By Rev. John Segun Odeyemi
In the religious worldview of the Yoruba of South Western Nigeria, the creation of each human person is performed by the creating divinity. The divinity molds the human shape out of clay without a head. Each body after animation is directed to a section of heaven where each will pick a head before he or she can then continue the journey into the world. Central to this event is the choice made by each individual person. The heads from which the choices are to be made can be a good head (ori rere) or a bad head (ori buruku). Freshly made heads are the preferable choice, while some heads have over stayed and are now rotting away. Though the choice is not predetermined, the choice mostly becomes the destiny of the one who made the choice. Therefore, one who made the choice for a good head will enjoy good fortune and success in life. Conversely, the one who makes a poor choice of a bad head will be unsuccessful in life, no matter how hard he or she tries. In this religious belief, except for strong familial and community support and the intervention of the gods, the oloriburuku will never do well in life. He will be uncouth, manner less and lacking in any kind of civility all through life.
Characteristic of any one who makes this poor choice is the inability to thrive in any kind of endeavor. Such an individual is incapable of public trust nor can he or she understand common patrimony. Such people are incapable of goodness or cultivate nobility of character. If they are ever entrusted with wealth, public office, or a sacred trust, all is laid to waste. They are naturally prone to frustration due to the lack of success in their lives. They tend to be thieves, violent thugs and divider of people. They become bitter and will seek any means whatever to be successful. And the first opportunity they get, like a virus, they set to work in a frenzy and seek to infect others. And they do have the propensity to spread their malodorous appetite very quickly.
Let me be quick to make a distinction; among the Yoruba, to be referred to as “Oloriburuku” is very acerbic, denigrating and insultive, to say the least. However, in this piece, as a linguistic tool, this term is employed purely as a descriptive term of a state or condition in which the person(s) referenced are an unfortunate participant in an unfortunate ontological choice beyond his or her own control. For further clarification, imagine if one were to be referred to as a Barbarian or Vandal? It will be totally understood and taken as an insult. However, the historical reality is that there were people of certain nationalities at a particular time in history who were known as such, known for their vicious over running and destruction of other people they engage in warfare. Whenever Barbarians or the Vandals lay siege to any city in antiquity, everyone accepted that this war could not by any stretch of the imagination be considered a just war situation. It is just not in the nature of Barbarians or Vandals to be civil.
All of the above leads me back to establishing that the Oloriburuku cannot be blamed for acting in accord with his or her constitutive natural elements. Even with the Greeks, Oedipus, no matter what he did, had to fulfil his destiny of killing his own father and marrying his own mother. Imagine then a situation where for some strange reason, a country elects a majority of Oloriburukus into offices and leadership roles within their governmental system of the land. Perhaps the said country is not too different from the current political situation in our country, Nigeria? If this were to be the situation, why will the people of the nation expect anything other than what they are getting? It is like expecting a leopard, because it is was beaten by the rain; therefore, it must shed its spots. Oloriburuku will always act according to his or her nature; worse than being a Barbarian or a Vandal. He or she suffers a curse that is ingrained into the nucleus of his or her being. It is natural to him or her to lay siege and destruction to his on inheritance. To embezzle without any conscience what is common property of many, and like a demented lunatic to continue to perpetuate themselves and cronies in office while their country gradually dilapidates into ruin and nothingness. When a nation falls into this error, there are only two choices left; salvage the damage done by the Oloriburukus in power by forcing them out of public offices, or allow them to perpetuate his/her kind in office. In which case, soon enough, everyone will be infected with the Oloriburuku virus and sink with the nation into an abyss of no return.
At the risk of over satyr-zation, it is clear that the corruption and ineptitude in Nigeria’s government has gone beyond rational and civilized human comprehension. All sorts of reasons have been said to be the cause of the current state of affairs. In my reflections, borrowing from native intelligence, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with democracy or the nation as a whole entity. What is wrong is with the caliber of persons elected into offices and leadership positions. Since I was unable to find a medical or psychological condition that perfectly explains their conduct, it came to me as a revelation; perhaps this is the curse of Oedipus? Perhaps, it is a question of Oloriburukus in power? Most likely, these are the ones Fela Kuti warned us about as “animals in human skin, animals wearing agbada and suit”? Again, take note that this entire piece is descriptive of a condition and never at any time was a derogation of anyone, especially, not our leaders, honorables of all sorts! Never!
Rev. John Segun Odeyemi, PhD, writes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.