Afonja was the Generalissimo of the Oyo Empire in the 18th Century who rebelled against his boss, the Alaafin of Oyo, and collaborated with the Fulanis’’ to bring Oyo Empire to its knees.
Afonja erroneously thought that the Fulanis’ after helping him destroy his boss, would hand over the reign of power to him. He was sorely mistaken! Afonja forgot that most often, when you ride on the back of a tiger, you run the risk of ending up in its stomach. By the time Afonja realized his mistake, it was too late. He was isolated, his fighting forces were decimated and, he practically became a prisoner in his own domain until he was finally murdered by those he thought were his friends.
Ilorin Afonja became Ilorin Alimi. Ilorin effectively became part of Sokoto caliphate with the installation of Alimi’s son Abdul Salami as Emir of Ilorin in 1829! Invariably, the then capital of Oyo empire was destroyed in 1837 but not before the then Alaafin pronounced some curses on Afonja. Recent happenings are beginning to make me think that those curses are still potent.
Unfortunately, in 21st century Nigeria, some developments seem to suggest that we are back in the early 1800s. We have new groups of political and financial Afonja’s all over the place. History is about to repeat itself.
Unknowingly, you may even be the Afonja that I am talking about.
1. You are an Afonja when you allow your pecuniary gain to trump the lager interest of your primary base.
2. You are an Afonja when, because of your short sightedness you treat your friend as the enemy and the enemy as your friend.
3. You are an Afonja when you fail to see through the Greek gifts or the trojan horses being dangled in your face by those who are bent on supplanting you or what you represent.
4. You are an Afonja when you are so blinded by political allegiance, financial gain or quest for positional advantage that you act against your own longer-term interest.
5. You are an Afonja when you sell your birth right for a pot of porridge.
6. You are an Afonja when you join forces with outsiders to throw destructive stones at your father’s house.
7. You are an Afonja when you are so consumed by your personal ambition that you sacrifice more enduring legacies on the altar of immediate gratification.
8. The Afonja in you will make you disloyal, shortsighted and susceptible to manipulation.
9. The Afonja in you will make you oblivious to dangers and risks that everyone else can see.
The 21st century Afonja is not necessarily from Western Nigeria. He may be from the East or even the North. He may be a Yoruba man. But, he may also be Ibo or Ijaw or Kanuri.
Like the proverbial dog that is destined for destruction or like his 18th century predecessor, the 21st century Afonja is impervious to warnings from the hunter’s whistle…. until it is too late.
Are you an Afonja?
