Return of the ‘Prodigal Sunday’!

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Teacher, teach me something.

What’s that?

I want to know more about the Yoruba language.

What do you want me to teach you again? I have already told you that Yoruba is a sweet, simple but complex language.

Ehn…Teach me that “complex”. What is complex about “Ngbati Ngbati” language?

Just like in every tonal language Yoruba can be difficult to learn.

You don’t mean it. Do you? But why, if I may ask?

In Yoruba, unlike Hausa, one word can mean different things depending on how you use or pronounce it.

Really?

O yes! For instance, a three-letter word like OKO can mean stone, farm, husband and something in a man’s boxer.

Really? What’s that?

Not to worry for now. I’ll TELL you later. Meanwhile let’s take another word like IGBO. It can mean or refer to bush, farm, weed, cannabis or even name of a group of people…

Like Igbo Kedu, Igbo Biko, Upland Igbo, Obi Igbo, Odinma Igbo?

Na you alone sabi the skirting you are doing. You had better say it as it is, and as loud as your lungs can carry you.

Sunday IGBOHO was everything in the Book of African Magic. Slippery, invisible, invincible, impregnable, unconquerable…

Igbo! Igbo aka IBO!

Seems you are getting it. This mention of Igbo actually reminds me of another aspect of the Yoruba language. The mere mention of a word can bring all sorts of memories and recalls just because of the way it appears. Igbo can easily provoke questions like “Igbo wo”? Which bush is that? Igbo wo? Which farm is there? Igbo wo? Which cannabis is that?

Na waaah!

You haven’t seen nothing yet. Depending on where you are located IGBO can connote something as strange as “Igbo bini” and “Igbo tako”, which happen to be names of towns in Ilaje area of Ondo State.

In that wise it may refer to a town in the Upper Ogun Area of Oyo State also.

Good, so you already have that idea in your mind also. That’s IGBOHO for you, a town close to SHAKI, in Egbedore LGA, north of Oyo Alaafin. In fact, in this town there is a crazy example of how a local name became an iconic one because of its affiliation to unusual local activism…

Sorry to cut you short. Can you be clearer about this illustration cos it’s getting too clumsy for me. Pls “dakun jorr”.

I was about to seal it before you jumped into my mouth like a blind frog. There was a period, according to a local story, when there were about three men living in the same house bearing the same name, SUNDAY. To avoid confusion in knowing who who among the SUNDAYS is each one had to attach the name of his village or town to his name. Thus emerged Sunday IPAPO, Sunday SEPETERI and Sunday IGBOHO.

O my God! Whoever thought of that must be an evil genius!

Why say that?

I guess that’s how the one and only Sunday IGBOHO evolved to become a household name beyond Africa.

What do you know? It’s only Ibadan you know, you don’t know LAYIPO.

Open book, let me see.

That Sunday man no be ordinary man o. Na anjonnu eniyan. Na ogbologbo okunrin ogun, man of war who did “gudu gudu meje, yaaya mefa” in defending his people against the tyranny of MALU and the owners of AWON MALU.

Excuse me, what are you really saying?

Don’t worry, I’m all out for you. I will explain. Just “hold suru”, be patient. The people of Oke Ogun aka Upper Ogun are mainly agrarian farmers who live solely on their farm harvests year in, year out. Unfortunately they have to depend on the benevolence of the elements, at times, to have good turn outs which in turn depends on luck that their farms are not within the perimeters of graze land carved out forcibly by marauding Cow Fulani and their hungry “malu” (cows). The AK-47 wielding cattle rearers have been having a field day overrunning both the farmers and their crops until a “deus ex machina” came to the rescue of the farmers.

And who is Deus ex Machina?

In local parlance that’s the proverbial ,Dada’s brother, the avenger, out to the rescue. And that’s Sunday IGBOHO, for you, okunrin meta, ogbojuloogunkanmoajeniko…

Itumo?

The spiritually fortified and confident son of a bitch that knacks the daughter of a witch.

Haba! Na truth be this, abi kinnla?

Forget the Trumpian hyperbole. Sunday IGBOHO was everything in the Book of African Magic. Slippery, invisible, invincible, impregnable, unconquerable and wharrrever!

How do you know this?

Sunday IGBOHO needs to learn a big lesson from his own experience too. Without a Judas a Jesus will not be betrayed. Without a betrayer among his own disciples he would not have lost his black arrow in the thick of battle.

He has narrated his own story many times over and even show films of his exploits in the forest of a thousand and one demons. He knew how to duck a fusillade of hot bullets aimed at his MEDULA OPOLOGANTA. Slippery in the thick of battle like the Black Scorpion during the Civil War. Not only that, he could ‘disappear’ before danger knocks on his door like the Ebora Owu who disappeared within the twinkle of of an assassin’s gun’s nozzle during the infamous Dimka Coup attempt on the General Murtala Mohammed military regime.

This na ‘tory o. Spoke on!

Yes, I will. Sunday IGBOHO is “egbegi” of the eel type. He slipped easily with AFERI, the more you look the less you see type, through the famous NADECO route to land in exile in Germany.

Wow!

Now the supernatural man is back in town. The bounty on his neck like an albatross has been removed. He is a free man again.

You don’t mean it! And he didn’t lose anything?

Maawo e! Look at you! Can you prepare omelette without breaking an egg? The returnee “prodigal son”, though visibly intact without any discernible bodily injuries, it goes without saying that, apart from his damaged properties and the loss of his favourite ‘pet’, he must be limping with a damaged psyche after all the physical as well as psychological barrages he was made to suffer before and during his days in exile.

Do we have lessons to learn from his escapade?

Sure! Sunday IGBOHO is a self assessed powerful African man who is very confident, proud and boastful of the power bequeathed to him by his ancestors. It’s good to be proud of one’s ancestral heritage. But it is dangerous to be flaunting one’s esoteric gifts of the gods the way today’s psychedelic ladies lay bare their wares in the market place for all man to see.

What’s “wronging” with that?

“Mewa “ is “wronging”with it. Nobody is invincible. The OYINBO man that produced PENCIL also made provision for ERASER. It’s dangerous, if not immature to give hint of the source of your strength in the public space . It is akin to the strategic blunder made by Tafa Adeoye, leader of the AGBEKOYA FARMERS’ REVOLT in the old Western State.

The old man must have been betrayed. Abi what did I just say?

Maybe. Sunday IGBOHO needs to learn a big lesson from his own experience too. Without a Judas a Jesus will not be betrayed. Without a betrayer among his own disciples he would not have lost his black arrow in the thick of battle.

Meaning his black arrow shall fly no more?

No, Ogbeni Sunday IGBOHO is still alive for a God ordained purpose to rescue his people from the tyranny of AK-47 totting cattle rearers who continue to gallop over their farmlands eating up all their greens like infernal locusts.

But they have captured and destroyed his black arrow. What can he do again?

Again, No! They may have seized his black arrow, it’s only the water that was spilt, the LADUGBO is still intact. “Omi lo danu…”

Itumo?

Yes, they may have seized the ‘Black Arrow’ but the QUIVER is still intact.

Akiika!