Congratulations, Old Chum! I hear you are into another idealism called APERO. I knew that you were up to something when you went MIA for more than six weeks on the Backpage. But I never knew you would get yourselves into another trouble for nothing! Aren’t you ever tired, especially when your efforts yielded nothing but fake democrats in the corridors of power? “
Opalaba was going to go on with his familiar tirade if I didn’t threaten to hang up the phone.
“Well, that’s your usual resort when you have no good response to reasonable inquiry”, he retorted.
By now every reader of this page knows my friend inside out. Opalaba is a force of nature, wildly patriotic, but unapologetically dismissive of the political elite he accused of ruining “our heritage of progress”.
“So, my simple question is “aren’t you tired of chasing after shadow?” Can anything good ever come out of this collaboration with the same old folks? I thought by Ghosh that you’re no fool. But aren’t you being made a fool of all over again?”
Now, I know when my friend is serious apart from when he’s just fooling around. This time, he’s serious and I thought that he genuinely felt for me, and I felt that I owed him an answer.
“Well, you have a point there”, I responded. “But you remember as well as I do, the axiom that we learned by rote memory in Standard 2: “When at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” How does one give up when nonagenarians are still pressing on? Even when they are contemptuously ignored by the new breed politicos, they are not silenced. They soldier on in the battlefield fighting for the truth they believe.
“Beside the elders, I am also inspired by the young folks who see the bleak future and are determined to avert it. These are successful professionals who seek nothing for themselves. They are however united in their disdain for the political class who think that they are smart because they have mastered the art of hustling and deceit. To be honest with you, my friend, I find this cohort a better sample of our common humanity, and I can go to the battlefield of idea and action with them without blinking.
“I am in Apero because they inspire me, and I share their rejection of the present quagmire of existence that our people are condemned to experience.”
Let me now address five categories of people with various issues or concerns, who don’t feel attracted to Apero. These include the tired, the wounded, the confused, restructuring advocates, and Yoruba nation activists. I am in a position to address them because I can relate to each of their concerns. I feel the pain of the tired, the wounded, and the confused. I can understand the certainty of the advocates of restructuring, and the courage of the secessionists is not strange to Egbe Omo Yoruba.
As Opalaba rightly observed, everyone in my generation should be tired. We have kept hope alive for the whole of our lives. We were the generation that welcomed independence with little flags and beautiful souvenirs in our tiny hands. We danced to the melody of Adeolu Akinsanya’s classic: mo là àlá mo dade owo. Mo là ala mo wewu òye, mo là àlá pé Nigeria gba independence, òmìnira ó ní yotomi. (I dreamed of a crown of wealth on my head. I dreamed of royal costume over my body. I dreamed that Nigerian has gained independence. Freedom in abundance.)
Since then, however, the dream has been shattered, and our efforts have been to no avail. What not to be tired of! But then, I see the remnants of those who fought for our independence still soldiering on. So, I pray for strength for the tired. I pray for healing for the sick. I pray for change in our circumstances. I pray that we be the change that we desire.
To the wounded, I know how you feel. You have been a warrior in many of the battlefields of our national struggle. You heeded the clarion call of keeping Nigeria one. You were a foot soldier in the war against military dictatorship. You thought the battle was won, only to discover that the enemies you fought and defeated emerged victorious and are calling the shots in the new republic. What is more, the ones with whom you fought side by side have also joined the enemies, and you are now alone to continue fighting for true democracy.
And you are battered left, right, and center by backbiters and hustlers. You are not made of steel. It is natural to feel wounded. So your instinct is to withdraw into your shell. You are not alone, and while I cannot ease the pain of disappointment, I can counsel against withdrawal, which is not a cure for your pain. You may want to focus on your immediate community, the place that birthed you and introduced you to life. Find like minds and do whatever you can for its development. That’s what Apero is about.
Now to the confused. Know first that your feeling is normal. At one point or another, we are all confused. Can I make a difference? What can I do to make a difference? What with the various approaches being canvassed? In the circumstances of our many challenges, confusion is normal. But it is a state of mind that must be overcome and transcended. That’s the demand of rationality. We overcome confusion by a deliberate act of choosing and sticking to our choice. Not doing anything is also an act of choice, but one that is against rationality, hence ill-advised.
Among the choices that some have made is the political one for restructuring or secession. For the confused, this adds to the challenge. Should I align with the advocates of restructuring or with the activists for Yoruba sovereign country? Adding to the challenge is the fact that, on this question, not a few have made the good the enemy of the better. Another irrational disposition for that matter!
So let me end this piece by addressing this dichotomy. APERO’s initial mandate was to provide a forum for a rational dialogue on which political pathway the Yoruba must choose in this late hour: restructuring or Yoruba sovereign country. Egbe Omo Yoruba, the primary sponsor of Apero, cannot be accused of sitting on the fence. Before Yoruba nation became the buzzword for many, Egbe Omo Yoruba had championed the cause way back in 1994.
It is on record that Egbe had a Yoruba flag and anthem on display at its 1997 Convention in Houston, Texas. But Egbe will not impose on anyone. There has to be a collective deliberation and decision on what to do and where to go. This is why Apero has an important session coming up on this topic on July 23 which will feature prominent leaders and activists who have thought deeply about the issues and have been in the forefront of the struggle.
For you as an individual, however, I make bold to say that neither of these disjunctions should impede your immediate contribution to your local community. I have come to the realization that no matter which political pathway the Yoruba people choose, Okeho’s developmental needs must not be delayed and I have a role to play in its evolving. The young ones in my community cannot wait until the futuristic full realization of Yoruba nation. The elders in need of primary health care need it now, not later, otherwise they will succumb to nature before their allotted time. These are the concerns of APERO. I hope they are your concerns too, even in this season of politics as business when the mindset of “what’s in it for me?” dominates the thoughts of many. Please choose to be among the few.
Apero Session 5 comes up tomorrow, Saturday July 16 at 4 pm. Lagos Time, under the Chairmanship of Professor Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka, with a focus on Women and Youths.
Zoom ID: 87834935009
Passcode: 690337
Looking forward to your participation.