Aare Ona Kakanfo, Afonja was a very powerful Yoruba Generalissimo.
He was a prince of the old Oyo empire.
By the time he was appointed as the Aare Ona Kakanfo, his base was at the Northern Garrison, precisely, Ilorin.
The Fulanis, led by one Alimi had camped far away from Ilorin at the time.
One day, Afonja saw himself in a dream.
He was being deceived by a Fulani cattle rearer to sell off his old breed of cattle for a new breed which the Fulani cattle rearer told him were more productive.
As Afonja was concluding the bargain, his Father, Laderin, who had died a long time ago appeared before him and warned him of the dangers of discarding his old breed of cattle.
Laderin advised Afonja to rather acquire the new breed of cattle to join the old breed he possessed.
As it turned out to be, the old and new breed cattle which Afonja saw in his dream later, in reality translated to his long standing Military and the new men of Alimi which were cleverly impressed upon Afonja to acquire by Alimi, the Fulani man.
In the end, Afonja disregarded the counsel of his late Father whom he saw in a dream.
He disbanded his own Army who had fought many victorious wars with him.
In fact, he swapped his old Army with that of Alimi.
Unfortunately, that reckless action by Afonja not only led to his sad killing by Alimi’s Army, it led to the loss of Ilorin to the Fulanis by the Yorubas till today.
Those who espoused the theory of old friends as being better than new ones are completely correct.
Afonja’s new friends inflicted a historical calamity on both himself, his race and his legacy.
I am of the strong view that someone should bring the sad narratives of Afonja to president Tinubu’s consciousness.
His actions and attitudes in Government is dangerously tilting towards the frightening narratives of Afonja.
His inability to hold on to old friends and ability to discard long time relationship in embrace for new friends who are only after the delicious pot of soup in his presidency is fast becoming legendary.
To say the least, president Tinubu is fast reenacting the Afonja scenario.
You don’t change a winning team.
The above statement is very common even in sports parlance.
Why president Tinubu have been busy dismantling his own winning team to make room for untested ” Messi and Ronaldo” should be a concern for those who love him.
No matter how the president or his handlers may want to explain it, the former Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El Rufai was one of his best strikers before and during the 2023 election.
El Rufai’s courage in galvanizing the Northern Governors to confront former president Mohammadu Buhari who seemed not to be disposed to power shift to the South is public knowledge.
Without that singular act of courage, only God knows who will be in the Aso Rock Villa today.
The former Governor, alongside other Governors also challenged the currency change policy of the former Governor of the central Bank which was undoubtedly aimed at stopping Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
It is also public knowledge that El Rufai had made up his mind to go and acquire more knowledge abroad and that Tinubu, as presidential Aspirant then begged him on live TV to stay and join him in his anticipated Government.
So, what has changed?
Nothing definitely has changed.
Except for the fact that president Tinubu could not hold on to old friends, no matter what those friends have done to help him in the past.
In this light you will also wish to ask about some notable individuals who were pulling the strings before Tinubu became president.
Where is Fayemi, Fashola, Amosun and the bulk of those who sacrificed their own ambitions for the president?
If you look at the rate the president has discarded individual contributors to his presidential ambition, you will be scared but when you look at how he has even been throwing away party structures across the states, you can’t help but to be alarmed.
Go and ask the APC in Oyo and Rivers states how the president have completely neglected them to patronize the opposition PDP and you will wonder what script the president has been working on.
Take a peep into the president’s appointments, that’s another scene of bewilderment.
His Cabinet comprises of all manners of human beings who worked against the party, spent forces and political neophytes.
The president indeed is one interesting specimen.
He ensured he gathered warriors who could take the bullets and dared consequences to win the war.
However, after the war have been won, he did away with the veterans, shut them out in the cold so as to enjoy the spoils of war with some ” arirebanijes”!
The water bug of the president that have been dancing on the surface of the river must definitely have something beating the drums underneath the river.
However, the president must be very careful with the drums which sounds is pleasant only to him and a few “Olentelafas” and opportunists around the corridors of power.
Truth be told, the president and his accolytes have been dancing to a drum which beats is extremely choking and unpleasant in the ears of the larger percentage of the population.
In fact, it is the ” a o merin joba ” beat.
It does look like the president’s action is predicted on his intentions to have around him some ” yes men”.
That will do him and his Government no good.
Nigerians are living through hell under president Tinubu.
The team he has assembled around himself is obviously weak and lacking in substance.
It is not too late for the president to humble himself and go back to his old friends or perhaps take the advice of Laderin to his son.
Instead of discarding the old guard, the president could go for a proper mix.
There is no man in history who completely disregarded their old friends without negative consequences.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not be an exception.
It is not too late for the president to avoid the fate of Afonja.
Eng. Oluwasina Adeyemi.
