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OPINION: How Long Can The President Run From His Shadow?

Published

2 months ago

May 27, 2025

By Suyi Ayodele

At his coronation as the Deji of Akure, an old man, according to the legend, was asked to choose a regnal name.

Being a man who had advanced in age before he was named the Deji-designate, the would-be Oba chose the name, Òjìjígògún. That is a strange name.

The simple meaning of Òjìjígògún is I have ascended the throne with my shadow. The English Language equivalent of Òjìjí is shadow. Ògún or Ìmògún, in the royal dialects of Akure, Owo, and up to Benin, means throne.

The kingmakers present in Ìpèbí (seclusion) when the Deji picked the regnal name were shocked. Name is significant in Yoruba world outlook. Names carry meanings. So, they asked the new king to explain the meaning of the name he chose.

Picking his words, the Deji asked the kingmakers if any of them ever gave him the chance that he would one day be crowned the Deji, given his old age. They all answered him in the negative.

Then, the new Oba said, “Alright, I will explain the reason I choose to be called Òjìjígògún. Today, let it be known to all of you that it is not only me that has ascended the throne. My past, my present, and my future are here on the throne with me.” The new Deji stopped. Kings are known to speak in a few words; no room for verbosity with the royals!

The kingmakers and the Omo Owas (princes) present understood him. They knew that a man is made up of his past, his present, and his future. They equally knew that a man’s present is defined by his past (antecedents) and his future determined by a combination of his past and present. In totality, no man can run away from his òjìjí. Shadow reflects a man’s past, his present, and his future.

These three elements are significant in the Yoruba understanding of the concept of òjìjí, which is made up of a man’s Ara, the physical or material; that is, the body, represented by the shadow: Ọkàn (the mind) and Ẹmí (the spirit). Why then should a man be afraid of his òjìjí (shadow), his Ọkàn (mind-present), and his Ẹmí (spirit- future)?

Oba Òjìjígògún whose real name is Deji Aládégbùjì, the story says, was on the ancient throne of Akure for 30 years (1852-1882) as the 38th Deji and was one of the oldest monarchs of the kingdom. His reign, judging by his shadow (past), his present (while he was on the throne), and what he wanted the future to record for him, was one of the best Dejis of Akure.

He successfully resisted the incursion of Ibadan warriors to Akure Kingdom. Oba Òjìjígògún featured prominently in the 1877 Ekiti-Parapo War that ended all internecine wars in Yorubaland. He joined his forebears, leaving a legacy for the Arakale Royal Family of Akure to cherish!

The Akure Kingdom prospered under his watch. Oba Òjìjígògún was never afraid of his shadow because he knew he had done well before coming to the throne. That was why he practically asked his people, represented by the kingmakers, to judge him by his deeds – past and present – and history has a positive portion for him!

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Should a man be afraid of his òjìjí, the Yoruba word for shadow? The simple non-esoteric interpretation of òjìjí is a reflection. But it has a deeper spiritual connotation when we apply mysticism to the surface meaning of òjìjí.

One common feature of the phenomenon, òjìjí, is that it appears in the latter part of the day, or where there is a shade, a cloudy place or faded light. We see the shadow more in the evening times, and that underscores its spiritual dimension. We shall not be going into that today.

As children in the countryside, we played a lot with our shadow. One of the things we tried to do with our shadow then, especially when it appeared before us, was to step on it. But we could not achieve that as the shadow kept moving ahead of us, projecting far from the physical body.

At times, deep into the evening, the shadow appears behind us, trailing us. As children too, we looked back, making attempts to get hold of it. It was also an exercise in futility.

At that stage, fear would set in. Shadow is phenomenal. It appears to follow us wherever we go. Yet, we cannot hold it physically. When it was getting late in the night and the shadow appeared, we used to take a dash into our homes, to the protection of our parents or any available adult. Shadow can be both pleasing and frightening!

Whenever that happened, and we got frightened, the exhortation we got from the elderly ones is that we should strive not to be afraid of our shadows. They would add that the only way to achieve that is to always strive to do that which is acceptable.

The elders then impressed on us that our shadows would be the witnesses against us on the day of judgement. Only a bad man, the elders further counselled, would be afraid of his shadow. How right were they?

We are no longer in the era of Deji Aládégbùjì Òjìjígògún. This is Nigeria of the Year of the Lord 2025. It is an era where those in authority are afraid of their past and present. We are in a season when leaders don’t want us to remember their shadows when determining their future. This is a strange time indeed!

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be seeking a second term in 2027, God willing. No, that is not the correct way to put it. Tinubu will not be seeking a second term. He has already had the second term delivered on his laps! No thanks to his acolytes who have told us that the President is the best thing to happen to humanity after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

They have said nobody else can do the job except Tinubu. This is why from Gbonyin in Ekiti State to Malali in Kaduna; from Ekwulobia in Anambra State to the Kukuruku Hills of Afemai, Edo State, President Tinubu is harvesting second term endorsements the way a maize farmer harvests his cobs of maize.

Ironically, the man whom all his promoters said had done wonderfully well is angry that a few Nigerians are asking for his assessment based on his òjìjí – shadow. President Tinubu is afraid of a shadow cabinet or shadow government. He does not want anyone to use his shadows (deeds) in the last two years in office as President, to assess him. He wants to be President again. But he does not want anyone to beam the light on his outings so far.

It is no news that Tinubu would do anything to stop the idea of a shadow cabinet or shadow government, as suggested by Professor Pat Utomi. Our President hates the thought of alternative ideas to the shenanigans his government represents. He would not have any of that. And he would advance any argument from the grandiose to the japery to kick against that.

One of the giddy points Tinubu and his gang are raising against the idea of a shadow cabinet is that it is a practice alien to the presidential system of government they claim we are running. Funny, very funny!

Tinubu and his hangers-on are saying that the concept of a shadow cabinet is an exclusive preserve of the parliamentary system of government. The presidential system, they argue, does not envisage that concept. Though, in their usual ways too, they failed to tell us if the presidential system is also synonymous with bad governance and rudderless leadership, the hallmarks of the present administration.

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To stop the idea of what could give Nigerians alternatives to the killer economic policies of the present administration, the Directorate of State Security (DSS), approached the court to stop Utomi from forming anything near a shadow cabinet or shadow government. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, the security agency asked the court to declare the planned shadow government as an attack on the constitution.

The DSS argument is that “The defendant’s actions amount to an attempt to usurp or mimic executive authority, contrary to Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), which exclusively vests governance in institutions duly created under the constitution and through democratic elections.”

It therefore prayed the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, “his agents and associates from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a ‘shadow government,’ ‘shadow cabinet’ or any similar entity not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

What the heck (pardon my diction) is a shadow cabinet? Why can’t we have a shadow cabinet or government in the presidential system of government? If Shadow cabinet, by the definition of Tinubu orchestra is the exclusive preserve of the parliamentary system, can we ask where in any presidential system, all over the world, a president can sack a governor of a state and his deputy, dissolve the legislature and appoint a sole administrator the way Tinubu did in Rivers State? Why are the Emilokan apologists quick to refer us to the United States presidential system but will veil their eyes to see the letters, principles, and spirit of the system as being run in the US?

Ironically, the same US that the Tinubu men are using as the yardstick is already moving towards forming a shadow cabinet or shadow government! In an opinion published in The Washington Post from an interview with FOX TV on November 14, 2024, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from North Carolina, Wiley Nickel, said that a shadow cabinet was an effective tool for Democrats to publicly challenge the incoming administration of Donald Trump. Hear him:

“We need new ideas; Democrats have to stop playing defense and start going on offense. It’s not enough to say we’re against Trump and his Project 2025 agenda. We have to say what we’re for, and that’s what’s really behind this idea, to get folks there to counter every cabinet agency, every position that Trump appoints.” He did not stop there.

Nickel defines a shadow cabinet as “a team from the opposition party that mirrors the ruling party’s cabinet members. The shadow cabinet has a point person for every cabinet position to challenge their counterpart in the ruling Cabinet. It’s been done for a century in the UK. Canada also has a shadow cabinet in place. They watch the Cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas. It’s democracy’s insurance policy. And it strengthens the government, too: There is no room for lazy ideas when rivals stand ready.”

Ẹni tí kò sá bọtì, kii bẹrù òjò (he who does not spread millets outside, does not fear the rain), is a common saying among our elders. What is Tinubu afraid of? Why is he scared that a shadow cabinet that will give Nigerians alternative ideas to governance is being proposed? If he has done well, why is he afraid to compare notes? Is a shadow cabinet a threat to Tinubu’s presidency? I answer, NO! So, what is the issue?

Simple. President Tinubu is afraid of his own shadow. Because it is too dark and frightening! That itself is enough identikit to his performance as President. But for how long can the President run away from his òjìjí? I don’t want to sound impudent here. Otherwise, I would have asked President Tinubu to take a voyage back to his childhood when, like any other child of that time, he tried to play with his shadow or run away from it.

Our shadows follow us wherever we go. So it has been from the creation of the earth; and so shall it remain till the end of time. Whether he allows the shadow cabinet to be formed or not, Nigerians shall judge Tinubu in 2027 based on his shadow of today. He has two years ahead to make amends. He has 24 full months to lessen the burden. He has all the chances in the world now to change the negative narratives his government is to positive ones.

President Tinubu should stop chasing the shadow, thinking that Nigerians would be cajoled again. His libidinous manhood has raped us in a farm hut the first time because he called it a mansion. We shall not follow him on the same farm path leading to the hut he once projected to us as a mansion in his first violation of our womanhood. The shadow of his four years in office shall follow Tinubu to his bid for a second term. That will surely happen unless Nigeria is doomed!

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Step Aside If You Won’t Accept, Practice Tradition, Olowo Tells Monarchs

Published

2 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Editor

Chairman of the Ondo State Council of Traditional Rulers and Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, has kicked against traditional rulers who abandon traditional practices after ascending the throne.

Oba Ogunoye declared that they should either uphold the institution’s customs or vacate their positions.

He said in Akure, the state capital, during a colloquium held to mark the 10th coronation anniversary of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi.

The monarch was responding to a critique by one of the discussants during the event, Dr. Festus Adedayo, who submitted that the traditional institution had lost many of its defining myths and cultural values.

Dr Adedayo, a journalist and scholar, had traced the historical significance of traditional institutions from the pre-colonial era to modern times.

He said that the current generation of monarchs has, in many cases, diluted the institution’s sacredness and public perception.

According to him “The traditional institution must redeem itself if it wants to be taken seriously. It can do this by upholding the myths and comportment passed down from ancient times, including burial rites, sacred appearances, and dignified conduct.”

Reacting, Oba Ogunoye, urged that there must not be a sweeping categorization of kings but specific references to the ones that go out of the bounds of the institution.

He said that “You must identify specific individuals who have violated traditional norms rather than make sweeping generalizations.

“Personally, I am a traditionalist to the core. Before becoming Olowo of Owo, I lived in the palace with my father for 25 years and fully understood the requirements.

“Tradition is not repugnant, it is a sacred heritage that must be preserved.”

Oba Ogunoye added “that taking up the role of a monarch is a matter of choice, not by compulsion.

“If you want to be an Oba, be prepared to abide by the customs. If you cannot, then don’t accept the position. It is not by force. Let us embrace our traditions, they are not in conflict with dignity or modernity.”

Oba Ogunoye however, lauded the Oyo State Government for preserving tradition in the recent selection of the new Alaafin of Oyo

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who delivered the keynote address titled “Role of Nigeria’s Traditional Institution in Nation Building: Impediments and Prospects,” described the monarchy as a fundamental part of Nigeria’s heritage, older than oil discovery and even colonial rule.

Makinde maintained that traditional rulers remain pillars of identity, legitimacy, and social cohesion, and called on governments to invest in cultural institutions as part of strategic governance

The colloquium also had in attendance the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Oba of Ilu-Abo, Oba Olu Falae, who was chairman of the event; Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, represented by his SSG, Dr. Taiye Fasoranti; representative of the Vice President, Dr. Tope Fasua; Ondo State Attorney General, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, Professor Adedayo Afe, the celebrant, Deji of Akure, among others.

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Bayelsa Warns LG Officials Against Pension Payment Delays

Published

15 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Editor

The Bayelsa State Government has warned principal officers of local government councils in the state to desist from delay in presentation of names of prospective retirees in good time for processing and payment of pension benefits.

The Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, handed down the warning on Wednesday at a meeting with the chairmen and principal officers of the eight local government councils in Government House, Yenagoa.

Ewhrudjakpo directed that the names of retiring workers should be submitted at the latest by the 18th of every month to the office of the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Treasury and Accounts, Mr Timipre Seipulou, for processing.

According to him, anyone found culpable of sabotaging the policy which is aimed at achieving seamless payment of retirees’ benefits, would be sanctioned.

He said he was desirous of bequeathing an effective and efficient local government system where his successor would not grapple with the issue of delayed payment of pensions and gratuities.

Ewhrudjakpo, who decried the backlog of unpaid pensions, said the government will work out modalities to ensure that retirees receive their pensions a month after retirement from service.

He specifically directed the chairmen to work closely with the technical adviser on treasury and accounts to come up with a model for the payment, as available funds cannot be used to clear all outstanding gratuities amounting to about five billion naira at once.

The Deputy Governor equally advised local government administrators to make provisions for annual leave for employees to serve as motivation.

He used the opportunity to thank all eight local government chairmen for their cooperation and suggestions that have so far contributed towards the achievements recorded in the various councils.

Hw said, “Our reason for calling this meeting is to give information, a directive, and a warning. One thing that I have is that I don’t know how to spare indolence, docility, laziness, incompetence, and deliberate obstruction of the wheel of progress.

“We have taken a decision that all those who are retiring every month must be paid their pensions. That decision has come to stay. But the report I am having is that some of you in the local government system are trying to frustrate it by not volunteering the necessary information.

“You were told to timely furnish the Technical Adviser on Treasury and Accounts, Mr Seipulou’s office, with your monthly reports concerning retirees.

“I am not happy that local government officers are frustrating the process.

“Chairmen, take note: every local government must submit its report by the 18th of every month, provided it is not a Sunday or Saturday. Even if it is a Saturday or Sunday, we will give you the benefit of submitting on the 20th.

“Any local government that does not do that, next month, I will transfer the treasurer and anybody that is involved in the process.

“Our brothers and sisters who have been on the queue are complaining that those who are going out now are being paid. So, every hand must be on deck to ensure we pay up the backlog.

“We are desirous of paying up pensions. We believe that by the end of this month, as we work round the clock, we are going to see the best way to put it behind us.

“What I want to do, by the grace of God, before I step out of this place, is that I don’t want to leave behind liabilities such as a backlog of unpaid pensions and gratuities for anybody.”

In their separate remarks, the state chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Local Government Chapter, Mr Noel Itade, and the Head of Brass Local Government Council, Comrade Clement Etifa, commended Ewhrudjakpo for his effective supervision and initiatives that have repositioned the local councils for efficient service and project delivery.

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Access To Sexual, Reproductive Health, Key To Sustainable Societies – UNFPA

Published

16 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Editor

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has said that ensuring access to sexual, reproductive health and rights is a cornerstone for sustainable, inclusive societies.

Dr. Natalia Kanem, the UNFPA Executive Director, stated this in Bauchi on Thursday during the commemoration of the 2025 World Population Day organised by the state government.

According to her, it is imperative for governments at all levels to also create an avenue where people who wanted to experience the joys and rewards of parenting could meet their fertility goals.

This, she said, would give them the hope for a better tomorrow supportive of their choices and protective of their rights and where they, and their children would thrive.

Represented by Deborah Tabara, the Gender, Reproductive Health Analyst of UNFPA in Bauchi, Kanem reiterated the commitment of the fund in partnering with the state government.

She said the partnership would harness the dividend of the state’s youthful population in developing programmes, strategies, plans, and budgets that promote inclusivity and equality.

“UNFPA remains an agency for reproductive Health and our mission is to deliver a world where all pregnancy is wanted, all maternal birth safe and all young persons achieve their potentials.

“Family-friendly policies including affordable and accessible childcare, generous and flexible parental leave, and promotion of fathers’ participation in care-giving can help prospective parents balance career and family goals.

“Investing in comprehensive sexuality education is another imperative that supports informed choices.

“Intergenerational understanding is crucial to build trust and strengthen solidarity and fairness across generations,” she said.

Also speaking, Hajiya Amina Katagum, Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, said this year’s theme called for considerations on the crucial role young people play globally, in Nigeria and in Bauchi state.

Represented by Barr. Abubakar Bununu, Special Adviser to Gov. Bala Mohammed on multilateral coordination, Katagum added that it recommended that government and stakeholders listen to young people and respond to their needs and desires.

She explained that this would contribute positively to the development of their societies and create the families they want.

“It is our responsibility as governments, the Private Sector and other key stakeholders to build a more equitable, sustainable and caring world where young people are empowered to pursue the lives they want for themselves and their families,” she said.

The theme of the 2025 world population day is ‘empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world’.