“I am a product of gifted INSULTS. “- BAT
“Hate speech is a specie of TERRORISM” – PYO
Our crowd-pleasing ace Afro-Juju music maestro, Chief Sunday Adeniyi, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, sang preemptively in one of his explosive and undying songs. And the audacious lyrical song speaks to the current conscience and consciousness of Professor Yemi Osinbajo-PYO, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu-BAT, and their minions.
The music of KSA goes thus: “Kíló mbẹ nígbó, tó ndún màhuru màhuru? Tó bá fẹ́ pani jẹ, kó kúkú pa ni jẹẹ, bí ò sì pa ni jẹ, kóyé dún màhuru màhuru mọ́ ni mọ́…”
The music’s literal translation goes thus: “What is in the bush terrifying us? If it can kill us, let it come out to kill us. If it is not going to kill us, let it stop terrifying us with an empty threat!”
Nigeria’s Politics is complicated. Only those who complicate their thoughts will understand Nigeria’s imports and rueful politics. In the political circles, Pastor Yemi Osinbajo is burdened as one of the political beneficiaries of Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Jagaban. On the other hand, BAT is viewed as a political benefactor to some of the Abuja politicians and other geopolitical leaders in Nigeria.
PYO and BAT, the two prominent Yorùbá political leaders, are now being dragged and entangled in the skirmishes of religion and politics. “PYO has to be” echoing by religious bigots, or “he is not to be” wailing by political nymphs! “BAT must not be” with rancor by hypocrites; but “he has to be” by AGIP—Any Government In Power! With grotesque repetition, Yorùbáland has again found itself in this self-inflicted political conundrum! Yoruba might again lose the political war of attrition as usual. Politics and religion in Nigeria are Abiku and evil identical twins. Yorùbáland is known for operation wet ẹ̀ kind of politics. Since the inception of nationhood, Yorùbá has always thrown out their beautiful babies with the bathwater. The vindictive Yoruba Tortoise had the opportunity in the first republic and was at the top in Abuja for eight years after the late evil man from Kano squandered the providential chance.
BAT’s endorsement of any political nymph is practically and politically imperative. Any attempt by enemies to undermine BAT’s political strength and leverage may spell doom for Jagaban’s political adversaries.
Be advised that BAT has never been this writer’s choice for President of the clustered Republic, but I am a realist and muse who appreciates skills and artistic prowess in other people. I don’t go by popular sentiments and fixated impressionistic statements about real or natural and imagined enemies. The political benefactor and his beneficiaries are in their lineage’s political quagmire and moral quandary. Some of us with independent minds are motivated by the goodness of a raped country. We will never waiver to reconstruct or deconstruct our politically battered psychology in Nigeria.
In a popular democracy, every individual is legally entitled to participate in the democratic process. Constitutionally, every ambitious and aspiring individual should be allowed and encouraged to vie for any political post. The manufactured mahurumahuru and brouhaha for the ambitious PYO and BAT are unnecessary and uncalled for. Let us create a level playing ground for anyone from our geopolitics across the country to exercise their fundamental rights to the exalted Abuja position. Bringing religion into Nigeria’s already fouled religious politics will further send us back into the abyss of our seasonal polity.
In the interim and absence of the sleeping giant—the Nigerian youth, let PYO declare his interest and intent to contest for the exalted position of the Nigerian President. Let PYO not be intimidated by the mahuru mahuru, confusion, and contradiction in the system. Let BAT not be reprimanded or willfully discouraged by a society structured on ignorance, selfishness, and emotional forces.
