By: Okunnuga Oluwaseun
I quite agree with Banjo Akintoye, Dr. Wale Adebanwi and Toyin Falola as well as other scholars who once argued that "if Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yorubas "Founded" the Yoruba nation, Awolowo came to "Modernize" it. But then, I take that one stage further: *Àsíwájù Tinubu has come to "RE-ENERGIZE" it!*
Visibly, there seem a "Trans-mig-ration" - ìfara hàn nínú eló mí-ràn - between Awo and Tinubu. *Yes, just as Adams "Lost Glory" re-manifested through Jesus Christ* (on the Cross of Calvary), *Awo's "Unfinished Greatness" was resumed in Tinubu* (among his Brethren)!
*Perhaps then, Àsíwájù Bola Ahmed TINUBU has been "Devinely" positioned as a "REINCANATE?*
Evidently, some of his exploits are akin to "Olùmúpadà bò sí pò (a restorer) of the tremendous progress achieved by the Awo era in the defunct Yoruba-dominated Western Region, but which became inconsequential following the prolong military rule.
Though in political calling, both were poles apart in Life and Career, the pair were observably high-spirited and exemplary force...*Even as Awo displayed over and over again a strong fondness for the people, Tinubu is like a latter-day emanation of same Spirit!* Undeniably, the all-imposing Oduduwa's mythical and Omolúàbi Spirit dwells in the duo! The other thing that has been consistently plain is: *The two political Powerhouses exude a carriage akin to "Larger than Life Imagery".* It is not a hidden fact that as "Party-Lords" - of both the defunct Action Group (AG) and Action Congress (AC) - there was/is this 'eye-catching affinity; a desperate gravitation towards both Superiors by all members, at all levels. As a matter of fact, you can never please their endless admirers enough!
*And though the circumstances of their "Leadership Challenges" and "Influence" and "Accomplishments" in the 1st and 3rd Republics may differ, it is, nonetheless, an established fact that in those fire-refining , precarious or decisive historical ages, these unrepentant, yet exceptional "African Heroes" tilts extremely towards their geo-political zones: YORUBALAND.* Evidently, both "Nationalists" were Distinguished, Formidable and Illustrious!
Arguably, the Yoruba nation may have changed radically between the 20th and 21st Centuries, but little or nothing has changed in the people's psyche's zero tolerance for treachery, especially when the victim is perceived right and just.
Besides, the Yoruba people knew when to separate politics from triviality. My point is, *Politically today, the Yoruba race is saddled with the gracious personality of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu - and the template of politics has changed in Nigeria - and the political space would continue to advance with the SOUTHWEST stock not being left behind - any longer.*
Justifiably, the "Triumph" of the 2023 Polls has transposed Tinubu to a new pedestal; a well-deserved title: *"Asáájú of the Yoruba-controlled Regions"* - having rallied it once again into the "Progressive" fold like Chief Obafemi Awolowo did in the First Republic. *But beyond - and more important is: Re-launching the Yorubas to the Mainstream.*
Though the political "Structure-cum-Culture" of the late Sage era was fundamentally different from what obtains presently, *it's quite plain that the people's Jagaban emerges as a LINK between Awo's "o-Progressives 'Ends' and his* (Tinubu) *"n-Progressives 'Means'.*
Culled from the upcoming volume *"The Past in the Present...A Coincidence!*
Cde Okunnuga Oluwaseun is a Lagos-based researcher-cum-Author
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