The theory is that if a thief is chosen as a leader, society is likely to be pervaded by thievery. The leaders talk about not wanting a ruler that is not patriotic, seems to be mere rhetoric. They agonize about wanting one who has integrity, whose word is his bound. Someone who would not be vulnerable to the gust of the gale. Someone who does not trudge the trails of treachery to Ijesa land and her people. Someone who could be trusted. Someone that is reliable, dependable, sensible, responsible, conscientious, competent and more importantly, committed to Ijesa land. They publicly sermonize these things, yet many of the same elites, crawl around in the wee hours to coagulating in noxious configurations, to advance the course of undesirables to occupy the revered stool of Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa land.
Thus, as we witness series of betrayals, many hitherto respected personalities are justifying horrid and horrible acts that undermine the confidence and trust of the critical mass in Ijesa land. From the ludicrous and ridiculous to the horrendous and hideous, they echo scary inanities to deodorize malodorous acts as if we are arid of values. Many of these respected personalities, regarded as leaders in Ijesa milieu, are treating serious issues of perfidy, treachery and betrayal as a teacup storm. Watching their noxious exudations, done in a lackadaisical and languorous manner, one was aghast. Now, there is tension in Ijesa land.
We have two siblings from the same father. One is 76 and one is 72. One has a lot of money. The other, hangs on subsistence existence. And self-evidently, they are past their prime. One is accusing the other of perfidy. His basis for the accusation is the previous agreement that one of them would not contest for the Owa stool, since they are of the same father. One of these oldies believed his money would do the trick for him. The other believes that he would raise the money to claim his birth rights. And they are ready for the War of the Princes.
They both have been very aloof to Ijesa land and all the development efforts going on. By their attitude, they have demonstrated how much they do not care about Ijesa land. They are indifferent to the aspirations of the Ijesa people. They are distant and detached. They are standoffish and withdrawn. They are so supercilious and disdainful of anything that is Ijesa or that is important to Ijesa land. They are never anywhere to be found where the development of Ijesa land is being discussed. Yet, they seek to become Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa land, believing that their money would do the trick for them.
One of them was a deputy governor of Osun State. He demonstrated his love for Ijesa by choosing an Ekiti man as his Press Secretary. He could not find one among the competent professionals of Ijesa origin across the land, not even in the whole of Osun State, if he did not want an Ijesa. People have been asking if there was any Ijesa man that was empowered during his tenure as Osun State deputy Governor? Then, the question arises, when was the last time he visited Ilesa? What does he really know about Ijesa land? A place he had abandoned for more than three decades? How could one live in Nigeria for over three decades and did not think it worthwhile to visit the place of his birth?
Currently sequestered in one of his friend’s houses in Ilesa, he has absented himself from everything Ijesa. He and his sibling who are fighting over the Stool of Owa have shown contempt for Ijesa land and the dreams and aspirations of Ijesa people. They have done more for Abuja and Lagos than Ilesa and Ijesa land. Ijesa land is not anywhere on their radar by any stretch of imagination. Yet, they are tussling to occupy the Owa Stool? How could they benefit Ijesa land with this kind of trajectory? “Omo ti yio ba se amodun, eyinkise li a ti a mo.” How does either of them benefit Ijesa land? How do they intend to propel Ijesa land to the next level when they are not in position to isolate their hopes, dreams and aspirations? What kind of Owa would they be? The wisdom of our forefather instructs that Oju to ba maa ba ni k’ale, kii ti aaro se ipin.
Then there is the case of his younger cousin, who is the Lumobi of Imobi – Ijesa. The 76 years old former deputy governor had promised his cousin severally that he would NEVER contest for the stool of Owa Obokun of Ijesa land. The Lumobi had approached him to seek his approval, and he had blessed the Lumobi’s effort, desire and aspiration. He had even taken Lumobi around and let everyone that cared to listen know that Lumobi was his candidate!
Suddenly, everything changed. One’s investigation as to why this kind of treachery would occur showed that the only explanation being given is that our former deputy governor was under pressure! Which pressure? And from whom? What this shows is that our former deputy governor, if he would not and could not keep his promise is that he is not a man of honour. It means he has no spinal cord. It means he could not be trusted.
If he promised the Ijesa people that he would serve and protect Ijesa land as Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa land, and any pressure surfaces from anywhere that they would like to buy Ijesa land, he would gladly sell Ijesa land? And his excuse would be that he was under pressure? I am very sure that Ijesa people do not want a coward as their Owa Obokun Adimula!
Then, there is the issue of gold mining in Ijesa land. Our former deputy governor was reported to be fully involved in this. He and his co-travelers have been making tonnes of money from their mining activities. Yet he has not deemed it fit to do anything of note in Ijesa land. He has not been involved in any developmental efforts in Ijesa land. The palace was built, he was nowhere to be found. The Geriatric center was built, he was nowhere to be found. The Scholarship Fund project was done. He was nowhere to be found. The Leventis Foundation Agricultural School project was done. He was nowhere to be found.
I have looked at the membership of all great social clubs in Ijesa land, the name of our former deputy governor is conspicuously missing! Same thing in the many progressive associations geared towards the development of Ijesa land, he is nowhere to be found. Despite being enormously rich, he has never raised his finger for the development of Ijesa land. Even, when they were trying to rejuvenate the memory of their father in the Owa Obokun Adimula Palace, one was informed that everyone went through hell to get him to contribute ordinary one million. And he contributed the one million naira after the project has been completed!
Omo ti o ba so ile nu, o so apo iya ko.
Another contestant from the Ofokutu branch of Bilaro Ruling House, a distinguished Professor, is 82 years old. He is better than some of the others. But he is not very enamoured about the progress of Ijesa land either. He is an isolationist. His aloofness from the Ijesa milieu is of great concern. He does his things alone and has not been involved in the mainstream of developmental efforts in Ijesa land. One has heard that he was determined to occupy the Owa Stool if only for six months before he dies! One has not heard that statement directly from him, but if that were true, nothing could be more evidential of a dangerous genre of selfishness. That could never be in the interest of the Ijesa people.
He had been at Ilesa to dedicate the Owa Ofokutu Memorial Ecumenical Centre to the memory of his great grandfather who had been an Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa land in the 18th Century. Through this he showed that he was connected and brought heavyweights to Ijesaland. They included two former heads of state, retired Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abubakar Abdusalaam, as well as the sitting Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at that time. But he did not deem it fit to include the Owa’s palace in this arrangement to honour the sitting Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa land, Oba Adekunle Aromolan. He brought his guests, who came, saw and just left like that!
By every definition, this was a contemptuous act and a snub. It is a form of disrespect to the stool of Owa, the same stool that he is seeking to occupy with a do or die attitude now. Afterall, he was dedicating a monument to the memory of another Owa Obokun of Ijesa land. Grapevine sources confirmed that he has been calling his powerful friends to prevail on the process to ensure that he takes over the Stool. To him, Owa’s Stool is an end in itself. That is very uncharitable. Very mean and insensitive. Inconsiderate and egomaniacal. The Ijesa people do not want such a self-obsessed, self-absorbed, self-seeking and self-serving carpetbagger. He is definitely a very dangerous candidate, no matter how anyone looks at it.
Lies never last, History never dies and the TRUTH is always constant.-Remi Oyeyemi
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