Obasanjo: A digbolugiIn The House?

By Remi Oyeyemi

“Ile ti o ba ntoro, omo ale ibe ni ko tii d’agba”  meaning “When a house is orderly, it means the bastard in the house is yet to become an adult.” - Yoruba aphorism

Deliberately, this writer has refrained from commenting on the shenanigans of Olusegun Obasanjo a.k.a Mathew Igbochukwu Onyejekwe in the last couple of months. Much as one keeps trying to ignore him, he keeps popping up here and there, odiously manifesting garroting garrulity and showcasing his profound lack of etiquettes, decency, respect and self restraint. Major reason for this is that it was a welcome relief that he is out of power and Nigeria can move on towards its appointed destiny.

But obviously, even when Obasanjo-Onyejekwe is left alone, his nauseating antics would always throw him into the midst of order to create some ugly rumpus. When he was publicly pelted with pure water wraps at Ansarudeen High School, Ota, Ogun State at a wedding of the son of one of his friends in June this year, I was hoping that he would have understood how hated and notorious he was. But when someone is as shameless and clueless as Obasanjo-Onyejekwe, he is usually deaf, daring and deadly.

With his fulminous foray into the ancient city of Ibadan number of weeks back, it is evident that Obasanjo- Onyejekwe has no shame. Neither is he gifted with any modicum of decorum. Otherwise, his frontal visit to Ibadan where he was obviously not wanted would not have taken place. But like a daring shameless human being that he is, he had the courage to go to the Olubadan of Ibadan’s Palace and lectured Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade about politics? Can you imagine? 

However, the people of Ibadan did the right thing to demonstrate how they felt about him. According to one newspaper report “…prominent Ibadan indigenes, led by the Olubadan and members of his traditional council were absent at the commissioning that was performed by Obasanjo.”  Even, Alhaji Arisekola Alao who graced the occasion reportedly did not give any notice before he absconded from the presence of the repellent ex-president. By the time the   impervious former president paused to look around, Chief Alao was far gone. 

Despite the temptation, one still refrained from commenting on this frontal affront of his at that time. This time it was because it was not news that Obasanjo has no self respect. And if someone has no self respect, how could anyone expect such a person to respect others or their feelings? So, one felt that he should be ignored.

I know he has a lot of fans, which in itself is bizarre, if not wacky, given how he has contributed more than anyone to ruin Nigeria (a case that will be laid out in the nearest future). But I take my consolation in the Yoruba aphorism which says, “Kii buru titi ki o ma ku enikan mo’ni. Eni ti yio ku ni a ko mo” meaning “No matter how bad a situation is, there will be someone there to support you. The only thing is that no one knows that person.” So, I can understand why we are still able to find some people rooting for him despite his series of treacheries against Nigeria in general, his vendetta against the Igbo nation in particular and his annihilation of the Yoruba Nation especially.
 

But my concern is that do his fans write him? Do they let him know how much he is reviled out here? Do they let him know how undesirable he is in public gatherings? Do they call his attention to the way and manner people block their ears every time he opens his mouth? I think they should write him and let him know how much they the fans love him and how much the majority of us wish he is in jail, because of our good nature and forgiving spirit. This is because if we are all as mean-spirited as he is, jail would still not be good enough for him.

But the more you try to ignore him, the more he acts outrageously and the more he throws out garbage from his mouth. More and more, he was acting out his true character as a digbolugi or “concentrated psychotic” ex-president. Hence, I have decided to make this brief comment on his inebriating insanity. This is necessary because the Yoruba culture is very clear about the fact that  “Agbalagba kii se langba langba”  meaning “An elder does not behave wildly.” More so “Agba ti o ba mo eran e l’obe, aayo fun un nii” meaning “If an elder does not know his responsibility, we have to point it out to him.” Though, with due respects, it is difficult to see Obasanjo in a mould of an elder, because he simply is not.

We were still in the process of deodorizing the environment polluted by the excreta that exited from Mr. Bola Ajbola’s mouth on the History of Yoruba as is related to Abeokuta and Owu, when the duo, with uncouth arrogance and cowardice cocooned in courage that was at best vacuous spew urine in our faces again on this subject.

I will not lend credibility to what they said on this subject by repeating it here again. It is not worth it. I also think that the mainstream Yoruba leaders no matter their political persuasion have seen that “Omoye ti rin hoho wo oja, aso o ba omoye mo” meaning “Omoye’s lunacy is in the open. It can no longer be shielded.” There is no point trying to give undue attention to a mad man, otherwise, he would think he is an important person. It is too late in the day to expect Obasanjo and his number one lackey, Ajibola to demonstrate any etiquette, decorum, responsibility and integrity. They are both a lost case and as such should be socially and intellectually quarantined.

However, as is our culture in Yorubaland, when a child behaves in an ignominious way in the public, the first set of questions people begin to ask are “Whose son is this?” “Which family compound is he from?” or “Who is his father?” If at the end of the day they are able to isolate his family but which pedigree was not immediately clear, such a child might be called “abii ko” meaning “untutored child” or “a child born but not trained.” But if his family pedigree was known as upstanding, that kind of child would be regarded as “akoogba” meaning “incorrigible” or  “a child who is impossible or very difficult to train, correct or reform.” When the Yoruba are very disgusted by a child’s behavior regardless of his pedigree, they would refer to him as “Ai kuku bi san se radarada” meaning “Barrenness is far better than an unworthy child.”

Hence, it is a good thing, and indeed the right thing to do, by the entire Yoruba people who have ignored Obasanjo’s ranting and Ajibola’s whining the second time around.

Encarta English Dictionary translates “bastard” to mean any of the following: “obnoxious and disagreeable,” “somebody born to unmarried parents,” “something that is extremely difficult, trying or unpleasant,” “something or somebody that is inferior, debased, or of questionable or mixed origin,” “not genuine – not the real thing” among others.

The Yoruba is often very careful in calling a child a bastard i.e. “omo ale” especially if there was no concrete evidence to that effect. The Yoruba fervently and deeply believe that even if there was no evidence today where a bastard is present, unfailingly the spirit of that family would continuously haunt that bastard, not allow him or her to feel comfort in that family until he exposes himself as a bastard with his character.

Such a person would continue to be a square peg in the round hole. Whatever he does would be contrary to the accepted norms of that family. He would be at variance with order and expectations of that family. He would disregard the elders of the family and be rude to them without any remorse. He would act repeatedly in a traitorous manner to that family. He would belittle their traditions and undermine their belief-system. He would repeatedly cause disagreement, fuel fights with his actions, cause disharmony in the family and revel in cruelty and wickedness. The sanctity of the surname that does not belong to him but which he bears would continue to torture, torment and tear him psychologically apart.

He would loathe everybody and everybody would loathe him. He would not be able to show consideration to anyone but himself. While others are trying to build the home, he would be actively engaged in destroying the house. While other true products of the family are trying to preserve a positive legacy, he is consciously engaged in destroying the beautiful legacy. When you ask him: “Where is your father’s house?” Without hesitation and in a facetious way, he would use his left hand to point to his father’s house! It is at this point that the elders would conclude incontrovertibly that such a person is a bastard in the house.

It is obvious what the verdict on Mattew Aremu Okikiola Olusegun Obasanjo is. No one needs to call anyone a “bastard.” Your actions would designate you as one. As the Yoruba would say “Akeregbe ni yio j’iwe ibi ti nwon o fi okun si ni orun oun.” meaning “The palmwine gourd (traditional keg) unquestionably points to where to put the rope on its neck.”

This, once again brings one to the issue of his paternity which has been raising dust and to which he Obasanjo- Onyejekwe has not been able to provide any response. The most convincing evidence points to the fact that his mother was from Owu Quarters in Abeokuta, Ogun State and that his father was from Onitsha in Anambra State. But because his father left him behind, he has been bitter all of his life. His vendetta against the Igbo nation for the sins of his father knows no bounds. He was not about to let the Yoruba nation of the cuff either. For failing to send him across the River Niger to his father’s family, he has visited all known evils on the Yoruba nation.

The Yoruba and Igbo nations have to bear responsibility for the tragic existence of Mathew Aremu Okikiola Olusegun Obasanjo - Onyejekwe. Those two nations should share responsibility for the havoc he has wrecked on Nigeria. Now that he has become a digbolugi of a man, it is my suggestion that we divine the WILL of our ancestors, make the necessary sacrifices that might be required, so that they could help us to handle him the best way they deem fit.

Oodua yio fo ile yi mo fun wa. Ase. (May Oodua cleanse this land for us. Ase.)

Robot  Villager

# 1 Deliberately, I have refrained from commenting on the shenanigans of Olusegun Obasanjo a.k.a Mathew ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 16.12.2007 10:08

olusola  Villager

# 2 Hmm! What an absolute nonsense. What gave you the audacity to call someone a *******? Going by the way you were hauling insults, half-truths and abuses on the persons of Obasanjo and Ajibola who are elders and fathers in their own right, don't you think you fit perfectly into that group of *******s? Is it acceptable in Yoruba culture which you have been professing all the while to insult elders? Why should you be maligning the personality of Obj? Why can't you criticize his policies and actions without attacking his person? Why are you insulting a whole people, the Owu people by calling their Balogun and king maker a *******? You have been ranting for a long time like a frustrated extremist. I can imagine the way you think before putting pen to paper. You need to get your head examined because I think something is wrong with you, though am not a psychiatrist. Why are you so embittered? You better don't die of hypertension because of hatred for one man. Obj has done his own part and performed creditably more than any other Nigerian president in history, whether dead or alive. He has failures, but be courageous ,objective and frank enough to credit certain successes to him. And who are the Prominent Ibadan leaders? Richard Akinjide, Arisekola or who? These well known parasites ? What has been the contribution of Akinjide to the development of Ibadan? He has never been the same again since his son lost his bid to represent Ibadan at the national assembly. Posted by olusola| 16.12.2007 15:10

Atomic Kitten  Villager

# 3 Remi, Though you state at the end of your article that "The Yoruba and the Igbo nation have to take responsibility for the tragic existence of Obasanjo", I get the impression that the real purpose of your article is to tell us that Obasanjo is a b*****d son to Owu people and the Yorubas Nation in general, that he is in fact a son of the Igbo nation and Onitsha people in particular. I understand that no one wants to claim a bad offspring, however if we accept that his father was an Igbo man and we know his mother was an Owu woman; and then we accept the saying that "when a child is good he belongs to the father and when he is bad he belongs to the mother", Obasanjo then technically becomes an Owu and Yoruba son. While you don't have to embrace him, it is unnecessary to insinuate that he is a "digbolugi" because of his alleged paternity and the circumstance of his birth. He might have inherited the trait from his maternal side. I am sorry if I am wrong in my understanding but I strongly doubt it. Anyone who is able to rise to the position of the chief executive of Nigeria and remain in power as long as Obasanjo did, with the tacit acceptance by Nigerians belongs to all Nigerians. The blame can not be placed on those who conceived him. The responsibility for his "tragic existence" must be borne by all who watched and allowed him to become a "digbolugi" Posted by Atomic Kitten| 16.12.2007 16:25

Auspicious  Villager

# 4 Olusola calm down joo! While Mr. Remi Oyeyemi's piece on Obasanjo may come across as quite caustic in his attack on him, I won't waste my energy defending someone like than guy. Obasanjo had oiled his body with red oil and taken a walk through the burning forest; so if he burns to the marrow, na eim be di architect of eim own palaver! Gba be! Obasanjo is definitely not the type of person worth throwing oneself out for - unless of course the person who is sticking his neck out for him like our Olusola is doing here shares the same values in Agbaya Thuggery as Obasanjo does. Obasanjo caused a lot of pain and complicated a lot of simple things everywhere, from Ekiti to Anambra. And that is why, to this very day, a lot of Nigerians are DHL-ing curses to him. Where there is no DHL service, they don't mind using poor old NIPOST to courier the curses to him. Shamesless man that he is, he is still going around town paying tributes to one of the oldest and most notorious of the thugs that graced these lands, calling him "our father". Ani ko ma ragba fun Fada - make 'e nor beta for "Fada"! Fada ko, Fada-Geri ni! At a time when he should sit his hairy butt down to spend the rest of his life making supplications to man and God for adding to his people's misery and denying them an opportunity to hold their heads up high as expected of someone as blessed as he, he would rather go around town praising the dregs of our society. For his own good, Olusola had better find someone else's curses to recieve on their behalf than Obasanjo. Posted by Auspicious| 16.12.2007 16:25

Firma  Villager

# 5 Remi must be short of words to present this horrible unknown man that has destroyed a whole nation to creat his otta farm and various estate buildings all over the world. It is my hope that sooner or later the true colour of this actor, Nigerian Dream Terminator, will be made know to all the world in his life-time. I feel sorry for people that still risk their dignity to defend this dubious and dangerous actor now discribed as digbolugi, taking into consideration his destructive work as the terminator of Nigerian dream even before his International Thief Thief (ITT) era, when he was still a small-time thief. Posted by Firma| 16.12.2007 16:48

0tunba  Villager

# 6 But...wait a minute peeps! Is it actually a fact that OBJ doesnt know his father? :icon_ques We need proof guys. I understand that his actions in government may make him seem like a b****d to many people at times, but it would be double interesting if he is actually an 'original' one. Posted by 0tunba| 16.12.2007 19:33

i-go-better  Villager

# 7 You identified his "parents" so he is not a *******. The Nation should hold the following people responsible for the disaster that Obj has visited on us: 1. The Easily Compromised South East Leaders; 2. The crafty, very corrupt South South Leaders; 3. The Mischieviously Efficient Northern Leaders; They forced Obj on us all! God used the mischievious efficiency of No.3 to neutralise the evil schemes of Nos 1 & 2 otherwise Obj would still be our president today. God bless the South West, they openly rejected him. By the way, I am not from the South West. Posted by i-go-better| 16.12.2007 20:04

Exxcuzme  Villager

# 8 =i-go-better;4294973186>God bless the South West, they openly rejected him. By the way, I am not from the South West. Then state where you from M F :rolleyes: Posted by Exxcuzme| 16.12.2007 20:21

igwe  Villager

# 9 Whether he's Yoruba or Igbo or Ibibio or Tiv, he's a Nigerian. Deciding where he's from could distract us from the fact that this man was an unmitigated failure. All hands should be on deck to undo all the damage this man did and is still doing to Nigeria. That's infinitely more important than wasting a single minute analyzing his DNA. Posted by igwe| 16.12.2007 21:57

felix  Villager

# 10 This, once again brings one to the issue of his paternity which has been raising dust and to which he Obasanjo- Onyejekwe has not been able to provide any response. The most convincing evidence points to the fact that his mother was from Owu Quarters in Abeokuta, Ogun State and that his father was from Onitsha in Anambra State. Remi, If you ask me , the real bas tard is not the man who points at his fathers house with the left hand....,it must be the man who shamelessly denies his own brother because of his glaring shortcomings! Obasanjos father, mother and siblings are well known in Yorubaland but typical of the Lagos-Ibadan end of the Nigerian press where you horned your dangerous brand of tribalistic journalism, you are going to blame others for the activities of a man whose paternity never became an issue till he left office....Very soon, right here before our eyes , you are going to come up with an article about how Tarfa Balogun, Ehindero, Makunjuola or even Adekunle happen to be descendants of some Igbo bas tards with their Yorubachukwu names and ofcourse there will be some lousy bunch of Auspicious characters all over the place egging you on... FRANK ADVICE: Dont disown a brother nomatter the circumstances..., it is evil! Posted by felix| 17.12.2007 00:05

---

The conversation continues in our forum. Click here to read all comments

---