Your country, my country, our country is currently burning with “burning” issues. It wasn’t my intention to give thought to any of them or to examine any of them here today. I am, however, trying to safe-guard myself as a columnist against tomorrow by uttering the little statements I am uttering now with regard to the burning issues I am going to name shortly.

Before then let me re-state myself: By my giving my little attention to what I am going to pay attention to now, I am only trying as a columnist, popular or unpopular, erudite or not erudite, to disembarrass myself. How or why would a columnist or a public intellectual or public commentator worth his or her salt not comment on public or burning issues of the day? What an embarrassment it would be if he or she is mum or neglects to make a note of any significant matter of public or of seeming public interest and concern?

Thus without irony of further debate with myself I decided to speak from my heart wholly and sincerely in a spirit of enlightened magnanimity or of abundant generosity – which is not and can never be short of generous generosity. My train of thought now derives from this consideration and understanding.

The first burning issue which I am starting with – is the popular – or better defined by me as the notorious Farotimi-Babalola tug-of-law. I am amused by it. And everything I have been reading from and by especially those who can easily pass as the pro-Farotimi folks and anti-Babalola chaps is particularly out of tune with the practicability of the truth or of the fact of the matter which they want to promote or are promoting.

So far as I can perceive it or as I am perceiving it they have turned or are turning Aare Afe Babalola who has claimed to be defamed into the under-dog rather than the top-dog. Afe Babalola, SAN, is no mean lawyer. He is a top, top Nigerian lawyer whom many Nigerians have been schooled to see and accept as a law genius and as someone who has lived the life of a man of genius.

His accomplishments in law and outside the practice and teaching of law, whatever his traducers may say, speak volumes and take the pattern of inevitability associated with the man of sound sense. He is thus very equipped as the top-dog in the drama that Farotimi has created and dragged him into.

In the eyes of the “human rights” preachers and advocates who have taken the case of the duo into the court of public opinion the young, upstart of a lawyer and possessor of a caustic rhetoric and tongue, is the top-dog-who shall and must defeat the now down-trodden Afe Babalola. How has the mighty one fallen! But is this real or can this ever be real ultimately? Time will tell from its womb at the appointed time that it will instruct it to tell us what it must tell us.

But what the pro-Farotimi folks and human rightists have dished out and are dishing out is half of the truth or far from the truth: Many of them – like this poor man, yours – very sincerely, have not read the book whose claims against his reputation and person Afe Babalola is contesting, challenging and has written a petition to the Nigerian Police about. Those who disagree with Babalola do so and are doing so – on the grounds of his method or procedure which enervated the Police to act as it has acted.

They are not saying that Aare Babalola has no grounds to allege that Dele Farotimi, the ebullient young lawyer of the Obidient camp, has defamed him. They are saying that one of this country’s ultimate lawyers should have adopted a different procedure or method to prosecute his case and fight for his rights which he is entitled to as Farotimi is equally entitled to his.

I am not a Barrister-at-law so I don’t brabble as a brabbler here. Or should I be brabbling as a brabbling brabbler now? In any case, should the anti-Babalola chaps be allowed to dictate – as they are dictating – to him how to go about his complaints/case? Suddenly they want Babalola to accept that they are better and smarter than him in the matter and business of law. Interesting times are here in your country my country our country! How disgusting are our interesting times! How disgustingly interesting and interestingly disgusting!

I have carefully read Aare Afe Babalola’s petition from the beginning to the end several times. I have my opinion which I am keeping to myself on several grounds. I have not read Dele Farotimi’s book so whatever I may utter here may not and will, in fact, not pass as an objective or balanced opinion – even though I have watched Dele Farotimi’s videos several times on the issue. Besides, the case is in the court already. I don’t want to be accused as an offender of the law. The courts of law, or better, of justice, will deliver their judgments dispassionately and impartially in line with what currently exists as our justice system as our constitution dictates.

But let me remark as follows: Whatever the disabilities of each party may be, may they even stand them in good stead in line with the impartial, dispassionate and objective practicability of the lower courts up to the Supreme Court.

Public opinion or crowd intimidation or gang up against the top-dog or bottom-dog from which angle anyone views the matter, this burning issue, should not matter and should not come into play or into contention or into consideration. No distractions of whatever colour or of whatever kind should be given any attention whatsoever by the law that is the law.

Let me, however, utter what may enter here or should pass here as an anti-conclusion. Let those who want to die or live dangerously Die or “Live Dangerously.” I have in my own peculiar way echoed Friedrich Wilheim Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher, poet and critic. The choice is Dele Farotimi’s and Afe Babalola’s.

Whatever happens, or, what will or that shall prevail must prevail. Live or un-live dangerously, Oh combatants! You will leave an everlasting legacy for our age and posterity. I say this as a literary detective in the manner of Nietzsche.

To be continued.

Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.