Olagunsoye Oyinlola was governor of Osun State. I met this respected politician at the airport. He was ahead of me on the queue. I was directly behind him and his company - a young, polite gentleman. I noticed many people stopped by and prostrate "gbalaja" for him. I had no idea who he was.
Suddenly, one unruly guy came and stood in front of him. I was aghast! We exchanged glances, then he spoke; "What a rude young man." I smiled knowingly and something cautioned me not to accost the man. Soon, one of Air France staff approached us and asked for the man's ticket. Then she told him, "Sir, this line is for first and business class passengers or skyteam elite. The young man left.
We never spoke again with the old man until we got to the lounge. I greeted him, half kneeling down and fetched my books. We did not meet again until we got to the lounge at Charles De Gaulle. It was Ramadan 2010. I got myself some croissants, expresso and gouda cheese after I had freshened up. He was sitting adjacent me.
I was uncomfortable seeing him sitting down while I ate. I asked if he would like me to get him something to eat, he turned me down politely. 5 minutes later, I asked again, he told me he was fasting. I apologized and kept sipping my coffee. He looked a bit surprised, then he asked; "what's your name lady? You are such a groomed and polite lady. I will like to know you."
We started our conversation from there. I got to know him - a powerful chieftain of the PDP in the SW. He was headed to Washington for a conference, I was going to Detroit. We exchanged numbers and went our ways.
By dusk, he called. We spoke and months later when I got to Nigeria, we spoke often. No matter what he is engaged in, when I call he will either take my call or call me back within hours. He became a father of sorts.
A few weeks before Aregbesola became governor, he was in Lagos and he asked that I meet with him. I drove to his hotel and we ate together, talked at length.
Later he called a few people to come and meet his adopted daughter from America. Three of the four who came just fraternized with us and left. The last man, was introduced to me as a Senator on the platform of ACN.
We discussed politics from the time of Shagari, corruption and sundry sociological issues. Baba is very cerebral with powerful memory. I was dazzled!
Excitement took a better part of me. Instead of listening, I questioned Baba relentlessly to the Senator's disbelief! When he couldn't take it anymore he said; " arabinrin, o le maa ba baba soro bee yen." (Young lady, you can't be conversing with baba like that).
Baba came to my rescue and told him, "this one is an academic, they respect knowledge and facts in a conversation." I was grateful he bailed me out. As he made to leave, he said; "Sir, kini yen maa bo s'owo Aregbe o." (Sir, that thing will go Aregbe's way.) He responded; bo ba se ri, o ti daa. Eyin e maa sise yin." (However it turned out, it is ok. You people should do your job.") My jaw dropped! I fidgetted with back to conceal the shock.
When he left, Baba said we should go to the barber shop. He got a haircut and we kept talking. On our way back to his room, I mustered enough courage to ask him. "Sir, Senator XYZ is in ACN, you are in PDP. Why is he reporting to you? He looked into my eyes for what looked like 1 hour; then he told me in a gentle voice but with the firmest tone - "A leader must remain relevant at all times or he loses his leadership position."
I repeated that to myself more than 80 times that day to etch that quote in my memory. Barely two weeks later, Aregbe became the governor of Osun.
I am telling this story for a number of reasons. One, politicians do not have enemies, only interests and those interests are always served on multiple altars. Two, never say never in politics, unless you are not interested in politics. Three, don't judge things superficially.
Four, don't burn bridges because of differences, prime interests from unassociated parties can converge in the future. Five, in the Internet age, information is democratised but there are unspoken rules and hierarchy in leadership that you must never violate or you will call for your own destruction. The custodians ensure that, across cultures. Be careful whose toes you step on, who you insult and abuse because you have a phone and data. Finally, build influence before you seek power. If you are unsure of the difference, consult your dictionary.
Our present youth should learn from this.
