By Gboyega Amoboye
In Yoruba mythology, tortoise is an animal credited with immense wisdom but considered dishonorable.
Viewers might remember the Oloja of Oja, Oba Adenle in the vintage but now rested Village Headmaster in one of their episodes, dancing to a solo, in mockery of a chief thus: “Brother tortoise when will you return from this your journey?” Tortoise replied;”Not until I have been disgraced”.
There is a Yoruba folklore ‘Eebu alo ni ti ahun (tortoise), ti abo ni ti ano re’ that seems to agree with the solo by ‘Kabiyesi, as Oloja was fondly addressed by his subjects. While still searching for an appropriate translation it goes thus: Mr tortoise went to steal yams from his father in-law’s farm and was caught red handed.
To humiliate him, his in-law tied him to a stake along a busy market road. In the morning, he was mocked by market women on their way to the market for his shameful act. But on their way back in the evening, the same market women still met tortoise at the stake. In annoyance, they turned their abuse on his inlaw. ‘Do you want to kill him? After all, he’s your in-law! One could find a correlation in Rauf Aregbesola’s rebellion against his mentor President Bola Tinubu in this shameful story of brother tortoise.
Aregbesola a former protege of President Bola Tinubu was former governor of Osun State. That Aregbesola was made politically by the President is said to be incontrovertible. That he was made governor by his mentor is also incontrovertible. According to political observers Aregbesola use to be lord of the largest local government in the country, Alimoso and also by the courtesy of Bola Tinubu.
That Aregbesola could rebel against his mentor and even now leading a gang of politicians to stop him in 2027 is considered a puzzle carried too far.
But what could have led to a case of Chinua Achebe’s ‘Falcon not hearing the Falconer?’. A well informed Yoruba leader told me recently that Aregbesola’,’ grievance was that he had been marginalised in Osun and Lagos State by the President. But to political observers this was the same Aregbesola who was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs by the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari apparently on the recommendation of President Bola Tinubu.
Unless if he were one of the ‘born to rules’ said a critic, one should be surprised that he could not stay out of power for a while to allow for fairness to others. It has equally been argued that there was no way he could have been left in the cold by the President if his loyalty had not been in doubt. My informant spoke of attempts being made to reconcile him with the President except that his’Omoye has already danced naked in the market Square’ But Marrie Correli in her novel Ziska said ‘,”even with a late repentance love pardons all.”. Will this be true of Aregbesola? “Time will tell”, says Jimmy Cliff.
Yoruba drummers are equivocators. One watched Aregbesola recently on the social media dancing to a rebellious gangan drumming, ‘praising him for daring his mentor. While dancing in reckless abandon to the consternation of viewers his apparently remorseful wife, Sherifat, called him to order.
Paradoxically, this group of gangan drummers are never loyal to anyone. It would not be strange tomorrow for them to turn the gangan against Aregbesola in eulogy of President Bola Tinubu if he wins the 2027 Presidential election thus; ‘Ta nibata ko subu. Aregbesola, ta nibata ko subu. Aregbesola, Oko Sherifa, ta nibata ko subu. Ojo esin nku si dede, alakori, ta nibata ko subu ‘ ( Kick Aregbesola with your shoe and let him fall down in disgrace).
