Anyone who has been reading this column diligently for the past three weeks would see that Comrade Dr. Osagie Obayuwana’s Comrade Jonathan Ihonde’s first memorial lecture was designed to be more than a remembrance of the pre-eminent activist – who was, to boot, a thorough Awoist. His posthumous autobiography will be released next year. I hope that this fact which cannot be divorced from his career will be in the autobiography.
I have no doubt that this theme will be there. Comrade Ihonde died at a relatively old age, but he never before his death at well above 80 years lost his story-telling skills in which I personally admired his sustained and coherent narration and argument. As his time to depart from us drew near and nearer – without my realising it – he intentionally became more aphoristic, relaying and conveying his thoughts in ironic hints and short flashes. I hope that we shall see what I am hinting at in his autobiography.
I am saying all this to stimulate thoughts in those who are in charge of the production of the autobiography that was mentioned during the questions-and- answers-and-remarks-time after the lecture. I do not want to be misunderstood. This is not an epilogue – or a quasi-epilogue to Comrade Obayuwana’s lecture. It is not even a deliberate attempt to summarise the lecture – after all said and done.
But the gleaner found it hideously ironic that two years into President Tinubu’s presidency, his ideas, his pre-presidential ideas as a comrade and activist, have been perverted by himself almost beyond recognition. Comrade Obayuwana gave more than a hint of this. Was his aim to stimulate thought in others in his attempt to tell us and underscore the point that President Tinubu hid from us his human nature darker motives? Or are we misunderstanding the president? Or have we mis-understood the president who has been busy with how to be re-elected in 2027 instead of devoting himself squarely to governance and the nationalistic, patriotic and humanistic need to lift the masses from their pathologically wretched state? His failure so far to save all of us from the obscene hunger in the land indicates or seems to indicate that our president is a reactionary after- all – meaning that our activist has been de-mystified or that he himself has de-mystified himself.
But let the gleaner state here that a reader who wishes to remain anonymous sent me this one-line message: “You have de-mystified President Tinubu.” This was after his reading the three instalments of the memorial lecture. Now before further thoughts on the matter let me produce pertinent messages from three readers.
Dr. Reginald Facah:
Good morning, Prof. Finally, I had to read the Ihonde treatise 1 and 2. Part one was excellently communalistic but the eclecticism of Part 2 was quite evident in the image of your thought pattern in the essay. Part one was easily accessible to all and sundry, the masses and everyone. But Part 2 went for the language elevation mode and not a few readers would be lost. However, they made for very enjoyable reading and recalling the life and times of the brain behind Nigeria’s greatest soap opera! Hotel de Jordan was certainly worth it. But surely, you are a mass writer for the masses. Keep it that way, Sir. After all, na popular side dey make football match sweet, not the VIP section.
Just my 2 kobo thoughts this morning, Sir, as I set out this dawn, this morning, this new month, my birthday month on a cold, cold morning with wispy, tiny Italian spaghetti-like rain drizzle on a macadamized thoroughfare.
Professor Owojecho Omoha:
“He was with them, but he was not with them,” doubly double the duplicity of the man, his type, their type. The Idoma man would say, “Amoaanan! (“Don’t you see!) “Don’t you see!” is the memory of what happened many days, many months, and many years ago. “Don’t you see!” is the first remark and the oldest remark in recollecting the past. How can the one who always sat at the back in the heydays of Abacha, saying nothing, now sit at the front thinking Abacha, say something?
We are in it TA, the TA!. What your essay on remembering Ihonde has done is that of pulling the ear of the advanced reader: Don’t trust he who sits, saying nothing. If you hold him by the hand, he would cry, my legooo! If you hold him by the leg he would cry, my handooo! The man can’t just be trusted, sitting at the back, saying nothing, and now sitting at the front, remembering Abacha embodies dictatorship masquerading as democracy and a democrat in our country.
Mr. Anonymous:
The Constitution the way it is, was framed by one man: Abacha, and the plan was for him to perpetuate himself in power and become a military president like IBB. In the absence of the dictator, the politicians, using the lawyers, put the 1999 Constitution (even though amended) to use to feather their nests, line their pockets and suppress the people. If I was at the National Assembly, knowing that an amendment of the constitution would take away my perks, would I be amenable to a review of the Constitution? If I am a lawyer knowing that my clients at the NASS would pay me millions to cover their tracks, will I be pushing for an amendment of the constitution? Herein is the Catch 22 of where we have found “weself” in Nigeria today. I thought that the lawyer who made those eloquent presentations would have addressed those issues, sir.
Nobody who takes a glance, even an un-good one, at the quoted readers’ thoughts will – or may – find it hard to agree with them that our president is only responsive to the stimuli, his stimuli of President Tinubu the un-keeper of his words. The masses, including those who voted and did not vote for him, have since found out that he is only responsive to the stimuli of the political art that behaves toward the reality of his own dream that has no place or room for the people. Indeed, he has no pleasant images of and for the people including my good self and your good self – each and every one of you. He has no consideration for us and our high and low professions and occupations and existence. The finest specimen, the very best, the most precious modern marble – Chief Obafemi Awolowo – arguably of Nigeria that Yoruba gave Nigeria has been kneaded, like clay, out of our consciousness by President Tinubu who we mockingly and pityingly can label the endemic un-keeper of his words. Today many Nigerians are crying and howling: “No to Yoruba president and presidency again!”
Our president, our Emilokan, is a political mystagogue, a Yoruba political mystagogue, who is currently racing – toward 2027 – preparing and instructing for initiation, initiates, ready for initiation into the mysteries of his brand of politics. Many of them are outside of Yoruba land. But they will learn sooner than later that he will turn out to be a reactionary whose insight into their essence will debase them in a manner that they will not be willing to acknowledge now or at the appointed time.
They should defect as they please to him if doing so will help and satisfy their whims and caprices. Now let me ask: Has the gleaner said all this to de-mystify our reactionary rebellious president? My loud answer is a No that is resoundingly No! No! No! No! No! No!
The Galactic Federation is advising and warning him through my nib to be the true president of Nigeria, the president of justice, fairness, ethics, equality, equity, morality, security, abundance, decency, love and selflessness that will make him feel himself to be godlike and stride with the kind of elation and ecstasy as the gods he and us all have seen in our dreams. It is not late for him to sing a new song. He will become our country’s real political work of art. But is he ready to sing a new song? Will he not continue to de-mystify himself until The Galactic Federation can no longer tolerate his excesses? Only the Emilokan and the Jagaban can answer the question for now.
Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.
