Many people still think politicians are different. That they are more honest and sincere than their counterparts. And that they are always after the interest of the public and not the personal enrichment of themselves and their cronies. Maybe there are truly exceptions to the rules. Maybe there are indeed politicians out there who think about the people first. But overall, politicians are not different from those they have demonized in the past or criticized for certain decisions.
For example, when it’s no longer harmful to their political survival, most politicians will act with exceptional impunity. In fact, where they are lacking in ingenious creativity, they will act out the same old script, using watery and muted new tricks to hoodwink the people. In essence, they repeat the same policy they condemned in the past and commit the same error for which their predecessors were condemned. It is the way it is.
Not long after the late Abiola Ajimobi announced the official coronation of 21 Ibadan Chiefs as Kings with beaded crowns, he came under heavy, acerbic, and calculated attacks and criticism from different quarters. Undaunted by the cries and hues that greeted his announcement and typical of his Ibadan bloodline, the late Ajimobi went ahead with practiced confidence, daring those that called him a dictator in civilian garb to do their worse. Of course, many believed that that moment would eventually define his frosty relationship with Ibadan’s traditional institutions. “Damn the consequence”, the late Governor must have declared when it was obvious that only his lickspittle, bootlicker, and yeomen bought into his arbitrary decision to tweak the Ibadan chieftaincy declaration.
Particularly, the late Ajimobi and his government came under immense and intense criticism from the late Olubadan Saliu Adetunji, who assumed the elevation was not just an affront to the revered throne of Olubadan but an aberration that has no precedent in history. While the case was both tried in the law court and in the court of public opinion, the late Olubadan Adetunji tirelessly fought with every drop of his blood, ensuring that the unrivaled legacy, power, and influence he inherited are sustained for future generations. Today, Olubadan Adetunji must be turning in his grave after Seyi Makinde’s government announced, to the bewilderment of those that fought on the side of the late monarch, the elevation of eleven Ibadan high chiefs to the rank of kings, with their coronation slated for July 7th. The same old script, a different new trick.
In essence, many have wondered what effect the elevation of Ibadan chiefs to the ranks of Kings has on the age-long tradition of Ibadan and on the well-being of the people they purport to rule. Nothing significant has and will ever come out of that uninspiring decision of the government. Amusingly, only close observers saw through the government: the elevation of the chiefs is a mere distraction intended to divert people’s attention from the government’s monumental failure, ineptitude, and incompetence. Unsurprisingly, Ajimobi’s government lost out in the court of law, the court of public opinion, and even at the poll that was more of a referendum for or against his government’s eight years in office.
But it wasn’t the late Olubadan Adetunji alone who brought Ajimobi’s longstanding decision to a standstill. Powerful, influential, and the majority of the masses across the city of Ibadan and beyond expressed solidarity in support of the late Olubadan Adetunji, who was widely believed to be the target of the late Ajimobi’s single-handed decision. Alongside other dissatisfied high chiefs like former Governor Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the late Olubadan Adetunji fought until victory was attained. Unbothered by the criticism against his government, the late Ajimobi went on to crown the chiefs in a big ceremony that was nothing but a waste of taxpayer money.
I think there is nothing special or spectacular about Governor Seyi Makinde’s crowning of eleven chiefs as Kings on July 7, 2023. Nobody cares about what Makinde has done in that respect. First, it’s a decision that has no direct effect on people.
Whether as Kings or Chiefs, does that change the price of the commodity in the market? I think whatever this government wanted to achieve was defeated from the start, an indication that people are not interested in this same old, poorly scripted drama. In a way, it is either that people are tired or just indifferent to whatever comes from the government. Added to this is the role played by the current Olubadan during the late Ajimobi royal rumble. That he is now the paramount ruler of Ibadan after he joined hands in desecrating the throne speaks volumes. But I think this back-and-forth drama equally speaks a lot about Chiefs who merely want to eat their cakes and still have them. It is unsurprising that the incumbent, Olubadan Balogun, is in bed with Governor Makinde on this.
While other monarchs expressed reservations about the amendment of the Chieftaincy law, Oba Mahood expressed support and satisfaction with it. That it was rejected in the past doesn’t mean it will be accepted now. But it is not really about Olubadan per se, but more about the laziness on the part of our leaders. Whether you support those in power or not, their decisions, no matter how bad, will affect us all. Destroying our already weakened traditional institutions does nobody any good, including those who pushed forward such ideas. Apart from being self-serving, Governor Makinde’s decision to elevate the same high chiefs he relegated reeks of hypocrisy and contradiction. Hiding under the new chieftaincy law does not change the past, nor does it change the future, which will be reviewed by those that come after his government.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about Issues affecting Oyo state, published on Saturdays. He can be reached via @TheGMAKing on Twitter, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
