The new improved Ooni of Ife

If you are middle aged and grew up in Nigeria, you would be very conversant with the detergent advert. It had the very funny Chief Zebrudaya pitch a new improved detergent. The advert was a classic and stuck very clearly with the market. That is what came to mind as I watched the highly revered Royal father speak the other day.

It is no wonder that the clip has gone viral with Nigerians forwarding and positing it to each other. That he spoke offhand was another thing on interest, shows that he spoke from the heart, choosing his words and very deliberate as he dropped the clingers on a spoilt audience filled with people who see themselves as Leaders but nothing more than vultures.

The Ooni has transformed, from his initial shaky start as a young man taking up traditional responsibilities which has thrown him up for Leadership. A lot of observers did not believe he was ready for the task and he certainly did not prove them wrong. His first attempt at marriage which ended clumsily, his dodgy transactions which followed him to the throne and his lack of grasp as to what exactly was the role of traditional rulers in the scheme of things.

I have once watched him at a party at the US Ambassadors House wondering if this was the right positioning of a king of that status. He looked to me like a ‘side attraction’ with his coterie singing and prancing around the garden in their outfits. The Ooni sat on a stool in the garden while people who had courage asked for pictures. I didn’t think this was totally right as I did not see the Host, The Ambassador anywhere near him.

But the Ooni we saw on that clip is a totally different Ooni. His clarity as to the issues of the country was magnified with his power of elucidation. He dared, accused, stroke and blasted all in a way and manner that would make you want to listen and not get aggressive and lose the plot.

He spoke very clearly on the disillusionment of youth in todays Nigeria and how that fuels the growing insecurity in the Country. He put the blame squarely where it should be and did not pad or mince his words.

This did not come out as the verbally violent manner of the erstwhile Emir of Kano but still made the same point in a less threatening manner.

Are we going to see more of this? I would expect so. The Ooni sits on a very strategic trajectory. He could be a non-threatening rallying point where all sides can converge in search for crucial national solutions. He can lead the push that would see us through this dark period building trust and confidence within all sides. This is the way it should be.

I like this Ooni. Thank you