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Oshodi chieftaincy controversy and moral tale of icarius

By Mufu Tijani
06 February 2022   |   3:46 am
Sir: Mythology, folktales and even stories from religious books are full of warnings against excessive pride by individuals, groups or organisations.

Sir: Mythology, folktales and even stories from religious books are full of warnings against excessive pride by individuals, groups or organisations. Also known as hubris, there are enough lessons to be learnt from literary figures such as Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost regarding the dark themes of vanity, ambition, power, insolence and disdain.

But perhaps the most known example of this is the Icarus syndrome, with its signature lack of humility. It has felled many leaders who planned grandly but failed miserably by overestimating their knowledge, foresight and ability.

The origin of this terminology is from Greek mythology. As the story goes, Icarus and his father, Daedalus, were imprisoned on an island by King Minos. To escape, Daedalus – a master craftsman – created two sets of wings made of wax and feathers. He warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, as the wax would melt. He also cautioned Icarus not to fly too low, as the feathers could get wet in the sea. His warnings, however, went unheeded. Icarus was so intoxicated by the experience of flight that he went higher and higher and he got too close to the Sun. As the wax in his wings melted, he tumbled into the sea and drowned. 

The saying, “don’t fly too close to the sun” is a reference to Icarus’ recklessness and defiance of limitations.

Now, one might ask, what has a tragic Greek hero got to do with the rumblings over the vacant stool of the Baale of Oshodi in Lagos, Nigeria? It has plenty to do with it, as we have started seeing. Lagosians have been gripped by what amounts to an audacious assault on time-tested hereditary succession that has produced all the past Baales of Oshodi by latter day strongmen and their politician allies.

Despite warnings and public protestations by the Oshodi royal family, there are daily newspaper reports of efforts by some individuals that are not members of the family – but who appeared to have created their own alternative storyline – to grab the Oshodi stool for themselves. In fact, following widely publicized reports, the Regent of Oshodi kingdom, Alhaji Biliaminu Akinola took the media to distance himself from a reported support for a contending party. Akinola said: “The report is nothing but false and misleading. It was invented to manipulate the entire process and misinform the general public.”

Surely, ambition is to be supported and even encouraged. But such ambitious energy needs be focused on legally acceptable projects.

Icarus syndrome characterises leaders who initiate overly ambitious projects that come to naught, causing harm to themselves and others in the process. Often, these leaders have let adulation go to their heads (what the Yoruba call the ‘Maa jo lo, mo n wo eyin re’ syndrome.)  Fuelled by excitement, these leaders are unable to rein in their misguided enthusiasm before it is too late.
One can only hope that saner heads would prevail and the temporal powers-that-be would support the established Baale of Oshodi succession plan, and not do anything to distort or disrupt it.

• Mufu Tijani

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