Kàkà kí kìnìún ṣ’akápò ẹkùn, kí kálukú ṣ’ọdẹ ẹ̀ lọ́tọ̀
(Instead of the lion to subservient to the tiger, let each hunt separately)
At last, the southwestern part of the contraption called Nigeria, the domain of ọmọ ilẹ̀ káàárọ̀-o-jíire, àwọn ọmọ olúfẹ̀, has woken up to the fact that the continued complacence in the face of the onslaught by some foreign elements, which threatens to completely annihilate its populace or place them in total subjugation to neo-colonisers, cannot continue. The birth of Àmò̩té̩kùn, the security outfit contrived by major stakeholders in the Yorùbá nation, which is a topic trending vigorously in the news, appears to be a huge welcome initiative, even among the non-Yorùbá-speaking communities. The Ohaneze of Indigbo is clamouring for the emulation of the Àmò̩té̩kùn initiative and the South-South region is inclined to follow suit.
But what is the essence of Àmò̩té̩kùn?
Àmò̩té̩kùn The Leopard
Let us consider the features of the animal called Àmò̩té̩kùn, the leopard (panthera pardus), one of the five still surviving of the species of the genus Panthera in the family of the big cats. The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, strength and its ability to adapt to a variety of habitats.
The popular image of the leopard that readily comes to mind is one with beautiful black spots (rosettes) on a bright orange-coloured fur. Rosettes are used to camouflage the animal, either as a defence mechanism or as a stalking tool. Predators use their rosettes to simulate the different shifting of shadows and shade, helping the animals to remain hidden from their prey. Rosettes can be grouped in clusters around other spots, or may appear as blotches on the fur. However, most of us probably would not know that there are the melanistic species of the leopard (including the jaguar and a few others) collectively known as the Black Panther. Melanistic means the presence of melanin in the skin. Melanin is a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Melanin is produced through a chemical process and it is what is responsible for the pigment which makes up the dark skin. It is thought to protect skin cells from Ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage, reducing the risk of dermal (skin) degradation. It is considered that exposure to UV radiation is associated with increased risk of cancer of the melanin cells. Studies have shown a lower incidence for skin cancer in individuals with more concentrated melanin, that is, those with darker skin tone.
Melanism in leopards has been declared to be causally associated with a selective advantage for ambush. Other theories are that genes for melanism in felines (big cats) may provide resistance to viral infections, or a high-altitude adaptation, since black fur absorbs more heat.
It is instructive to note tha the Black Panther Party founded in the United States in the 1960s (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-defence), had a similar objective to that of the newly set up Àmò̩té̩kùn security outfit in Western Nigeria – both have as their core objective the stemming of the spate of oppression by elements within their habitats. In the case of the Black Panther party, it was racism in America perpetrated by officers of the Oakland Police Department. Black Panther members devised patrol teams to monitor the behaviour of the racist police officers (“copwatching“). Parallels can be drawn between the objectives of the current Yorùbá initiative and those of the African-American Black Panther Party of the 1960s. Why both initiatives have leopard and Black Panther as their names and emblems must be a metaphor for the prowess of these big cats for stealth, camouflage and strategic hunting. One would want to imagine that Yorùbá elders and sages must have been consulted before the name and symbol was adopted.
Is there a potential showdown between the major ethnic nationalities in Nigeria?
It is no secret that there has been tension in the land regarding the dominance of one ethnic group over others. Those who grew up in Nigeria in the 1970s cannot forget the tragedy of a so-called civil war fought as a result of resisting the secession bid of the Igbo (declaration of Biafra). The issues that brought about the conflict are still relevant today. The current imbalance in political appointees to very strategic national positions, the aberration in the so-called Federalism practised, the spate of Fulani invasion of farmlands, kidnappings and killings all over the south and middle belt all point to a definite campaign to subjugate not just Yorùbá land, but the entire Southern part of Nigeria. The tendency to colonise by the Fulani has its historical roots in the ardent campaign of Uthman Dan Fodio and his Jihadist movement’s expansionist tendencies. After defeating the king of Gobir in 1808, he established the Sokoto Caliphate, which, till date, dominates the Hausa nation in Northern Nigeria. His descendant, Sir Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, who became the first and only premier of post-independence Northern Nigeria, continued this campaign. He was credited with statements like “We shall rule from the Sahara to the sea” (the sea being the Atlantic Ocean in the south coast). These Fulani leaders never hid their intention to force other parts of Nigeria to be subservient to them. Their audacious acts in cornering the strategic resources of Nigeria has regressed other regions in their quest for advancement.
Èko ilá gba’ra ẹ̀ lọ́wọ́ ọ̀bẹ, wèrèpè gba’ra rẹ̀ gba’gi oko.
(The brittle okro delivers itself from the knife because it can no longer be shredded; the mucuna delivers not only itself from being touched, but also surrounding plants)
Wèrèpè Wool
The adage above implies that one has to initiate something to deliver oneself from whatever undesirable situation one faces. For the people of the southwest to be unassailable, they must have a security presence capable of warding off the marauding forces. History is replete with instances of people creating forces to fight the sources of threat to their wellbeing and indisputable right to the enjoyment of their gift from nature. The preservation of not just their land, but the resources thereon, is a prerogative that is inalienable. Oftentimes, the oppressors are not disposed to lending themselves to peaceful negotiations in a roundtable discussion. They have to be forced to accede to some arrangement usually by some pressure of might. The case of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom that culminated in the Good Friday agreement is an example of how pressure was brought to bear on the British government by the campaign mounted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). With the establishment of Àmò̩té̩kùn, the people of Yorùbá land are not doing anything different from what the oppressed have done to deliver themselves from the throes of the oppressor. It is never an easy task and it usually involves sweat and blood.
In Òfún Méjì, an Ifá corpus (or chapter, if you like), the following verse has some relevance, not just to the Àmò̩té̩kùn creation, but also to the imminent struggle which might ensue:
Òfún Méjì Signature on the Ọpọ́n (Tray)
Jígálù ogun ò ṣeé rí,
Àìjálù ogun kò sunwọ̀n.
Bí ogun kò bá di àjálù tán,
A ó mọ ọkùnrín ní gbẹ̀yin;
Ààbà pinpin l’ẹ́sẹ̀ ońdè.
Ológbò ò jà wọ́n
Agara ní fi ńdá wọn lójú ogun
Èsúrú awo ní Moró
Àgùtàn awo Mọ̀rẹ̀rẹ̀
Eku àgó ní í ṣ’awoo wọn ní ìlú Òyéké
Ní’bi tí wọ́n gbé ńf’ọgbọ́n inú yẹ’ra wọn
A dífá fún Agara
Tíí ṣe ọmọ Olódùmarè
Agara o bá wọn jà
T’ó fi ńdá wọn
Agara ò bá wọn jà
Tó fi ńdá wọn
Translation:
Plunging into war,
Either deliberately or otherwise,
Is never desirable.
Because it is at the end of war
That we know who can still claim to be men,
As shackled prisoners are stripped of their dignity.
The mystical cat does not use force
Before defeating his foes in battle.
He uses extreme patience and strategy (Agara).
Èsúrú divined for the people of Moró;
Àgùtàn (sheep) divined the people of Mọ̀rẹ̀rẹ̀.
Eku àgó (a very wise bush rat) divined for the Òyéké community
Where people psyched themselves intuitively.
These three diviners (awo) declared that Agara,
Is the child of Olódùmarè (the Supreme Divinity)
Who defeats his foes without waging physical battle.
The Ifá verse above refers to war and its undesirable consequence, but also reveals that war strategy does not always involve force. It refers to agara which it describes as a child of Olódùmarè. In Yorùbá when you hear a statement like “agara ti dá Lágbájá” (agara has wrestled someone), it does not mean that a physical force hit that person; it means a psychological war of attrition was used to wear the enemy down to the point of surrender. The verse also makes reference to Ológbò (the mystical Cat) that used agara to defeat its foes in battle. Àmò̩té̩kùn is one of the Big Cats known for their hunting strategies. The allegory to agara is an admonition that the new initiative must not just countenance using force, but combine the wisdom, mysticism and craft of the children Olúfẹ̀ in ensuring that all threats to its right to peaceful enjoyment of their land continues to be guaranteed.
Amidst the euphoria that has trailed the announcement of the Àmò̩té̩kùn security initiative, the media is also awash with expressions of fear accompanied by threats. In a recent morning programme, Sunrise Daily on Channels Television, Saleh Alhassan, the National secretary of Miyetti Allah (Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, a loose partisan advocacy group centred on promoting the welfare of Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria), declared that his organisation is afraid of Àmò̩té̩kùn. His perception is that the security initiative is a ruse with its main intention of targeting his members. As far as Alhassan is concerned, Àmò̩té̩kùn was created to destroy his members. For the Southwest, the position of Miyetti Allah cannot be treated lightly. It must not be lost on the Southwest that those who harbour this kind of fear, must be rooting for the downfall of this new initiative. If the Àmò̩té̩kùn security network aims to crush all manner of criminality in their domain, it must be developed to very high standards incorporating all the wisdom, ethics, philosophy and indigenous and contemporary science of Ọmọlúàbí, the true character of the people of the southwest of Nigeria.
Bí a bá l’ọ́gbọ́n b’á ò lòó ọgbọ́n ọlọ́gbọ́n ni
(If we do not apply our innate wisdom, it is akin to it not belonging to us)