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Obj And Son : The Turn Of Event. By Segun Imohiosen
When Kofi Awoonor titled one of his numerous African Writer series novel : This Earth My Brother thus, the thematic focus of this book as at then could pinned down along the line of the challenges that man experiences to survive and succeed .But then I see the title as hanging needing completion ,much like begging to fill the gap. For me, This Earth My Brother seems to be saying “anything can happen”. The shenanigan presently a matter of discuss everywhere on the one time number one subject of Nigeria brought to mind this celebrated book of Awoonor. Sometimes, I wonder what our education and exposure do to us as a people of culture and tradition. Within the African cosmography, in this part of the world, particularly the Yoruba race, we don’t take culture and tradition with levity. In fact, a lot of things automatically and suddenly become abominable and sacrilegious if it will in any way insult tradition or make a mockery of culture. It is popularly said among these people of elegance, taste and culture that: “we cannot say because of our exposure to the white man’s culture and then begin to walk with the knees”. Taking a gander at the summation of my brother, Bob Dee (Dele Momodu) in the This Day newspaper of 19th January 2008, titled: A Rebel in the House of Oduduwa, one will discover that he did justice to his position and view on the quality and class of the Yoruba people. Considering where they occupy in history, their achievements, the quality of people they have produced and still producing, they can’t afford to be petty. In fact I make bold to say that Africa in its entirety will never be complete if the mention of the Yorubas is not done in any discourse. But then what exactly has gone wrong with our people? In the words of late Professor Ola Rotimi that Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again is a matter of urgent concern to us as a people in history as it were. Who or what has gone mad again? I think our world has indeed gone mad again.
Growing up, it was so fast and quick at that time in the tongues of the adults or the elders to hear the word like “eewo”, meaning abomination or forbidden. Should we then say that our education and exposure to the white man’s way of life has gotten to our heads to the point that we don’t even know what to joke with or make public. Some or certain obscene things happen anyhow, but it is the place of people with culture and training to know that they don’t make a public debate of it however. “Ta ba ro didun ifon, a hora degun” which literally means to react to our hurts with the same gravity will only result in more hurts. After all, it is said that: “a ki foro ya ‘ro. You don’t pay back hurts as it came. The recent kerfuffle in the household of the ex-president should not have taken this turn when we consider the things that are at stake not only for the Yorubas as it were, but for the entire nation.It must be borne in mind that regardless of how much one may dissociate oneself from the entire imbroglio, be it Yoruba or not, it is a big insult to us as a people and nation. I chose to submit in this light base on the fact that the character involved is our own. And not just anybody but a big time statesman who even by virtue of the place allotted him in life by the Almighty had been one time a military head of state and a two-tenured democratically elected president of the country. In fact, your opinion now does not count as it were, even if you chose to say the election that brought him into power was fraught with rigging. After all, the Christian Holy Book says “the power that be are ordained of God.” In fact, it says in another area that: “no thief enters a city without God knowing about it”. God is aware of everything. He was our president; history will never be complete if he is not mentioned in the destiny of Nigeria and her politics.
I read a story in the Holy Bible where a son saw the nakedness of his father when the former was drunk and the son went out of the room without covering his father’s nakedness, it brought a curse on him. How much more this particular state of affairs. Let us agree that in truth this thing happened, it is not by making it public with all the hues and cries that change the damage that has been done. One of my friends said that certain factors may be responsible for this thing, the likelihood that a touch of insanity may be there, on whose part now, I really cant say, may be somebody is on drugs, you never can tell, in fact, he went further by saying that there is the possibility of a political propaganda (spreading a rumour for that matter) in the hands of his enemies just to make a mockery of the legacy and the political carrier of the statesman. Moreover, he even suggested the possibility of the law of karma being at work. Regardless of all these possibilities, the place of culture as I cited earlier must not be jeopardised. At the point when this happened and the aggrieved man saw it, that moment it ought to have become implicitly concealed between the parties involved that no other ear should hear it - “imule”-“aawo” (a traditional bond) that nobody has to divulge. The fifty page affidavit can never right the wrong that has been done so far. The best of lawyers to hear the case, the judge that will adjudicate in the matter and eventually win the case in favour of either party will never change the pain and hardship inflicted.
Tell me; what kinds of case will a son desires to win against his father or vice versa? This insanity must be laid to rest. The world is not bothered about who is suffering or crying but about who is making meaning with his life. The success that took a life time to achieve should not just be thrown into the shambles in a moment owing to the fit of anger and bitterness. The horrendous plot of the enemy at work is fast achieving the desired result .But at this point in time, it is not too late for everybody to sheath the swords and start a new life.
They say when two elephants fight, the grass underneath suffer. The implication of the war today will have an adverse impact on the younger generation who are yet to understand their right from the left. Permit me to say that if this war is allowed to continue and an eventual judgement was given in favour of either the father or the son, of what benefit would it be at the end of the day? I believe that only mad friends or family members of this great family will take side and jubilate with the victor and cast aspersion on the vanquished. All the parties involved in this frenetic show should try to reconsider the entire travesty and make reality come to fore. This as far as I am concerned is a matter that has gone beyond the issue of father and son but Nigeria as a whole. The person in question is the man who by virtue of his dedication to service, integrity and respect for the constitution of the country has put Nigeria in an enviable position in the history of the nations. In spite of the delicacy and power available to him in office, which could have been the reason for the continuity, he handed over his administration to a democratically elected president in Nigeria. It must be noted that in the age and time when it was fashionable among African leaders to continue in office and succeed themselves, he change the tune of the music. Nothing at this level should be too enormous to be done to bring sanity to the situation, at least for the sake of this great nation –Nigeria.
My philosophical stand point is that, if we don’t offend one another, it may be difficult to fraternise more intimately. All of this has happened in order for the father and son to start life afresh on a new platform. I encourage the son to have the grace to forgive the father and move on with life while Baba should also do the same. Some may say ‘the enemy simply has done this.’ Let this matter be handled in the courtyard of Baba Iyabo and not in the market place anymore. Enough is enough. Baba, ma binu, iwo Gbenga, ma baraje. Let peace reign.
Segun Imohiosen National Press Centre, Abuja.
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