I am amused by what I see in Nigeria. Many Nigerians, including traditional rulers, entertainers, politicians, and even content creators, do not recognise that there can never be PERMANENT CHAMPIONS in human affairs. There will always be CURRENT CHAMPIONS that will fade away and be succeeded by another set of CURRENT CHAMPIONS.
It’s the design of nature that every living organism or organisation will grow and eventually die. Whether it is eucalyptus tree, or an elephant or lion or tortoise, or an empire, it will grow, mature and vegetate to death.
The Dialectic Theory states that for every THESIS, there will be an ANTITHESIS. Both the THESIS and ANTITHESIS will collapse into a SYNTHESIS. This SYNTHESIS will become the new THESIS and a new ANTITHESIS will arise against it. Both the new THESIS and new ANTITHESIS will collapse into a new SYNTHESIS.
That really is how the world grows. As the Yoruba would say ENIKAN KO LE LO ILE AIYE TAN (NO ONE PERSON CAN EXHAUST THE WHOLE LIFE TIME).
You can see the same trend in the growth and development of science. A new scientific proposition is seen as an HYPOTHESIS. After years of testing, if positive, it becomes a THEORY. Later, some scientists can challenge this THEORY by proposing a new HYPOTHESIS which, if subsequently proven, will replace the old THEORY. Nigerians are unable to understand and appreciate this.
Do Nigerians know that there have been Greek, Roman, Ottoman, French and British Empires that have become remnants of history? Do they remember that Britain was once the Queen of the Sea because it had the largest naval fleet in the world? Do they know that the USA, whose president is bullying the world was a colony of Britain? Can the British PM stand up and face President Trump and say your country was my colony, therefore I am your boss.
The UK Prime Minister won’t do that because he doesn’t live in yesterday. He lives in the contemporary world. He faces today’s reality. The Yoruba Obas don’t do that. They hold to the imaginations of empires that are as long dead as dodo. Do they hear people talk as if Mansa Musa’s Mali Empire is still alive?
People elsewhere recognise that Songhai Empire, Zulu Empire, Benin Empire, et al, are long gone like every human organisation will do one day They know that your relevance today depends on your economic strength, infrastructural growth and development, Al and ICT capacity etc. I hope the Yoruba Obas will understand this.
There was a time that ANC dominated the politics of South Africa. ANC did that for over 100 years. In the last election, the ANC didn’t make 50 per cent of votes and had to go into alliance with Democratic Alliance before they could claim the Presidency.
In the height of their intoxication, PDP said it will rule Nigeria for 60 years. After 16 years, PDP collapsed into irrelevance. That PDP is today struggling for freedom from governmental and judicial strangulation.
That’s why I’m amused when I see APC intimidating all governors, senators, political elites, etc into its fold. APC is a human organisation subject to the law of growth and decay. Perhaps, the party is worried that the 16-year ceiling they inflicted on PDP is near the corner. As the Yoruba would say AFIDA PANI KII FE R’IDA. Those who kill with swords are afraid when they see the sword in their front.
There was a time PELE ruled the world. Then came MARADONA. Then came RONALDO. And there was the futile argument on who is better: Pele or MARADONA…both of them relics of history. Just as the struggle between Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley, also between Victor Olaiya and Roy Chicago, KSA and Ebenezer Obey, etc.
Frantz Fanon wrote that EVERY GENERATION WILL PRODUCE ITS OWN MESSIAH. In essence, there can be no messiah for all generations. Why?
The environment keeps changing. The tastes and interests of people keep changing. That’s why because of the changing circumstances and scenes of life there can be no permanent champions.
That is why the wealth of DA ROCHA, DANTATA, ΜΚΟ ABIOLA, cannot be compared with those of BUA and DANGOTE, whose wealth will certainly pale away as new CURRENT CHAMPIONS will emerge.
Let us spend less time looking backwards. God didn’t put our eyes at the back. Let us all do one thing…LET US ALL FORGET THINGS OF THE PAST. LET US PUSH FORWARD TO NEW GOALS OF CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE AND EXCELLENCE.
•Ambassador (Dr) Farounbi writes from Ibadan.
