IN THE GAME' OF FOX POLITICS IN ALIMOSHO

By Razaq Adedeji Jimoh

He’s one of the new Honourable Councillors threw up by the vagaries of recent inclement political weather that hit the progressives’ clan of the political tribes in Lagos State. The manifest resulting upset of the sea tide in Alimosho corridor was so significant that many due for the sea bed habitation were to be found in the frontline of the power cache on land – seated, of course, on their respective sparkling white donkeys. But while the ride has not begun yet, our dear Honourable is already nodding his occipital in manifest feigning of his future pride to be enjoyed today.

Yes, from the pouch of Yoruba wisdom comes the adage: ”Ko si eni t’ama gbe gun ori esin ti ko ni ju’pako” – No one will ride on the horse without nodding his occipital. In context of this proverb as the wise should know, the operative condition for the rider to have the natural nodding of head is the horse on motion. But our dear Honourable here is rather throwing up his ipako in anticipation of the natural nodding to experience – an act worth a simile to shadow boxing of a sort before the main bout. For the rightful notion to impute to it in the language of philosophers, it may be described as an innate propensity to fractious pride that could make the lion underrate the killer lethargy of snake venom by contempting the rod-like tiny creature to launch its fangs for assault. Worst of all, our Honourable friend here is not even on a horse but set to ride on a donkey.

But this essayist would like to thank him for the intuitive privilege to cause this right of repartee to his oxymoronic silent loud statement for a clue to his mind lately at the last encounter at Omoba Boxing Day event.

The message here is to also give him a clue to his description of the emerging trend of politics in Alimosho progressives as “The Game”. Let the readers mark the inclusive article ‘The’ and its capitalization here to make a phrase as deliberate. “Se e ri game yen se n lo”, the Honourable so put it to this writer – meaning: ‘Can you see how the game is unfolding!” Of course, he did not deem it a question but an assertive statement of his challenge to this writer – as rightly denoted by the exclamation mark. Interestingly, this followed an earlier similar display of contempt at the event of a Leader giving out his daughter in marriage at Egbe.

While this observation of needless contempt could be personal enough to be ignored, overlooking it may not be helpful in addressing the issue of neo-politics he called The Game in alternative clear perspective outside his neophyte reading of the real politicking underneath and the potential future consequences.

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It was, therefore, a divine gratefulness that our Honourable would challenge me to a public debate for a discuss of the political topic: “The Game”. While agreeing with him about the rightfulness and perfection of the topic, it is the norm in the world of intellect to make a needful modification to a topic in line with any desirable cause to put the subject in clearer way. Hence my prospect to discuss it as “The Game of Fox” in the Alimosho neopolitics post the ruse of the February 13 impeachment of the House of Assembly Speaker, Right Hon Mudashiru Obasa. This, I think, will bring out the anticipatory beauty to make the engagement more interesting in the public glare.

This being my introductory part, I would rather lay the foundation with a clear definition of the ‘Fox metaphor’ intended here. And to make it more interesting, I would like to do that with a folktale of a Lion, its Fox aide and their Donkey neighbour. Please permit me to present this in clip of a video documentary that will enhance our understanding of who a Fox is.

The questions I would expect every reader to address their mind to after watching the clip are: 1. Is the Fox to blame for the eventual death of the Donkey? 2. That even between the Lion and the Fox, who is wiser? 3. Are the acts of the Fox to be described as cunning or cleverness?

PLEASE ENJOY THE VIDEO TO DRAW YOUR ANSWERS HERE.