A lot has been said about Oba of Lagos Rilwanu Akiolu’s “message” to the Igbos on the eve of governorship election in their home state. Naij.com guest author Ibraheem Dooba attempts to find the reasons that might have provoked the Oba’s harsh behaviour.


Oba of Lagos Rilwanu Akiolu
After consideration, a reasonable mind would agree that there are two main reasons why the Oba of Lagos is receiving more flak than he deserves.

As is customary, however, let me quickly submit my condemnation of the Oba’s wish that Ndigbo drown in the lagoon. Nobody should say that, let alone an Oba. Therefore, it’s not the content of the Oba’s admonition that I’m defending, but its logic. Now, hear my count.

One, political decisions of the Ndigbo in recent years have left many Nigerians scratching their heads. The Ndigbo appear to have developed a knack for frustrating and then attracting the rants of those who care about them. They did it to Rochas Okorocha and now they’ve done it to the Oba. They planned to do it to Nigerians by massively voting for the PDP and President Jonathan. It was only God that saved us from them.

These can’t be the same people who want to produce the president of Nigeria as soon as possible?

A post-mortem of the last presidential is a case in point. They gave all the senatorial seats in the five states of the Southeast to the PDP. In the next assembly, the PDP is going to be a minority party. Therefore, like Rochas Okorocha and Dr Chris Ngige reasoned, if they had given even one seat to an Igbo man, such as Ngige, that senator would naturally have been our senate president. But they didn’t, and have not shown even an itty-bitty sign of remorse.

Other than the political officers recruited by the president, Ndigbo have dealt themselves a hand that will leave them screaming in political oblivion.

We hear that after transacting in that horrendous political miscalculation in the Southeast, a horde of them is returning to Lagos to elect Agbaje for no reason other than because they can. It’s not as if Agbaje is their friend or in-law, or because he’s given them businesses in the past.

It’s the reason why the oba started his admonition logically: we’ve been a good host to you, and the successive governments of the opposition have done this and that for you. So vote wisely by voting Ambode.

The Oba probably resorted to threats because he knew that the audience wouldn’t listen. It’s like warning a child against self-destructive behaviour when the delectation of rebellion has already blinded him from considering the fact that his action would yield no enduring utility.

I read one justification recently where the writer argued that Ndigbo had been consistent in supporting Jonathan because doing otherwise would make them appear untrustworthy. That’s well and good if trustworthiness is what they desire. But I have a feeling it’s not, because that’s not what they complain about daily. Their main discontent has been about political positions: being president of Nigeria, being deputy governor of Lagos, etc.

Two, the Oba is known to pay people he encounters the courtesy of being blunt. That’s who he is. Channels TV once showed a gathering of some description where the Oba was dishing out public reprimand to ex-president Obasanjo. But because Obasanjo was big enough to take such public lashing, he was later seen at the same location embracing the Oba.

It’s not nice to kick folk when they’re down. I say just deserts to Ndigbo for sending curses on me and asking their deities to do something bad to me. When I said I would rather die than vote Jonathan, it was Ndigbo who predicted that death was coming to me because Jonathan was going to win. When I published “Letter to Ndigbo” on Naij.com, it was Ndigbo who said: “Ibraheem Dooba, may thunder strike you down.”

At least those who can swim will survive in the lagoon. How would I survive a thunder strike?

Finally, someone needs to do a PhD study on Ndibgo politics and interrogate

Actually, most Ndigbo are good at 'follow follow' without any bit of logical thinking.
That notwithstanding, the Oba's comment was too harsh especially at a time like this.

The oba is supposed to be neutral, and that is why he has lost my respect. But wait o, are you the oba's spokes person? Why are you supporting evil?