By Adekunle Owolabi, Esq
It is doubtful whether politicians can learn from history, as over the centuries- they seem to have learnt nothing and forgot nothing like the French House of bourbons.
The revelation last night by the police that Adelabu’s sister’s kidnap saga was a orchestrated by ex-Minister’s Personal Assistant, Ajiboye Sangogade should not by now be anymore shocking a news item.
This is a sad throwback to the incident of the assassination of the wife of MKO Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
Investigation revealed that her PA, Lateef ‘ ki ni second name e na’ Sofola or so, was the actual person who revealed the itineraries of the later June 12 annulment agitator.
The trusted staff of Kudirat simply handed her over to her killers on a platter of gold.
What an irony!
The same people we entrust our lives are the same characters, who offer our heads for the guillotine to chop off.
For a very long time during the age of Papacy rules in Europe, successive Popes were gotten rid off mostly by their over-ambitious deputies/second in command.
Similarly, during the golden age of Oyo Empire’s rule, the moment an Alaafin got to the throne, his Aremo (Crown Prince) also assumed office as his father, entitled and enjoying the paraphernalia of office as the Alaafin, his father.
Then an era of regicide crept into the ascendancy system of the royal family in Oyo.
Macbeth-princes, who could not wait like King Charles waited patiently for her mother to complete her long reign, began murdering Alaafin in their sleep because they were anxious as they were ambitious for power and to rule like their fathers.
Oyo Mesi was unable to stop this “Murder in the Palace” until a Decree was promulgated to the effect that the day Alaafin dies also signals the death warrant of the Crown Prince. Pronto, the regicide within the four walls of the palace stopped.
The revelation of this Adelabu’s sister’ kidnap saga should provoke a severe punishment for unconscionable and reckless betrayal of trust.
The Yoruba have a time-honoured saying that ‘Ara ile eni nii seni’ meaning, ‘one’s blood relation is always the architect of one’s undoing’.
Or, ‘Kokoro to nje efo, wa lara efo’, meaning ‘the insect that destroys the vegetable is parasitically attached to the vegetable’.
One hopes the politician and by extension Nigerians learn their lessons not to place too much reliance/trust on their second-in-commands, PAs, domestic staffs and even employed securities.
Everyone has a price. At the very elastic point and when the price is appropriate, betrayal, motivated by self aggrandisement, will be activated by these trusted allies.
I hope Adelabu and in extension other wealthy and influential Nigerians have or will learn their lessons too.
Owolabi, a legal practitioner, is based in Lagos
More details here...
