The strained relationship between two influential leaders like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola can have far-reaching consequences.
As the saying goes, “when two elephants fight, the grass suffers.” It’s imperative that we encourage reconciliation and renewed relations between them.
Those familiar with the bond of loyalty, mentorship, and shared ideology between Tinubu and Aregbesola know that their relationship has positively impacted politics and governance in Lagos and Osun states and in Nigeria generally.
Unfortunately, their age-long relationship seems to be fraying. Efforts to bring about reconciliation should be welcomed by all, but instead, we’re seeing mixed responses.
The situation reminds me of the ancient story of the search party for the Alaafin’s missing horse.
Some genuinely sought to find the horse, while others wished it would never be found, and a third group planned to chase it away even if discovered.
Before I proceed, I’d like to clarify that I’m not meddling in this matter. As Honourable Adegoke Adelabu said, “I am an artist; the artist has nothing worthwhile to offer you besides glimpses of his inner self.”
This intervention is directly from my inner mind.
Hath there no cause why I am interested in both of them reconciling in the Spirit of Hijira which offers faithful muslims to forgive past wrongs, make new resolutions and strive for spiritual growth?
Fate has brought our paths to cross each other in the past twenty five years for good, and in assigning spiritual value to my collective experience with them individually, it is only right for me to live by the Christian injunction of being happy to be called a child of God.
I am following the injunction of our Lord Jesus Christ which mandate is unequivocally that we must pursue peace with all men, and that, blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of God.
My first and direct contact with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on Saturday, April, 8, 2000 when he was our Chief Guest of Honour at Premier Hotel, Ibadan where Governor Lam Adesina’s biography of my authorship was launched.
Professor Olaoluwa Akinyele had on that occasion prophesied through his preface to the book that the biography was going to serve “those who seek to be leaders of the people in the next millennium.”
President Tinubu who was then the Governor of Lagos State was the Chief Launcher of the biography titled: “Lam, The Incorruptible Democrat. ”
In his speech at the well-attended ceremony, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu recalled his joint commitment with Alhaji Lam Adesina in championing and furthering the cause of democracy through unrelenting struggles in pro-democracy activism and towards actualising the June 12 mandate for which they suffered untold hardship, yet approaching the task peacefully, even without violence.
For his strong belief in peace, reconciliation and non-violence which proceeds from the book-launch was intended to advance, Asiwaju Tinubu brought to the launching table the fattest donation on the historic day.
That was how Movement Of Non-Violence In Africa, MENVIA, took off as a non-governmental organisation same year while I was appointed its Executive Secretary.
We organised the first Nigeria’s Interfaith seminar for working journalists in Oyo State in November, 2001 and opened an archive for media practitioners, where-in they could make use of resources available there for research on conflict management and resolution.
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We believe that as agents of social communication who make crises public, media practitioners manage themselves through crises, and are in the best position to assist and partner with serious government which respects constitutionality towards fostering peace and stability in the society.
From its guiding philosophy, MENVIA perceives violence as a monster erupting from poverty of sound-reasoning and decent living and which is why the organisation aims at curbing violence and promoting conflict resolution through developmental programmes which include reorientation of the media in the socialization and integration process towards playing their mediatorial role in anticipating crisis and dousing tension.
During the two-day workshop, christened: “Interfaith Seminar For Non-Violence And Sustenance Of Democracy For Media Men in Oyo State,” management experts, experienced media practitioners and ministers of the gospel as well as Islamic clerics presented papers at the historic event which was declared open by the Minister of State for Communication, Alhaji Adekunle Aruna Elewi.
MENVIA had series of programmes which included the promotion of oratory and culture of dialogue among youths in both public and private schools and book-presentation tours of colleges in the state.
It is noteworthy that after the end of the two-day interfaith seminar in which about one hundred journalists benefited, media houses and the Oyo state-branch of the Nigeria Union of Journalists as well as different chapels in both the print and electronic media began to hold interfaith prayers for peace and sustenance of peace in the state and in the country.
In 2006 however, the Spirit of God, during an annual worship session which I initiated among fellow prophets, instructed us to intercede prayerfully for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (who was then a Commissioner for Works in Lagos State) against the plan of his adversaries who were ganging up to liquidate him.
We did it faithfully by interceding for him, even without reaching out to him.
But it was in 2017 that I met for the first time, Ogbeni Aregbesola who was then the Governor of Osun State.
As fate had arranged it, we met face to face on Hijira day 2017 in which I heard him expounding the spiritual significance of Hijira.
I had led to his presence, the executive members of Yoruba University Students Association In Egypt, YOSTANEG, who came all the way from Egypt to pay him courtesy visit and to present him an award.
The benefits of unity and cooperation far outweigh the costs of division. As we celebrate Hijira, let’s reflect on the importance of mercy, justice, and compassion in our relationships.
I must confess here that without the interfaith mindset already nurtured in me through my activities as the Executive Secretary of MENVIA, it may have been difficult for me, to accept my appointment as the media consultant of YOSTANEG which membership entirely comprised muslims.
Moved by the Holy Spirit and in appreciation of God’s answer to my prayers on the very resounding success of our visitation to Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, I made a solemn vow to God to live a life of chastity thenceforth.
This is not a space to narrate the nature of the shackles from which Hijira Spirit of renewal has liberated me, it has taken me a whole book christened: “The Excellency Of Knowing Him” to document the gains I derived from the 2017 Hijira.
As the new Muslim calendar, Hijira, this 2025 is being celebrated, beginning from last week, I reflected on its spiritual significance and wished the muslim faithful would get correct the Hijira’s import of dedication to time for reflection introspection and renewal of friendship.
Let me however state it here that most Nigerians, especially religionists, don’t know and understand how to pay tributes to the memory of past heroes of faith, and this becomes so devastatingly glaring in the way we put up contrary attitudes to what heroes whom we are celebrating stood for, while playing tomfoolery over the celebration of birthdays and significant dates.
Spiritual numberings on calendar are erroneously seen as lifeless figures juggled together for empty rhetoric, not understanding that most of them, as calendars of God, have an individual life of their own.
When Nigeria in its life journey clocked its 50th anniversary (1960-2010), Nigerians understood it was a jubilee period, but apart from the junketing and jamboree of merriment that attended it, only few people understood its spiritual and political significance for the country.
Many Nigerians including Christians for whom 50 in the Bible (Leviticus 25: 8-17) ought to have made spiritual commonsense, largely, did not know how to celebrate the jubilee.
“The jubilee legislation was a comprehensive formula for economic reform in-cooperating various elements from earlier traditions, such as interest-free loans and stipulations regarding slaves (meant to be freed) the purpose being to preserve human life for everybody. ”
In his book “Archbishop Carey In Zamfara State,” Modupe Oduyoye stressed regrettably that: “We Christians completely neglected this guarantee of a just social order in a year we designated as the Year of Jubilee. Christians in Nigeria spent the year of jubilee barking at the Muslims who were going back to the principles of the shariyah.”
He added: “The All-Africa Conference of Churches Millennium Jubilee Convocation came only at the end of the year: In its intention, jubilee was a period of legal revolution designed by God, established by law and proclaimed by the prophets. It was a time of levelling human inequalities caused by human selfishness, ambition and power-seeking.”
Is not Igbo “ebele” a word for Mercy; Hebrew “Yobel” Jubilee?
In 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan whose middle name is Ebele, meaning Mercy and jubilee, may not have possibly realised that it was for the actualisation of jubilee that the doctrine of necessity threw him up for Presidency, “levelling human inequalities” and demanding of him to remember the son of whom he was towards ensuring that his government did not abuse the Grace.
As a Christian and advocate of interfaith relations, I’ve experienced the Spirit of unity, understanding, and reconciliation personified in Hijira.
It is along this spiritual direction that I urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to put aside their differences and work towards reconciliation. The benefits of unity and cooperation far outweigh the costs of division. As we celebrate Hijira, let’s reflect on the importance of mercy, justice, and compassion in our relationships.
Just thinking aloud.
