been associated with cancer, road traffic accident, violence, and the likes!

It ranges from 3mls small sachet to larger bottles. It can be local like ‘burukutu’, palm wine ‘emu’, sepe, ‘ogogoro’ or modern.

It has been argued that little quantity is not bad for the body, the questions that people have raised is how little is little?

The conclusion of the matter is found in the book of proverbs:

It is not for kings, O people, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink