Se ‘Eyin’ Ni Governor ?- Akande Olaoluwa
The reverberating sounds I kept on hearing from outside of my room was becoming alarming, I couldn’t pin-point their conversation at first, but the statement “S’eyin ni governor?” [Are you the Governor?] was loud and clear. There was continuous rumbling. It seems more like a tough argument. It’s just as if some were in support of what “they” are doing, while some are not. My nerves already created a pictorial representation of what was actually taking place outside my room: it all look like a stop and search routine.
The intensity of the rumbling grew bigger and bigger. I couldn’t cage my anxiety any longer. I had to step out to see what was really happening self. Yes! You can call me “Solo” . It’s said that prevention is better than cure. I can’t afford to stay in my room while my neighborhood is on fire. Anyways, not literally…
Finally am outside, the view seems just as I pictured it in my head…
It was indeed a stop and search routine. I saw able youths widely pronounced as the future of the nation all armed with the easiest fetchable weapon from my place. (4 by 4 plank): confronting those that needed to pass through: asking one important question from each person, “S’eyin Ni Governor?” (Are You The Governor?) They shouted furiously, their response determines if they would be allowed to pass through.
Nobody knew their aim, nobody knew their mission neither do they know their objective. They weren’t discriminating in their questioning. Both male, female, elderly and the young, no one was exempted. They continued, they weren’t getting tired, I could see a lot of fresh and supposed useful energy been rigorously utilized. “Seyin ni governor”, “S’eyin ni governor”, they kept on repeating the same question…
They knew he was coming, but they do not know what he look was like. I guess that’s the reason for the stop and search routine.
Finally! He arrived. All seemed like a 9 – 11 reoccurrence. It was as if a clarion call was made for all the available youths in my neighborhood. They all cheered. The Governor!The Governor!! The Governor!!!
The Routine Search continued. Now, it’s becoming hypocritical. So “many Judas” but their “Pharisee Soldiers” are turning a blind eye to Jesus. It came to his (The Governor) own turn to be searched and to be questioned but they already knew he was the one. Then, our untiring able youths decided to save their energy.
Then, they began a negotiation which has always been the route of business oriented governance of my great Nation by the Politicians and youths.
“Ki le ni fun wa?” (what do you have for us)???
That was the question set before the man whom they referred to as The Governor by The Able and Agile Youths; the Future of the Nation.
As simple as this question maybe, it has really done alot of damage to our nation. Ki le ni fun wa? (What do you have for us?). You might be thinking they were probably asking for the manifesto/agenda of the Aspirants.
(Yes he was still an aspirant, but because of what they wanted to collect from him he suddenly became their Governor even though Election was yet to be conducted),
No! Not at all: the reaction on their faces projected the fact that they were never concerned about his agenda after all, they are not ‘Seun of channel TVS.”
The Governor understood what they wanted or probably his P.A. sudden closeness to him passed the message. But the moment he dips his hand to his pocket; the moment he reaches out for whatever might be the amount of Naira Notes or probably Dollar, (as we now basically spend foreign currencies in our country as if we are currently being colonized by them.): from that moment onward, we seize to have the right of saying this Elected Governor has cheated us; this Elected Governor is a corrupt individual; this Elected Governor has mismanaged our funds; just like Esau, we lost the right to our birth rights. The moment the Governor dip his hands to reach for whatever maybe inside his pocket.
Note: This article was never written to point fingers at anybody. But to call out our attention to the need to stop selling our birth rights; the need to start doing the rightful; the need for we youth to start doing the needful. I long for the day when an aspirant will be trembling to face the crowd especially the Youths because he knows they are not after what he wants to bring out from his pocket when he dips his hands into it. But they are there to hold him responsible for whatever will be his agendas during his stay in office.
The author is a LAUTECH student, he can be reached via
08031372979.