I seek to draw lessons from the fate of Adams Oshiomhole of the All
Progressives Congress (APC). Both currently suffer at the hands of their own
creations, begging to breathe. The North grieves, wailing at the feet of its
wild, untamed murderous boys; Adams is gasping in the grip of his audacious
disciples. It is not funny at all.
The men rolling Oshiomhole in the mud today were the boys he used in
retiring the principalities of the past. Nietzsche warned that whoever fights monsters
should see to it that in the process, he does not become a monster. 'And if you
gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.' I doubt if
Oshiomhole thought about this when he was boasting about sacking godfathers in
Edo and plotting to replace their common cold with his own deadly virus. Again,
there is wisdom in benefitting from disagreements, especially with family and
friends.
Emperor Oshiomhole did not know that both the axe and the knife have
their individual usefulness; each with its wisdom. And the elders have an
elegant way of putting this across. They say a wise man never knows all; only
fools know everything. Each time I watched Oshiomhole dance to beats of cocky
wisdom, I always wished his friends would shove this proverb in his face before
it was too late. Now, it is too late; omóye has danced naked into the very
centre of the market. The national chairman of Nigeria's ruling party lost his
seat in Abuja because he was suspended from the party at his village. Even if
the rebellious godson is finally defeated at the coming polls, he has shown
that the feet of the garrulous godfather is made of mere clay.
Leadership makes a lot of difference in the lives of many people. Think
of Nigeria's North and its roiling insecurity and the recent news of a
presidential rebuke of security chiefs. That, obviously, was President
Muhammadu Buhari saying good morning at night time (ìgbàyí l'àárò). At what
point did he become aware of the failure of leadership in the security sector?
Does he even know that the president of Nigeria is also the commander-in-chief
of the armed forces? This failure is extended also to the president's political
party. Where the leadership is right, a small house will host a million persons
peacefully. That is what APC lacks in Buhari and Oshiomhole which is steering
the party's ship towards disaster. It was what PDP tragically lost which cost
it power in 2015.
Buhari's bumbling leadership represents the very best the North can
offer Nigeria. With all that northern Nigeria has creamed off our country in
resources and leadership since Lord Lugard grafted it on Nigeria, would it look
at itself and say it has made a pass mark? If it has been a success as a
region, its house of cards won't come crashing at the hands of its wanton boys.
Would anyone say, truly, that Oshiomhole was a success as party chairman? His
hubris was his Achilles heel; his nemesis his own 'cheated' and insulted boys.
Priests who lack decorum almost always get sacrificed to their own deities. When
the Yoruba say a worshipper does not throw snails at the gods (a kìí fì'gbín
s'òkò s'óòsà), they are emphasizing the place of decorum in human actions and
activities. The seed of rudeness which Oshiomhole planted while kneeling, the
planter cannot now uproot standing up. Just like the fallen APC leader, the
North too is in the slaughterhouse of its untrained children.
By Lasisi Olagunju
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