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OPINION: Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu And The Fish God

Published

4 months ago

June 8, 2025

By Festus Adedayo

As Ngugi wa Thiong’o says in his Wizard of the Crow, (2007), ire is more corrosive than fire. Make no mistake about it: President Bola Tinubu is angry. When Tinubu was similarly angry, I wrote a piece entitled Tinubu the Ap’ejalodo and his strange fish friend (September 18, 2018). That fable was one of the stories that helped to tame the greed of pre and post-colonial Yoruba society, as well as any tendency within it to play God.

By that 2018, Tinubu had made up his mind to replace Akinwunmi Ambode as governor of Lagos State. The piece, using that anecdote, was to warn him not to take the place of God. Suchlike stories helped to shape the moral man in Africa. His cosmology was governed by anecdotes, lore and mores which prescribed moral codes. For centuries, these sustained the associational and moral forte of Africa. Anecdotes that restrained a potential emperor from treading the path of ruination were told to children, even in their infancies; same about petty thieves who came to ghastly ends. For instance, the destructive end of greed was foretold in pre-colonial Yoruba society in the emblematic story of Tortoise and the scalding hot porridge on the fire he stole and covertly put on his head. It burnt his scalp. Permit me to retell the anecdote.

Set in an African village, the story is that of a young wretched fisherman (Ap’ejalodo) who was ravaged by failure. He was unable to catch enough fish over the years to rescue him from the pangs of lack. One day, however, as he thrust his fishing hook into the river, it caught one of the largest fishes he had ever seen. Excited, Ap’ejalodo pulled his awesome catch up to the riverbank and proceeded to yank it off the hook.

As he attempted to carry it to the basket, however, the fish began to speak like a human being. Ap’ejalodo was at first afraid but he eventually pulled himself up and listened to the sermon of the strange fish. Singing, Ap’ejalodo, mo de, ja lo lo, ja lo lo… (Fisherman, here I come…) the fish pleaded to be rescued by the fisherman.

It promised that if the fisherman spared its life, in lieu of this rescue, he should ask for whatever he wanted in life. Excited, Ap’ejalodo let it off the hook and asked for wealth. Truly, by the time he got home, the ragged clothes on him and his wife had become very big damask agbada and aran, respectively, with their wretched hut transformed into a big mansion. Both now began to live the life of unimaginable splendour.

After a few years, the couple was however barren and the wife entreated Ap’ejalodo to go fishing again and ask his fish friend to rescue them from the social shame. As he thrust his hook into the river again, it caught the strange fish and the earlier process was repeated. This time, he asked for a child and the strange fish granted it, giving him children. Over the years, the fisherman magisterially summoned the fish through same process and the fish bailed the couple out.

Then one day, Ap’ejalodo and wife were just waking up from their magnificent bed when a blinding and intruding ray of the sun meandered into their bedroom. Enraged, Mrs. Ap’ejalodo couldn’t understand the audacity the sun had to intrude into their sacristy. Couldn’t it respect the privacy and majesty of the richest couple in the land? She then angrily commanded Ap’ejalodo to go meet his fish friend and ask that they be given the power to control the temerity of the Sun and other impertinent celestial forces.

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Off Ap’ejalodo went to the river bank, thrust his fishing hook into the river and again invoked the strange fish. And Ap’ejalodo made his plea. The fish was peeved by the fisherman’s greed and audacity.“You were nobody; I made you somebody and you now have everything at your beck and call. Yet, you want to compete with God in majesty and you will not allow even a common sun to shine and perform the illuminating assignment God brought it to perform on earth!”

The fish angrily stormed back into the river and as Ap’ejalodo, downcast, walked back home, his old torn and wretched dress suddenly came back on him, his mansion transformed into the hut of the past and the couple’s latter wretchedness was more striking than the one of yore.

After writing that piece in 2018, as fate would have it, I was wrong and Tinubu was right. In spite of the several entreaties to him, Ap’ejalodo had his way and Ambode became history. Today, Ap’ejalodo has warred with all his governor nominees since 2007. He attempted to remove all of them but only succeeded with Ambode. On each occasion, he made himself the victim of his disagreements with his mentee governors, answering to that Oscar Wilde statement that you cannot be too careful in the choice of your enemies. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has joined the infamous train of victims of Tinubu’s ferocious anger.

As far back as January of this year, sullen murmurs of bees of power in Alausa and Aso Rock hinted that Ap’ejalodo was angry. While Ambode’s err was failure to offload requested funds, Sanwo-Olu’s was his indiscretion and temerity. An alleged female friend of the governor was said to have helped him courier Lagos funds to Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to enable him win the 2023 governorship. In violation of the laws of power, Sanwo-Olu thus outshone the Master. While he won his Lagos election, Ap’ejalodo lost. Ap’ejalodo actually didn’t mind him losing the election, with the aim of cutting his wings but regaining his overlordship of Lagos in a subsequent estimated victory in the court. At a meeting of the two, while the governor swore his innocence, Ap’ejalodo was said to have derisively laughed him off, maintaining he had security reports which affirmed the transaction. The stroke that broke the camel’s back was the governor’s effrontery in removing Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, Ap’ejalodo’s protege who had been overtly rude to the governor.

Twice in a week, Ap’ejalodo has ridiculed Sanwo-Olu at both the Lagos-Calabar highway and Lekki Free Port road commissioning. He skipped shaking his hands in one and ensured his absence in the other. You could hear the ghoulish cries of vultures waiting to feed off the flesh of the governor. At the Port road commissioning, Ap’ejalodo was fuming from all cylinders: “I am glad the Deputy Governor of Lagos is here. Take it that we will remove all those approvals given on the setbacks already given. No more planning approvals for those unplanned island being created illegally,” he said. Ngugi wa Thiong’o was indeed right. Ire is corrosive.

Ap’ejalodo, having been lifted up by his fish god friend to have an elephant firmly rested on his head, still wants to know what tiny crickets are doing in their small holes. He is enraged by the audacity of Sanwo-Olu’s Sun to intrude into his sacristy. Couldn’t the lanky fellow respect the majesty of the No. 1 Citizen of Nigeria, its richest

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PSC Names Conference Hall After Ex-chair Arase

Published

37 minutes ago

September 25, 2025

Editor

The Police Service Commission has named the Chairman’s conference hall after the late Chairman and former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.

The Commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the conference hall, located on the sixth floor of the PSC’s headquarters, Abuja, was renamed in honour of the late Arase.

“The Police Service Commission has named its Chairman’s Hall on the 6th floor of its Corporate headquarters, as Solomon Arase Hall in honour of its late Chairman,” the statement read.

Arase was appointed the 18th Inspector General of Police in April 2015 and retired in June 2016. He served as Chairman of the PSC till 2024 and passed away at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja on the 31st of August 2025, aged 69.

In the statement, Ani said the current Chairman of the PSC, DIG Hashimu Argungu (retd), represented by the Director, Human Resource Management, Aminu Malumfashi, at a night of tribute held on Wednesday, hailed Arase as “a gentleman of rare courage and intellect.”

“Speaking at the day of tributes in Abuja yesterday, the Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, mni, said his predecessor was not only a Police Officer of repute, a Scholar and a reformer, he was a gentleman of rare courage and intellect,” he said.

According to the statement, funeral rites for the late Chairman will continue on Friday with a requiem mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, and lying in state at his Abuja residence, before his body is airlifted to Benin, Edo State, for burial.

“Tomorrow, Friday, September 26th, 2025, there will be a requiem mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja and a lying in State at his Abuja residence in Maitama on Saturday, before his remains will be airlifted to Benin, Edo State, for the continuation of the burial rites.

“A strong delegation from the Commission will also be in Edo state for the final burial rites of its former Chairman. His remains will be lowered to Mother Earth, on Friday, October 3rd, 2025, in his Benin residence,” the statement added.

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Lagos DSVA Unveils Policy To Fight Workplace Harassment

Published

1 hour ago

September 25, 2025

Editor

Lagos State, on Thursday, took a major step in tackling workplace harassment as the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency held a symposium on ‘The Impact of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence on Labour and Organisational Productivity in the Workplace.’

According to a statement by the Lagos DSVA on X on Thursday, he event drew over 130 professionals from banking, oil and gas, hospitality, FMCG, and trade union sectors.

In her welcome address, DSVA Executive Secretary, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, emphasised that SGBV “is not only a human rights violation but also a major economic challenge.”

She highlighted data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, noting that Nigeria loses an estimated $3 billion annually, about 1% of its economic output, due to gender-based violence.

Vivour-Adeniyi also shared findings from a recent DSVA survey of 549 professionals, revealing that “over 70% had experienced workplace harassment, 89.3% knew someone affected, and only 4.5% had never encountered such misconduct.”

She stressed, “These numbers show that SGBV is not a distant issue, it is happening in workplaces across Lagos State, affecting productivity, mental health, and economic growth.”

Speakers at the symposium called for urgent action. Representing AXA Mansard, Chief Marketing Officer Mrs. Adebola Surakat said, “We remain committed to advocacy and awareness on the dangers of workplace harassment. Organisations must do more to create safe, inclusive environments for all employees.”

Chairman of the Lagos State House Committee on Women Affairs, Hon Omolara Olumegbon, noted that “SGBV is both an economic and societal challenge,” adding that the House would “continue to strengthen legal frameworks to protect vulnerable workers and promote dignity in the workplace.”

Keynote speaker Founder of Women At Risk International Foundation, Dr. Kemi Ibru, underlined the toll of harassment on workplace productivity.

She said, “We must implement zero-tolerance policies, ensure survivor support systems, and make organisations accountable. Workplace harassment is not just a moral issue, it affects business and national growth.”

A panel of experts, including Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, Dr. Nkechinyere (Nikky) Duru, Dr. Iyadunni Atinuke Gbadebo, Mrs. Olubusola Abidakun, and Comrade Abiodun Aladetan, explored practical strategies for prevention and response, with discussions moderated by Ms. Anuli Aniebo.

The symposium also marked the launch of the ‘Lagos State Guidelines for Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace’, described by organisers as “a pioneering framework for safer and more inclusive organisations across the State.”

Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri, Consultant Psychiatrist and CEO of Redimed Consulting Services, concluded the event with a vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to “all partners and participants for advancing this crucial cause.”

“Sexual and gender-based violence concerns us all,” the organisers emphasised.

Sexual and gender-based violence, ranging from harassment, intimidation, and coercion to physical and sexual abuse, is a widespread issue across Nigeria.

Workplace harassment not only affects individuals’ mental and physical health but also reduces productivity, increases staff turnover, and undermines organisational growth.

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Snoop Dogg ‘In Love’ With Australian Rules Football

Published

6 hours ago

September 25, 2025

Editor

American rapper Snoop Dogg said he was “in love” with Australian Rules football Thursday, ahead of a controversial performance at the sport’s grand final.

The 53-year-old will take to the stage at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, which will be jammed with up to 100,000 fans watching as Geelong face Brisbane.

“I’ve been coming to this country for years and I understand what this game is and what it means,” he told Australian media at a function where no questions were permitted.

“I know that it’s not just a sport, it’s a way of life. I just fell in love with the sport,” he added.

“I always would watch it, but never really understood it.

“It reminded me of American football, rugby and a couple of other things, but now that I understand it, I like it and want to know more about it before the grand finale.”

AFL, which is similar to Ireland’s Gaelic football, traces its roots back to 1858 and is Australia’s most popular spectator sport.

Snoop Dogg was a controversial pick for the grand final entertainment, given his past use of misogynistic and offensive lyrics in some of his songs.

The AFL was accused of hypocrisy for hiring him in August while at the same time banning Adelaide star Izak Rankine for four games over a homophobic slur against an opponent.

AFL chief Andrew Dillon defended the decision to hire the American, whose real name is Calvin Broadus.

“I’ve been really confident with the choice of Snoop,” he said.

“He’s performed at the Olympics, he’s performed at a Super Bowl, and he’ll suit our stage.”

AFP