By Anonymous
When Bukola Saraki was invited to this year’s
ojude Oba festival in Ijebu Ode, he was so elated
and appreciative of the Chairman of the
Organising Committee of the annual festival.
Little did he know the humorous humiliation that
awaits him.
In case you don’t know, Ojude Oba is an age long
festival celebrated by the Ijebu of Ogun State
two days after Sallah celebration. It is a festival
with sights and sounds, colourful and glamorous.
It is a festival where all ijebu sons and daughters
both in Nigeria and Diaspora will assemble at
their paramount ruler’s palace to pay homage,
display wealth, personality and razzmatazz.
Saraki’s invitation did not get the blessing of the
ijebus but was politically done by the chairman
of the committee to humiliate him. Saraki was
full of confidence that, it will be an avenue to
launder his rofo rofo image, but it turned out to
be a mirage and the biggest catastrophic
humiliation of his life.
As usual, he was accompanied to the place by
his political body guards, senators Dino melaye
and Ben Bruce.
The paramount ruler himself, the Awujale of Ijebu
Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, a Buharist to the core
and a well respected Oba, who was their host, did
not have the clue of what was to befall his guest
and August visitor.
The programme started on a bright note until
saraki and his entourage entered the palace, the
broom which is the symbol of the APC was
brought out by the Ijebu, they were waving it to
welcome Saraki. As if that was not enough, the
shout of APC rents the air followed by the
chants of SAI BABA.
At this point, saraki and his entourage were not
comfortable where they were seated, saraki
himself was winking his eyes like that of a teddy
bear bought from a Chinese shop with a failed
battery.
The paramount ruler who felt insulted by the
political dimension the event turned to, had to
appeal to saraki to stomach the open
confrontation, he appealed for calm from his
kinsmen and women with deaf hears, they were
still chanting SAI BABA to high heavens.
When it was time for saraki to deliver his speech,
as soon as he stood up and made his way to the
rostrum, the chant of ole, ole, ole, ole was so
karaoke and deafening that saraki hurriedly
rounded up his speech, greeted the paramount
ruler and headed straight to his waiting motorcade and zoomed off.
This was how the annual Ojude Oba festival was
celebrated this year with the Sarakiyyah as a dimension coming into it.
