Obasanjo, The Proverbial Tortoise, Believes That Nigeria Cannot Prosper Or Survive Without Him By Dr. Wunmi Akintide
Have you ever heard of a one man country? If you have not, I present to
you Nigeria, a leading African Nation whose current President strongly
believes, and he plays it out, at every opportunity, that Nigeria as
presently constituted, cannot stand or survive without him.
The five PDP Governors in the South West including our own Ph.D holder,
the current Ondo State Governor, have just given the President a reason to
believe what his heart has been telling him all along, and when he
frequently talks to God in his prayers or his dreams, that he is the
modern day Moses to deliver Nigeria from servitude. All our founding
fathers including our pre and post Independence leaders like Sardauna
Bello, Ogbuefi Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, and other juggernauts of
our emancipation and freedom from the British and all the military and
civilian leaders from Tafawa Balewa to Aguiyi Ironsi, to Yakubu Gowon, to
Murtala Mohammed, Shehu Shagari, Mohammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani
Abacha and Abdulsalam Abubakar have only played, in different ways, and
seasons, the role that John the Baptist have played, just preparing the
way for the Messiah who has now arrived.
In Obasanjo's foolish mindset, he is the modern Jesus of Nigeria who knows
the end from the beginning and the Beginning from the end, and who is the
only one who can lead Nigeria to the promised Land. Less than 18 months to
the end of his second and last term as President, he has not yet seen the
rational to start grooming a successor, talk less of setting in motion all
the steps necessary to make Nigerians believe he has any plan to
relinquish power by May 2007. All he is doing is keeping the Nation
guessing, and telling any one who would believe, that he was caught by
surprise by the request of his South West PDP Governors that he stays for
a third term, because if he doesn't grant their request, the whole Nation
might flounder, and all his monumental developments projects might go into
ruins, as the Sun will neither rise nor set on May 30th, 2007, because of
the Messiah's departure.
The very naive Governors and their President forget that if they don't
leave power, power can leave them. They also forget that the death of the
true Messiah, the very son of God Himself did not translate to the end of
the State of Israel to which he was born, nor the end of Humanity itself.
Thousands of years later the whole world has not collapsed.
It may be true, as predicted in the Holy Scriptures, that the end of the
world may be near, given all the signs that have already been predicted.
But the truth remains that Humanity is here today and will still be here
tomorrow and day after, for sure. By the same token, the exit of any one
leader from our body politic can never totally cripple a Nation. Leaders
come and go, but the Nation lives on, without any question. Our President
and his gullible Governors and praise singers ought to be reminded of that
at all times. France did not submerge after Napoleon. China did not
evaporate with Chairman Mao. India did not disappear after Mahatma Gandhi,
and Singapore is still marching on after Le Kuan Yu, and God's own country
did survive George Washington, and is still waxing strong as we speak.
Nigeria will surely survive Obasanjo.
The enigma called Obasanjo reminds me of a story often told by my
grandfather, the 41st Deji of Akure, Kabiyesi, Alaiyeluwa Afunbiowo
Adesida the First who is the central character of a Memoir I am currently
putting together, to mark the 50th anniversary of his transition in 1957.
There were two stories the great sage never got tired of talking about at
every opportunity.
The first was the story of a court jester, named "Oleta Oba Ado" at a time
the Oba of Benin was still an "Irawo Osan to nbagba l'eru" meaning an
unusual Day time Star that causes consternation for the wise and the aged
who know, as a rule, that a star does not appear at day time, under normal
conditions. Oleta, according to Kabiyesi Afunbiowo, frequently told Oba
Ado that "Ehin Osika suon" meaning that the wicked man may prosper in the
dawn and at noon, but their life, more often than not, always end up in
tragedy.
The then Oba Ado was known to have paid little attention to the constant
warnings of Oleta until one contemporary event in Benin had really proved
Oleta right to the surprise of most people in Benin including the Oba
himself. "Eyin Osika suon". I see some correlation between the Oleta
fable, and what is currently happening in our country under our
plenipotentiary President Obasanjo who strongly believe that without him,
Nigeria can hardly survive. Nigerians telling Obasanjo to quit the stage
while the ovation is loudest may be in the minority today, but they
represent the word of wisdom in my judgment. If Obasanjo drops dead today,
God forbid, his exit may slow things a little bit, but Nigeria will still
march on. A great nation is not dependent on the whims and caprices of
just one individual, no matter how intelligent or brilliant.
Just like Nigeria was able to absorb the shock of the exit of Uthman Dan
Fodio, Oduduwa, Herbert Macauley, Ogbuefi Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sardauna Bello
and Obafemi Awolowo, Murtala Mohammed and others, Nigeria is surely going
to outlive Obasanjo and still remain buoyant after his exit or departure
from office.
The second story Kabiyesi Afunbiowo was very fond of telling, is the most
germaine to the point I wish to drive home in this article. Once upon a
time, the tortoise sharing a similar mindset with Obasanjo, had made a
decision to gather all the wisdom in the world in a calabash, so he would
be the wisest man that ever lived. He went around the world gathering all
the wisdom, and when he had finished, he started looking for a safe place
to hang the calabash. He needed a place where the calabash could not be
easily accessible to any man. It occurred to him that that it was better
to go hang the calabash on top of a Palm tree far away in the forest where
nobody else could easily get to it. By so doing, the tortoise had believed
he would remain the best and the only custodian of wisdom in the whole
wide world.
The tortoise had set out for the forest with the calabash tied to his
chest. When he got to the Palm tree. He started climbing with the calabash
hanging on his chest. He struggled over and over again with the calabash
hanging on his chest, but could not do it. Then all of a sudden, a little
boy passing by, had observed the tortoise, from a distance, sweating and
struggling to climb the palm tree with so much pain and difficulty. The
little boy, had simply advised the tortoise to consider putting the
calabash on his back, instead of holding it to his chest. The tortoise had
followed the little boy's advice, and in a twinkle of an eye, he was able
to climb up the palm tree to do what he wanted to do. But on his way up
the palm tree, it simply dawned on him that his plan to keep all the
world's wisdom to himself, was one mission impossible and the height of
foolishness.
He then realized he had been foolish to even consider himself, at any
point, as the wisest man in the world. I see Obasanjo in the same mindset
of the tortoise today by thinking that without him, there can be no
Nigeria.
I have read many an article on Obasanjo, but none has been more insightful
and downright honest than Rueben Abati's article published on Nigeriaworld
today and titled, "Obasanjo's Confessions" That article has said it all.
Obasanjo has been a bundle of contradictions in his "holier than thou"
crusade against Corruption, as he continues to dine with the devil, while
taking himself as the best thing to ever happen to Nigeria. If you ask
me, I would tell you that the Nigerian current President could be the
reincarnation of that proverbial tortoise. The President might also do
well to pay some attention to the "Oleta Oba Ado" allegory which I think
offers some useful lessons in the exercise of power. Need I say more?
I rest my case. Dr. Wunmi Akintide.
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