President Tinubu: Time For Sober Reflections.

There is hardly any circumstance that the African man can not coin analogies.

The Yorubas in particular have a rich, albeit unwritten encyclopedia of proverbs, adage and wise sayings apt for different situations.

As I ruminate on the tough situations prevalent in the country today, vis-a-vis the acceptance ratings of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Yoruba adage comes to mind.

“Bi Omode ba subu, a wo iwaju, bi Agba ba subu, a wo eyin”.

If a toddler falls down, he looks at the front, however, if an adult falls, he looks at the back.

This adage fits into what president Tinubu needs to do now in his present predicament except, and I seriously doubt it, if he is happy with situations in the country he presently leads.

One would wonder why the adult in the proverb looked at his back rather than the front as the toddler did.

Yoruba Elders use such proverbs when they wish to admonish someone to have sober reflections.

An adult is expected to look back after a fall so as to ascertain exactly what tripped him.

At this point, the president must be humble and sober enough to admit, first, that things are not well with his Government.

The next point to determine, if he does accept that things are not well is to genuinely search where and how the rain starts falling on him.

This is the time the president must sleep the three proverbial sleeps recommended by Yoruba philosophy for a man in his current situation.

Yorubas will advice that a man sleeps face up, face down and sideways when admonishing a man who found himself in the exact situation the president found himself.

Naturally, they wouldn’t expect such a person to sleep at all.

They are asking him to think things through and look at all sides and angles.

Presently, president Tinubu is in a situation where Elders in Yoruba Land will say “..bo ba koju si o, ko ta, bo ba ko eyin si o, ko ta, bo ba ku Iwo nikan, tun ero ara e pa”.

Literally, it is a proverb told to a man who has tough personal decisions to take.

The Nigerian Labor Congress and other Trade Unions are planning a Nation-wide protest against hardships in the Country.

I have specifically decided to start from this particular topic to drive my point home.

Whoever tells the president that there is no hardship that warrants civil protests or that the protests are sponsored by opposition elements to descredit the Government of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an enemy of the president.

Incidentally, that is not the vital point I want to make.

I noticed that since Friday, some “youths and CSOs” have been organizing protests and rallies in Abuja in favour of the president and his Government.

They are unhindered.

Now, I am aware that the DSS, the office of the Attorney general of the Federation and the police have been issuing soft threats against those who wish to protest against hunger and hardships.

Who sold such a strategy to the president?

If the protest is for us, it is legal. It is lawful and fine.

If it is against us, then, hell must be loosed.

Double standard is poor strategy and those who sold it to the president are, to say the least, incompetent.

Moreso, those who sold such strategy ought to remember that the president is a man who have either led or participated on similar protests in the past and unhindered by the Government of the time.

I have merely pointed out one of many instances where those around the president have been misleading or shall I say, misadvising him.

I had in the past enjoined the president to look at his cabinet and those around him.

Why is it that, as cerebral as those around him have been touted to be, no one have suggested to the president that he should consider appointing Presidential Liaison Officers (PLOs) in states?

There is no doubts that the president have made so much commitments to the state Governors in terms of increased Federal Allocations and the rest but obviously the releases have not reached the president’s target.

The best way the president’s efforts would be effectively felt is if the monies and palliatives released gets to the grassroots, that is the Local Governments.

President Sheu Shagari made use of the PLOs for such special purposes.

How exactly did he arrive at the team he presently have?

As Yorubas, there is something we call, “adabi”.

With due respect to the president, I hope he has searched his mind well enough to look at those who should be in his cabinet, those whom he promised and failed, those, who, by dint of hard work and dedication ought to be in his cabinet but were abandoned, those who were made to suffer defeat and humiliation for the president to have his way but have been abandoned.

I have asked and searched whether there an antidote to “adabi” but there is none.

Even if one is the spirit that breaks curses with his head, he is not immuned from the consequences of “adabi”.

“Adabi” is so potent that when its consequences visit, it is capable of turning an expert to a novice.

Has the president ever thought about how he treated loyal and committed party men in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and other states across the country?

In fact, Oyo is worse hit.

Those the president sacrificed for his own good and have been left in the cold until now.

I implore the president to think deep and reflect on the concept of what the Yorubas call “Eleda” and how they claim that you can not cheat it and go scot free.

Nigeria can still and must still be great under president Tinubu, but the president must reflect and atone.

SOLA ABEGUNDE