dabiraolorunfemi@gmail.com
The depth of Yoruba wisdom is immeasurable. And when trying to examine the nobility of a race like the Yoruba, the best is to look into the corpus of Yoruba proverbs one of which says: Ti iya nla ba gbe’ni san’le, kekere a maa g’ori eni (when a man is a victim of a big insult, tiny ones would feast on him).
There is nothing one has not seen or read in the crooked hands of hirelings and stooges of godfatherism in the past few days. From the tutored to the crudest, from the half sane to the raving lunatic, a serious question raised at a programme addressed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai some two weeks ago has ruffled the tender feathers of the ghosts and champions of godfather dominance in Nigerian politics.
When one then thought that, since it is the direct brief of the praise-singers and attack dogs of a certain newspaper outfit to malign anyone courageous enough to challenge the right of ownership of their godfather over the leadership of Nigeria, recent vituperations by one failed blogger whose heritage is shrouded in sleazy antecedents really leaves one wondering about the health status of shame in recent times.
The case of the former is pardonable as it is almajiri journalism that sustains their survival. I know that their lazy gums cannot survive without the crumbs strewn by their godfather and he who stakes a goat must provide it with cassava peals.
I read in a recent post by one Wole “Arisekola” questioning the pedigree and academic qualifications of Dr Muiz Banire, SAN simply because he dared to give a voice to the still conscience of many whose future has been compromised by the stifling grip of godfathers in Nigerian politics.
In a cheap write-up full of bile and ill-will, Wole “Arisekola” exposed his rump to the whole world by attempting to thrash what remains of his small intellect growing smaller.
It is a matter of public knowledge that Dr. Muiz Adeyemi Banire, SAN, is a proud son of Alhaji Suberu Banire of blessed memory whose towering reputation as a successful public servant (and not a politician) was never in doubt till his death and thereafter.
One do not need paternity test to know that omo ajanaku kii ya’rara, omo ti ekun ba bi, ekun nii jo (a scion of the elephant is never a pigmy, whatever is sired by a tiger is its carbon copy). For those who grew up with him or are products of Mushin area will certainly know that he is a chip off the father’s old block.
Wole “Arisekola”, (whose disputed surname deserves to be in perpetual parenthesis for the reasons to be shown anon), needs a thorough examination of his birth circumstances and mental state as no true son would forsake his father the way he did.
In the first instance, if anybody is not proud of his heritage and paternity, it is this so called shameless Wole “Arisekola” that is the archetype. This is a character that has no blood relationship with the late Aare Arisekola Alao but has been dropping his name all over the country for material benefits.
He was only a passerby in transit with one of Aare’s children in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife where he ingratiated himself with the noble young man having discovered that their surnames are similar but of different origins.
Casual friendship blossomed into rigid acquaintanceship, Wole followed the young man home during vacations and had since then become close to the family more so that the generous spirit of Aare Arisekola Alao would not discriminate among his children and their friends.
Wole practically lived in the palatial comfort of his friend’s parents scorning his place of birth and disassociating himself with his humble beginnings.
Opportunist that Wole is, he jumped at the generousity of Aare Arisekola Alao and has since then been pretending to be one of the offspring of Arisekola dynasty. No other description fits him than a fraud and an ingrate as he became the scourge causing unending crisis and internal feud between Aare and his son till death of the iconic businessman and philanthropist.
Someone of such unenviable pedigree as Wole will definitely loathe any personality whose success he envies. For how on earth did Banire’s becoming a commissioner in Lagos State formed a migraine for this irredeemable failure whose political ambitions have always been slavish to the dictates of godfathers under whose imperial dominance he would forever remains a midget.
It is no news, therefore, that Wole is defending his fellow compatriot in identity problem as correctly captured by Yinka Odumakin recently.
His godfather, in a similar manner, was/is never proud of his root also. It may well be correct that their paternities are confused and probably products of dirty parentage.
The Yoruba have summed it up when they said Omo ale nii fi owo osi juwe ile baba e (only a bastard denigrates his parental origin). Wole “Arisekola” deserves no place in the comity of noble births.
That is why this piece condoles with him on the death of shame in his dictionary and the obliteration of nobility in his ancestry.
Again, as a result of selective amnesia, he forgot his godfather is the man with forged certificate, a fact known to the whole world when he chose to attack the academic qualifications of a great erudite scholar like Dr Muiz Banire, SAN.
But for the fact that you are a disgrace to upright and illustrious Ibadan ancestry, verifying BANIRE’s certificate is a matter of leisure walk to the prestigious University of Lagos where he obtained his three degrees.
Can his godfather boast of a genuine ordinary school certificate when he was the only one in his class in Government College, Ibadan? Beyond this, it is now convenient for his godfather to realize that he is a Yoruba man when all the while he had been pretending to be a nationalist.
A lazy lout that goes around begging for money and deceiving the unsuspecting public and government officials to be a publisher and son of Aare Arisekola Alao is jumping into a fray, the origin of which is beyond his drugged memory.
Would it not be better for Wole to go back to his paymaster for more information about his credentials rather than attacking someone whose academic prowess is legendary? That He was a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law of the great University of Lagos till his retirement into public service and published several intellectual writings. Even in his professional circle, he is highly respected.
Whether you people like it or not, your godfather’s time will soon be up, as no empire lasts forever.
I am waiting for your likes to ride the tiger and end up in its belly. Ire o.
Dabira Olorunfemi, a Public Affairs Analyst writes from Lagos
