By Olumuyiwa RunseweAmpewon lomo Eran, Won huwa Omo EshinAmpe won lomo Eshin, Won huwa Omo GarawaAwon Eniyan Yepere, Ko to Siruwa lati se GadaFeniyan Yepere Yussuf Olatunji in the 70sTHROWING banters, direct abuses that are often times laden with deep rooted and stinging sarcarsms, were hallmarks of Apala, Sakara and Juju Musicians Ode to nso Eledumare, Ori Egun lo ma ku si was thought to be a warning shot from Ebenezer Obey to Sunny Ade, in 1969.Oro ija emi pelu Sunny Ade o, o ti pari, ko sogun mo also by Obey, was a proof of that trend. Abuses amongst Sakara and Apala Musicians were even more frequent and more direct. The listening Public was more interested in the relevance and applicability of the Proverbs and Philosophical Contents of those banters and abuses. Let us take this Evergreen piece by Baba Legba Alhaji Yussuf Olatunji against S. Aka, Baba Waidi, who was a foremost competitor to Yusuff Olatunji. The Masterpiece above was widely believed to have been a response to some earlier abuses from S. Aka. In response, Baba Legba released the above which when translated, goes as follows we initially called you Omo EranSon of a Goat, but your attitudes and utterances have made us promote you in our minds from the Son of a Goat to something worse, Son of a Horse. As if that our perception of you was not indicating of you enough, you have graduated from behaving and talking like the Son of a Horse to a level much worse, more rascally and most dysfunctional to people around youyou have graduated and turned to Omo Garawasomebody to resent and avoid completely!October 1st has come and gone; 60 years after Independence, most of Nigerians Professional and Business Class and increasingly, the Youths, both at home and worldwide are certainly burdened by some nagging and embarassing questions adroitly crafted by 3 Musicians in the past. In the words of Sunny Okusuns Which Way Nigeria, Which Way to Go' I love my Fatherland, I want to knoow; which Way Nigeria, is heading to'The second recording that reflects the mood of the moment was that one by Shefiu Ayan, the foremost and most threatening competitor to Baba Haruna Ishola in the late 50s and early 60s before his life was abruptly cut short. It goes like this: Kinikan nbenugbo ton dun mawuru, mawuruEru nba mi, Ominu nko mi, Shefiu Ayan, ki lon ko e lominu' A Tiri cannoti make a Foresti. Simply translated. There is loud and threatening danger, coming from the direction of the forest, sounding Mawuru Mawuru, threatening and dangerous. If it is going to kill us, I dont know. It it will harm us, I dont know, but I am suspecting a Lurking Danger ahead. All I know is that this lurking danger cannot be confronted by only one ManA tree cannot make a forest.As a Social Scientist, Development Economist, Engineering Contractor who 60 years ago, at the age of 12 years, was priviledged to line up in a March Past, representing Victory Primary School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan at the Liberty Stadium Independence Day Parade and witnessed all those dashed expectations; of the last 60 years. I have opted to analyse the Journey so far throught the Proverbial Lamentations of Baba LEgba, Yussuf Olatunjis Famous Volume 17 CDAmpe won lo mo Eran, Won huwa Omo Eshin, ampe won lomo Eshiwon huwa Omo Garawa.The major attraction in this Yussuf Olatunjis masterpiece is that he despicts a scenario that graduates from a bad Situation (Omo Eran) and then mores on to a wose situation (Omo Eshin and eventually, to the worst possible scenario (Omo Garawa).To ease our understanding, let us compart-mentalise our analytical scenarios into 3 periods 1960-1966, 1966-1999; 1999-2020. Great Britain, the Real owners of Nigeria from 1914 to 1960(and sadly, uptill today) who forcibly, selfishly and mischievously merged hundreds of Incompatible tribes, Cultures and Religions into an Unholy and unworkable whole from 1914 to 1960 knew what they wanted. The Northern Peoples Congress was deliberatly arranged to dominate Nigeria, so Britain could continue to influence resource control and commercial decisions after 1960 made no pretension about their long term intentions to impose their culture, religion and model administration over every other tribes and religion. That probably explains why, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Leader of the Action Group and the Leader of Opposition in the House of Parliament was invited to the Eve of Independence Handover Ceremony at Tafawa Balewa Square but was not allocared a Seat! A well wisher had to look for a seat for him in an area allocated to Ex-Service Man! What a shame!Looking back now, Tafawa Balewa Government seemed to have made the decimation of the Action Group and showing the leader, Chief Awolowo, the gravity of his Political smallness and irrelevance in a future Nigeria.If we are not going to be economical with the Truth, most of Prime Minister Balewa and his NPC/NCNC coalition were directed against Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Action Group. Let us recall the sponsored crisis inside of the Western House of Assembly' Remember the Mischievous appointment of Dr. Koye Majekodunmi as Sole Administrator of Western Region' Remember the Restrictions of Action Group Leading Lights' Remember to Coker Commission of Enquiry' The Remeber the alleged coup by Awolowo and Enahoro and their subsequent imprisonment' Remember the outrageous rigging of the Western Regional Elections of 1964, which resulted in a deliberate onslaught against common sense by defiantly imposing Chief S. L. Akintolas NNDP on the Western Region.Remember the sensible but badly timed creation of the Midwest out of the Western Region' How much more sensible would it have been if the Northern behemoth had been broken into those components crying for seperation from the suffocating hold of the Caliphate.Simply put, the first 6 years of independence, 19601966, were mainly devoted to cutting Chief Obafemi Awolowo to size and showing him the gravity of his smallness in their own vision of a future Nigeria. It can be sakely argued that the January coup and the July counter coups were Manifest consequences of Mischief in high places.If we hold on to the Yussuf Olatunjis Narrative, the 2nd phase, 1966-1999, was worse than what the Rulers and Owners of Nigeria could offer to the people of Nigeria between 19601966. Let us take a look. The January Coup, the July Counter Coup, the Killing fields in most Northern Nigerian cities, the ill-fated Abuni Accord, which, if the truth most be told was the most sensible and most intelligently crafted summary of the way out into a future Nigeria. But it was dead on arrival. The war against Ojukwu and Biafra, the end of the Civil War and the famous Gowons declaration of No Victor, No Vanquished.Of course, there was a Victor. The Federal Forces were the Victors. Who were those in the Federal Forces' Who were those in the Officer Corps and in the Top echelonof the Various Armed Forces' If we take a very close look, they were members of what the erudite Patrick Utomi refers to as The Class of 66. From 1966 to date, they have ruled Nigeria, either directly or through their proxies. All their laws, all their rules, all their regulations, all their constitutions, all their state creations have all been imposed on all of us with an I BEFORE OTHER mindset.19661999 were largely dominated by General Yakubu Gowon, General Muritala Mohammed, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Sheu Shagari, the NPN, UPN and GNPP. It was the era of General Mohamadu Buhari, PresidentGeneral Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, the imfamous and self-serving entry into Organization of Islamic Countries, of Commercialisation and Privatisation, of massive devaluation of the value of the naira against major currencies of the World. 19961999 was the Era of Infamous Gideon Orka Coup and his ill-advised plan to extricate the Fulani States from the Map of Nigeria. The Bible says there is an appropriatement of Gods Timing!1966-199 were years of General Sani Abachas, sadistic and horrendous Assault on our Collective Psyche.19661999 were the years General Babagida lured and encouraged all Presidental Aspirants into an All-Commers Market, funded them and assured everyone of becoming President but, at the last minute, disappointed and disqualified them all. The most famous date since Independence. June 12th, 1993 and its sour consequences was a part of this era. The infamous emergence of Chief Earnest Shonekan as the Interim President and the subsequent but predicative entry of General Abacha and his agonising, suffocating and Cruel Military Rule over us, and sometimes extending his make-believe Empire to Liberia and Siera Leone. The arrest imprisonment and shocking death of Chief M.K.O. Abiola, sequel to that of Abacha who had died a month earlier were vital contributions to the shape and content of the 3rd phase and the Mindsets that galvanished together to dictate what the future should be and would be. The Owners of Nigeria were at work!Welcome to the 1999-2020. After enduring all the paius, shocks and embarrassments of 19601999 Nigerians had justifiable reasons to be optimistic about the future of peace, progress, in fact, if possible, plus, including National Unity. The emergence of General Obasanjo and the PDP 1999, in a nutshell a benefit of the doubt by Nigerians.However, Things began to Fall Apart as soon as the new democratic Government started to wade through the Troubled Waters of Governance The Made-In-Kano 1999 Constitution, seems to be a deliberate brick wall, specially constructed by the Owners of Nigeria against the manifest destiny of 200 to divide Tribes against Tribes, Cultures against Cultures and worst of all, Islamic Worshippers against Christian Worshippers. That 1999 Constitution was a major reason President Obasanjo could not perform more than 30 percent of his potential. It is the reason all the Armed and Uniformed Agencies of Government have been so structured to favour only the owners of Nigeria. It is the reason why the Army and the Police are made to determine who wins any Presidential or Governorship and National Assembly Elections. Nigeria is the only country where President Umaru Yadua would stand on the podium of inauguration and declare that he knew that the Election that brought him to office was rigged and was still allowed to continue in office. 19992020 was the era of Doctrine of Necessity whereby a Vice President to be manipulated out of reckoning, so that a real and unadulterated member of the shareholders in the Nigerian Project, could emerge as President. 19992020 was the era of the Niger Delta Presidency! What did Dr. Goodluck Jonathan make of it' Hmmmm! No Comments! 19992020 marked the various attempts and the eventual emergence of Baba Himself, Major General and President Muhammadu Buhari. What has he and his people done with ' Hmmmalso no Comment! Let is conveniently hide under the Canopy of Felas hit song, oro se humnn, oro pesi je o, oro she hunmmm (the issues at hand are so glaringly obvious that it has swallowed whatever questions that would arise).If the truth must be brutally exposed, the Future of Nigeria will depend on Presidnet Muhammadu Buharis definition and perception of how he wants History and History Books to record his Life and Times. Sunny Okosuns has said his own and asked, Which Way Nigeria'Yussuf Olatunjis heavy duty Proverbial exposition should be enough Food for Thought for our Leaders to reflect on the past and decide if doing the same things the same way can produce different results as we step into the future.Runsewe wrote from Ibadan via Olumuyiwa @ gmail.com.
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