A son like MC

DAYS back, Lagos motor park czar, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo controversially emerged the numero uno of the national body and the public square has since gone into a meltdown, with the majority siding with the opinion he is grossly unworthy to lead the union, for diverse reasons, chiefly that he is a common thug being propelled by his long-time godfather, the President of the Republic, and that the pedigree of his immediate predecessor, Najeem Usman Yasin would make Akinsanya’s ascendancy, a retrogression into an allegorical dark alley. Well, both Yasin and Akinsanya are school dropouts, the former because, according to him, his parents could not afford N40. Well, we would never know why Akinsanya chose truancy, because in reverse to Yasin’s case, Oluomo’s mum is said to be a big fabric merchant in Isale Eko. There is so much a parent can do to straighten a determinedly aberrant child. Like Yasin, who has a doctorate degree holder among his children today from the little beginning of jumping behind tax wheel in Zamfara in 1979 when acada failed him, Akinsanya too isn’t doing badly as a father with an MIT graduate son. Despite his controversial persona and proclivity for the absurd when he thinks he is wowing the public, Akinsanya can easily purchase the same doctoral honoris causa his predecessor currently parades from Taraba State University. With his manifest political influence and the accruable unearned millions, Akinsanya can even equal Yasin’s domestic triumph of being married to a doctorate degree holder.

The real difference between the duo is what Yoruba will call ‘o tun ara re bi’ [reinventing oneself]. In Christendom, it is known as a new birth, genuinely seeking a new beginning not minding what the past has been. Christians hold that it will always be impossible for man to attain this transformation, body, soul and spirit, without the help of the Holy Spirit and you only come into this powerful spiritual help, by embracing the salvation offered by God through the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Both Yasin and Akinsanya are practising Muslims, though the former in this context, isn’t just an Islamic scholar, he parades more religious credentials than the Lagos “boy”, but it is not something Akinsanya can’t equal or surpass if it catches his fancy. Yoruba will say ‘olowo se ohun gbogbo tan’ [the rich man can do and undo]. Funny King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 10:19-20, “A feast is made for laughter and wine maketh merry but money answereth all things. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber for a bird of the air shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the matter”. For those who have been cursing the king and the rich men around him, here is an admonition from the consensus wisest man. Yoruba will say ‘ogiri le ti’ [walls have ears].

If Akinsanya is majorly considered unworthy of leading a concatenation of mostly omo oraisa [rascals] and delinquent adults, considering how long he has been around his people in the sector, he is likely either a victim of perennial prejudicial perception or he has simply done a poor job of reinventing himself. He likely needs the person of the Holy Spirit to help him, because he is not widely poorly perceived because of lack of trying. Like Yasin, he has tried giving his children the Western education he lacked. In recent time, even before his Abuja elevation, he’s been trying to be debonair, trendy and eclectic in public, but his underwhelming persona persists because his handlers, likely his friends in Nollywood, are missing the key message in Yoruba’s admonition “aso nla ko ni eniyan nla” [the cowl doesn’t make the monk]. The real essence of a thing isn’t in the superficial layering it. Yesterday doesn’t just go away because today is being peripherally tweaked. During his poorly-concealed bid for the traditional throne of Oshodi before his in-law [his sister’s husband]–and the conjugal link is the only thing reportedly tying Akinsanya to the throne owned by the Tapa ethnic lineage in Lagos—who is the Regent, burst his bubble in an exclusive interview with Saturday Tribune, Oluomo truly dazzled in some pictures in public domain with his fancy accommodation interior and beautiful traditional wear with bejewelled accoutrements. Yet, the review was still largely negative.

Surely Akinsanya isn’t the worst to lead an association forged in thuggery. He isn’t also the first to have a past not to be be proud of. The obvious attempt to recreate, which though keeps falling flat, is the credit that should go to him, for at least trying. Yoruba will say “ti a ba ni ki ebora pa eni to se obe ti o dun, eni ti o se nko?” [If we want to sacrifice a cook with tasteless broth what about the one who didn’t even put pot on fire?].

Stewing him for leveraging his relationship with the President, is the height of hypocrisy from his traducers. Who among those savaging him for climbing the back of his powerful friend, would turn such an opportunity away? The Word of God said even Jesus needed the favour of man, alongside God’s {see Luke 2:52}. When we pray for destiny helper, we aren’t expecting them to drop down from heaven, are we? There are men that would just be willing to stake stuff for us to advance in life. Is Oluomo’s case being ruled different because he is not college-educated or dropped out of secondary school? Is Bosun Tijani, the youthful Communications and Digital Economy not leveraging his association with the President even after calling the senators that eventually cleared him for his current national assignment, idiots?. He is obviously much younger to Akinsanya and his past tweets didn’t really portray him as the man that has things together all the time, yet he never got just a bit of public hate directed at the motor park leader. In fact, during his raucous senate confirmation hearing, the Nigerian public saw more of a hero in him than a wild fellow when angered. Beyond the fancy suit and stylishly-shaved side whiskers, nothing suggests that Bosun Tijani of the rough tweeting days is different from the minister in comfy Abuja office today.

Again, Solomon, that wise king explained life thus in Ecclesiastes 9;11, “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all”. I have never met MC in all my practice as a journalist. In fact as far as his orbit in Lagos is concerned, anyone remotely connected to Nigerian Tribune is an enemy, considering the unrelenting deliberate misinformation that we are eternally opposed to his benefactor; the President. But I am not one to think anyone unworthy of any position, unlike the raging mindset the American mainstream media is selling to the world that Donald Trump is a jerk, unworthy of anything that requires ordinary common sense. But millions of sane ordinary people have just disproved that. My sentiment now, that Oluomo should be given a breather to demonstrate he can provide decent leadership for majorly unruly followers, was the same when Gani Adams was thought unfit for the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Yoruba race. Same, with Ajuri Ngelale’s shock appointment as the presidential spokesperson, despite his relatively young journalism practice. People should be allowed to grow into shoes considered bigger than them. The last wearer likely didn’t come into them with giant feet and life journeys are different. The ball is now in Akinsanya’s court. Yoruba will say won nba ni wase ni, won ki nba ni se [blame yourself if opportunity slips]. If his immediate predecessor could turn things around to become a well-regarded and respectable Nigerian, Musiliu should also be able to pull it off.