THE LAME WITH EYES AND EARS: A PERSONAL ADMONITION TO BISI YUSUF, EYES OPEN, ET AL

**WHEN A SEARCH FOR AFFINITY BECOMES MORBID OBSESSION

By Razaq Adedeji Jimoh

In his book – Once a Girl-child – due for public presentation soon, Toyo C. Ngem describes music in its natural value to the society. He says: “In my understanding, music is a fluid poetry with high viscosity. The viscous speaks to the witty depth of its message”. He also went further to quote Tatalo Alamu (pen name), as saying music is also “the fruit of life” because of it nexus with redemption of humanity. To confess it, I must say I could find the verity for these two writers’ view in the music of Fuji creator, the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, to lay the foundation of this my appeal to the Alimosho politicians desperately in search of political affinity. It is only unfortunate that their desperation would become so morbid in obsession that their conducts would appear demeaning enough to pose threats to the stability of Alimosho progressives community. The Ayinde Barrister’s evergreen album in question should suffice in redeeming for those holding the pole of mole as agent of “external aggressors” in conspiracy against their own community. The lyrics say: Aro to loloju to leti – The lame with eyes and ears

To n di’te sara adugbo – Plotting against his community

Pe k’ogun o de – That there should be war

Anu won se mi (chorus) – I pity them

Tabi kosi kosi sugbon nbe – There is no doubt about it

T’ogun ba de tan – When the war comes

Aro ni lati b’ote lo – The lame must be consumed by his conspiracy

Interestingly, the Fuji maestro entitled the album “The Truth”. And just peradventure, I conceived the theme of this missive to be same even without any conscious relevance of the music as possible part of the materials to be used here. In composing my own ‘truth’ for this discuss, I had come from the angle of its perpetual denial to wonder whether it is the act of politics to think it right in denying truth when it is even glaring to your face. But Ngem, in the same book, says no and argues it further that it is the character of man that steals the body and face of politics for impersonation. He says: “Politics is universally of good behaviour. That is why the bad characters that act in its face and body never last or lasts to be shamed on the long run”.

In nexus to this missive, the message of this Barrister's lyrics speak directly to the gambit of some politicians in Alimosho. And of particular interest to me among them are Hon Bisi Yusuf and Hon Olufemi Adebanjo ("Eyes Open"). The reason I pick them for isolation must be obvious to the discernible politicians of the progressives genesis in the Federal Constituency. It should nevertheless be flogged for the desirable reality. From the knowledge of a recently published story in which the de facto Apex Leader of the progressives and apparently political leader of Alimosho was quoted to have asserted her leadership capacity, it should be conclusive that a veritable case of conspiracy to distabilise Alimosho progressives’ base has been established. Also from the complementary SOS call to the state leadership of the Lagos APC, supposedly made by a group – Concerned Voices of ‘One-Alimosho’ Leadership Line – it could also be established that identities have been tagged with the plotters of the conspiracy. Cardinal James Odumbaku was unveiled as one of the two alleged “political territorial ambitionists”.

In trailing the unfolding events around the issue, another writer was found to have implicitly pointed finger in the direction of the Speaker of the Lagos House of Assembly, Right Hon Mudasiru Obasa, as his accomplice. We may therefore tag these two as the ‘principal aggressors’ to be consistent with their alien status to Alimosho. However, the subject matter of this piece is to address their internal moles – portentously ‘the lames conspiring against their community’.

It must first be acknowledged that the barbaric invasion of Acme on June 24 by the Alimosho TMM brought the current controversy around group. I should say for fact that two articles have come out from the group's hagiographer since the June 24 misconduct.None of them addressed any matter of remorse from its leaders. The one -- the first -- merely reflected on a purported false skill of how "Justice Forum, BATCO coup against TMM was thwarted at Acme". The other reflected on another purportment in sophistry of how Ojelabi denied "suspension of thoUsands of APC members in Alimosho". Having read the both, it is only natural that I would be impulsively drawn in with the full knowledge of the whole fact at my disposal to set the record as it should be. As Yoruba would say, Aisi ni'be lai bawon dasi -- literally that to be there is to contribute your quota.

Therefore, there should be no basis for me to feign ignorance of who are the internal collaborators. From my privileged vantage position with knowledge of the crevices of this Federal Constituency, I should boldly say I knew about the origin of the invasive plot – I mean when and how Baba Eto made his recruitments from those I would rather identify as the ‘political free radicals’. The question now is how did this radicals evolve? They were discharged into the systemic politics of Alimosho from the radioactive fission of Asasi syndrome that hit the “Oranmiyan Dynasty” (as per Toyo C. Ngem in his book). It was the consequential implosion of the Dynasty – Mandate group if you like – that released these political free radicals, who would later begin their search for a new leadership affinity.

It was in this light I identified the two political figures -- Bisi Yusuf and Eyes Open -- since they began their radical quest for a new affinity. But I did not expect them to go this mile of holding the pole of mole for external aggressions against their own political ancestral origin. And now that they feel that to be the best of their own way, it is thus necessary to remind them of the backlash through the piece of musicAl admonitions above. That b'ogun ba de aro ni lati b'ote lo -- when the war comes, it must consume the complicit lame conspirators. The assurances of this should not be farfetched in the contemporary case of same anomaly going on in Alimosho.

In any ways it may be viewed and at any perspective anyone may wish to incline to it, the truth has come to dance in the open market square of Alimosho. And where ever and whenever the truth dances, it is to celebrate the burial of falsehood that has lived long. As it stands today and as far as Alimosho is concerned, it is established for truth that the political leader of the Federal Constituency is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDG), Princess (Dr.) Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire (OFR). It is also established that it is not likely, anyone from Alimosho might attain this height in the next two decades of this democracy from the current crops of politicians. It is a statement of fact that is backed with empirical basis of the prerequisite demand to attain the feat. When is it likely that another Senator for Lagos West District will emerge from Alimosho? Forget governorship to go for the lesser, when is Alimosho likely to get another slot of deputy governor from the current crop of senior and middle rank politicians? These two are the minimum qualifications you could have as a politician to qualify for induction into the prestigious rank of Governance Advisory Council (GAC) in ‘this contemporary time’. The clause ‘contemporary time’ is deliberate so that no one would get him/herself lost in the maroon of search for when Baba Eto was ever a governor or senator that made him the GAC member. Theirs belonged to the privileges of founding seniority.

The inference to be drawn from this truth is two folds. First, it could only amount to a chase of wild goose for anyone to think a search for another leadership affinity outside Joke Orelope's coroneted leadership right to Alimosho is a perfect hope of means to acquire local relevance. That should be a false hope that leads to nothing but despair on the long run. The second: It should not be out of place for me to say that any pretender tweaking in pretences to being the one – I mean Alimosho political leader – could only be roiling the polity with the illusion of his own fantasy. Such is the world of Obedients’ clan whose Nigerian ‘elected president’ exists only in Peter Obi in their wild imagination of lunacy and virtual community of ghost world called internet. Psychiatrists would describe the growth of such illusion to the latter phase of morbid obsession as a slip into inanity. Anyway, we also saw that in real world when an outgoing House of Representatives member would seethe Alimosho polity with the Goebbelsian lies he wished could suddenly turn truth that he was the authentic House of Reps Candidate for the 2023 general elections.

Given all this, my own prayer is that God should grant Her Excellency, the de facto Political Leader of Alimosho, more long life in the prosperity of her leadership. May the Queen reign long, so it is said not only in the British community, but in all communality of human aggregation. In professing this, it is forbidden to hold it by rote in the tip of tongue. It must be confessed from the heart. So must it be in the communality of Alimosho progressives. As Yoruba would say, Aroba fin l’oba pa. It does not necessarily conclude to mean physical beheading or the like. It goes deeper to the myth of mysterious backlash, however long it could take.

I do not know if anyone well grounded in the politics of Alimosho would want to disagree with me that Joke Orelope is highly favoured with devotional divine mystery around her political career, just as Asiwaju Tinubu's political sagacity has remained a myth to every Nigerian alive. Every curse you dare raise agains him is a prayer of double promotion for him. Aramanda okunrin, you say? Yes, that is it! And you can always find that in both gender. Thus the Orelope-Adefulie's Aramanda obirin too! Hence that I wonder why God would not want to take long in cause of defending her territory for her. Perhaps, many might not be seeing the incident of June 24 at Acme as a snippet of the consuming war. In the first place, the state leadership implicitly declared the none existentialism of TMM in Alimosho with the refusal to recognise it as a political stakeholder to reckon with here.

Curiously, this was not the initiative of the State Chairman, Apostle Cornelius Ojelabi. He was only heeding the directives of Mr. President who also doubles as the de fecto National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC). We were all living witnesses to the two President Bola Tinubu's declarative statements, both of which centred around the inconsequentiality of the dede kurukere TMM apologists in Alimosho. In the first, he said in my paraphrase that alters nothing in their exact meaning: 'I know no other leader in Alimosho beyond Joke Orelope'. The second: 'There are only two political groups that exist in Lagos: Justice Forum and The Mandate Group'. Only a fool would like to pretend that every organisation his no visage of human identity. In Agege, the face of TMG is the Speaker of Lagos. In Ojodu, of course Baba Eto is the face. Whether the two of them now wish to frolic with themantics of TMG for TMM is all about their interest. In Ikeja and Ifako/Ifako, it used to be Faleke. It has converted to Justice Forum. So, what could have been Ojelabi's offence in carrying out the directives of the National Leader?

That should be why the barbaric invasion of Acme by the TMM appeared to be the imminent sign of the war to consume the lames conspiring against their own community. It is coming in the manner of same potent Asasi myth. As Yoruba would say, T'olorun ba fe mu eda sina iwa lo ma gba lowo e -- when God is set to lead man astray, He would first of all deny him the act of good character. Yoruba describe that as Asise Syndrome. So it got worse for them that amidst the wide condemnation of the TMM barbarism, it was followed by the due comeuppance in alleged suspension of the violators. The punishment is itself the immanent sign of the war consuming the conspirator lames.

But the real fire of the full war lies ahead with the sitting of GAC over sub leadership matters across the state. Whether Alimosho TMM will take the same barbarism to them on the due date is what the discernible await to see. The question to ask is: Could these two state figures in co-membership of the GAC with Joke Orelope be pushing their offensives wilfully against her gender? It is not unlikely to get the right answer in the affirmative. What is to be clear is how far they would be able to go because Joke Orelope is not about to show any weakling perceivable about her feminist gender.

As for the local collaborators, what many may not know is that it goes beyond the peripheral of what the see and know about TMM. The dots connect way back to the origin and death of AUF. But time is far spent to dwell into that here. However, what is so sure about their end point is that ina ile leranko inu igbo ma ya gbehin -- literally that the bird will always come home to roost