Between Aregbesola and his US ‘recorder’

I have read some of the essays justifying or making excuses for the Nigerian-American citizen who uploaded an encounter between him and the Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, last week.  I accept the argument that the incident is, among other things, significant in highlighting the disenchantment of Nigerian citizens with the political establishment. However, what I find quite objectionable in the encounter is the “old-fashioned impudence” (apologies to Mr. Hardcastle in Oliver Goldsmith’s She stoops to Conquer) displayed by the man whom columnists, perhaps as a result of their own objection to Nigeria’s political class, have been rather thoughtlessly celebrating.

In order to do justice to this topic, I obtained the video in question and transcribed it, so here we go.  At the beginning of the encounter, we find a Nigerian whose face is not revealed in the video making a recording of the minister as he (the minister) served himself some breakfast at a US restaurant. “Are you Aregbesola?” the man bellowed. At this stage, the encounter has already turned nasty, because the pitch and tenor of the questioner’s voice clearly indicates that his audience is not the minister but some people present at the restaurant. The man continues, saying: “Having a good time here…Hello.  Is that Aregbesola? I just said hello and he left!” Then moving rather too close to the minister and still continuing his recording, he said:”You look like—Are you Aregbesola?”, whereupon the minister replied: “Who are you?”

I leave some of the encounter in direct form below:

“I’m a Nigerian”

“What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything, I saw you, I think I recognize you…”

“Sit down”.

This is where, in my view, ex-Governor Aregbesola demonstrated good breeding and what the Yoruba call Omoluabi. While he was governor, I wrote essays critical of his administration, so this is not about hero worship or anything of the sort. I have carefully considered the encounter in question and resolved the matter against the author of the video. First off, it was utterly wrong to have shouted “hello!” at the minister like he did. That was offensive. Then, being a Yoruba, I do not know how any self-respecting person would call an elder by his first name. It is bad manners to approach total strangers by their first names, but I have seen people do this time and again.

At this juncture, let me relate an encounter I witnessed at the Nigerian Tribune. At the gate, I saw a loud-mouthed ex-minister talking with our security men who wanted him to fill in certain forms. On sighting him, I told the men who he was and asked them to let him in without the formality, which they did. But what the man then did surprised those present. Approaching the MD, Editor-in-Chief of this newspaper who had just alighted from his SUV and with two other editors warmly receiving him even without prior notice, the ex-minister said: “Please take me to your MD”. I will say no more here.

The most significant thing Mr. Aregbesola did during the encounter in question was to offer the belligerent and impudent questioner a seat. But hear what the man then said: “No no, Your Excellency. Ebi lo gbe mi wa s’ibibayi.. (Hunger drove me here).” If by here he meant America, then I don’t see how haranguing Aregbesola proves anything. But if, as is more likely, “here” refers to the restaurant, then the man was not really hungry, because the Yoruba say that when one’s stomach is ravaged by hunger, no other matter gains entrance into it. If you were at a restaurant for breakfast, then have your breakfast. As to the man’s next statements, “You can’t touch me, this is America!” and “Joe Biden can’t tell me to do that!” (in response to the minister’s question, “Why are you recording me without my authority?”), I have to say that not everything legal is expedient.

While it may be legal to video-record people in restaurants, I do not think it is proper to keep recording those who have objected to being recorded, and to literally shove one’s phone in their face. Besides, I doubt that anyone would actually stand menacingly close to the US president, “recording” him in that manner. And in any case, Aregbesola was in the US under diplomatic cover and ought to have been treated with courtesy. Again, if the man had no respect for Aregbesola, at least he should have shown his wife some courtesy. And his case is made even more ludicrous by the fact that throughout the encounter, the minister kept his cool, even with his imprecations: “This is not Nigeria te ti ma n s’osi.” (where you do rubbish). Hats off to Aregbesola!

This leads me to recent incidents in my mailbox. For weeks, I had been receiving unsolicited mails from one Kayode Adebayo with the email kayusee1@yahoo.com. This man, a specialist in name calling, habitually accuses Nigeria’s presidential candidates of all kinds of crimes under the sun, but is obsessed with Peter Obi in particular, whom he calls Obidiot and such other names. Well, disgusted by his tirade and utter lack of substance, I sent the following mail, hoping that the people concerned on that platform would take me off their mailing list: “Please, may I humbly ask for my email (awolajaa@yahoo.com) to be taken off these exchanges? I did not ask to be listed in this conversation and I haven’t the slightest interest in it. Regards. Abiodun Awolaja.”

In reply, the man reminded me that the forum was not for “kindergartens” and that “no one is here to babysit you.” If I was too technologically or technically challenged to take myself off the platform, he said, I should ask the people who added me to it. Here was a total stranger hauling tirades at me for no just cause. You see, as the Yoruba say, good breeding cannot be bought with money. The following day, another mail came in, this time from Mr. Dotun Oladipo, Managing Editor/CEO of Premium Eagle Media Limited. Do you know what the man did? He called Mr. Oladipo worse names than he called me!

In response to one James Ezema who asked him to be cautious in his utterances (“To call any person idiot is derogatory and insulting, especially when you have had no dealings with the person”), here’s what Mr. Kayode Adebayo wrote: “Obidiot Called James Ezema, you’re an imbecile, you follow-follow moron called James Ezema. You wonder why the thief with no solutions to Nigeria’s humongous problems called Peter Obidiot has possessed your brain and plays on your intelligence. He knows you’re a dummy for life. What a nitwit!”

I return to Mr. Hardcastle: “This may be modern modesty, but I never saw anything look so like old-fashioned impudence.”

Re: Soldiers in slumber

Well done sir. Our sleeping soldiers have totally lost their glory. No one gets out of the way of yesterday’s horse rider. It sounds proverbial, but it’s a bitter truth.

Rev Michael Oladimeji (+2348023852901)