By Sunday Olugbenga Abire
There seems to be truly no reward for coming second in life. In leadership, the person who comes behind has serious problems of standing perpetually in the image of another until his own appearance is diminished or lost in the service of his master. Kindly cast your minds on a master-servant relationship and you will appreciate how defeating it could be to be under the influence of anyone, no matter how good. In political leadership where all things are fair, it’s worse.
I know you must have read Greene’s Laws of Power and the invaluable lessons of not outshining your master. Even the good book recognizes that the Heir is not more than a child as long as he’s under tutors and masters. The insignia of power, influence and reverence is kept cool and to be accessed in the future if the Heir makes it to adulthood where he’s adorned with all the paraphernalia of his office.
Today, I remember how Aketi, Aiyedatiwa’s former boss copiously and spiritedly told tales of his lieutenant’s perseverance, sacrifices, love, patience and rare equanimity. Those who didn’t forget in a hurry still know that Aketi was unpretentious about the soothing sequence of beautiful description of his second-in-command even when not asked by anyone. He freely admitted Aiyedatiwa’s valour and the essence of prayerful choice of a man who he could trust completely and any day. Aketi updated us all on the day of inauguration of this government and he never stopped talking about the blessings in all the names his darling Aiyedatiwa bears. No love lost. No suspicion, whether imagined or real, between Aketi and Aiyedatiwa.
Aiyedatiwa’s sin may be linked to the joyous pronouncement of Aketi on the day of inauguration as his political Heir Apparent. Akin to what happened to the biblical Joseph whose only sin was the error of foretelling his lofty dreams in the presence of his envious brothers, Aiyedatiwa became an object of calculated political machinations. He courted enemies far and near. He became a major nightmare to many traditional politicians right from the beginning. He was framed, lied against and bullied.
Perhaps we need to recall that Aiyedatiwa served his boss without asking for anything. I mean, anything whatsoever. Painfully, he couldn’t even serve the interests of those who saw him as their leader and friend. His hands were tied to the tree of unwavering loyalty that he couldn’t even make one of his own an ordinary student leader in this state let alone push any of his allies for the smallest position of a Councilor even in his ward. He was handicapped despite being loved and cherished by Aketi. How many of his people got tickets to run for political offices? How many contracts did he influence for his friends? How was Aiyedatiwa, Aketi’s second-in-command, treated by party’s leadership? He alienated himself so he could serve the interest of his boss who trusted him wholeheartedly. He never begrudged anyone. He bore the excruciating pains of loyalty till the end.
It is a harrowing pain to be in a fix as experienced by Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa. His experience could best be described as man-made incapacitation. It wrecks. It is traumatizing to know that a man who enjoys the same constitutional privileges as his boss could be undermined so much by appointees who could be hired and fired without hassle. Worse still, it defies common sense when such appointees relish in the joy of ‘supervising’ someone who should have been their lord in the absence of his boss who they both share a sit on the ticket that heralds this government.
However, no matter the funny experiences that the special kind of democracy brewed in Ondo state has dished out to Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the younger generation needs to learn some salient lessons from his resilience and unperturbed attitude even when they came for his head. Truly, calmness is a blessing in the face of provocation. It is impossible for anyone to reign until it’s time. This generation must know that time incubates all ideas and there will be no need to make haste when it’s not time. It is instructive to note that no matter how novel one’s idea could be, it must be tested in the furnace of time. As they say, time heals all wounds.
The destiny of this state is placed on the shoulders of Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa today. He has been chosen by the indestructible hand of God to lead a people in dire need of responsive and responsible leadership. He is the governor of all irrespective of partisan, religious or clannish tendencies. Like the biblical story of Jesus cleansing the temple that had hitherto been messed up by merchants, H.E, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa will not allow the state suffer more woes in the name of being politically correct. Being a victim of unfairness, he will learn from the pains of the past as he treats everyone with utmost respect and honour that they deserve.
Moreover, like gold that has passed through fire, Aiyedatiwa has been refined to show benevolence instead of vendetta. He will not play God while doing what’s right for the collective gains of the people of Ondo state. Without fear or favour, Aiyedatiwa will act accordingly as he rights the wrongs in love. The die is cast. Hands are on the plough and it’s time to emplace good governance that he swore to entrench in the sunshine state. May good time return to this state. May Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa succeed.
*Sunday Olugbenga Abire is Special Assistant to the Governor of Ondo State on New Media.