The Gods Are Nowhere To Be Blamed: The Present Story Of Bayelsa State 

WISDOM ONIEKPAR IKULI 

The title of this piece is borrowed from Prof. Ola Rotimi’s award winning tragic play ‘The Gods Are Not To Blame’ which is an adaptation of the Greek classical tragedy ‘Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King)’ by Sophocles that was written around 429 BC.

While the novel ‘The Gods Are Not To Blame’ literally talked about a child, Odewale, who was destined to kill his father (King Adetusa) and marry his own biological mother (Queen Ojuola), the allegorical message was about the avoidable Nigerian Civil War that started in 1967 and ended in 1970.

The war resulted from egoistic tendencies and youthful exuberances of Col. Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu and General Yakubu Jack Gowon, who were in their early 30s.

By the time the war ended in 1970, over three million Nigerians, mostly from the then Eastern region comprising the present South East and South South, were killed. Property of unquantifiable values were destroyed.

In Yoruba culture and tradition, like in most other African cultures and civilization, the birth of a child comes with so much celebration and that was the exact case at the birth of Odewale who was the first son of King Adetusa, the then King of Kutuje.

But in the above case, the celebration ended up abruptly because of the result of the divination of the Ifa Priest, who revealed that the child (Odewale) would kill his father and marry his mother.

In order to avert the calamity, the child was handed over to Gbonka, the palace messenger, to take to the forest and kill him.

When Gbonka got to the forest and positioned to kill the child, he saw a farmer and hunter from the far neigbhouring village of Ijekun Yemoja.

The hunter, who later revealed his name as Ogundele, begged him to spare the life of the child. He told Ogundele that himself and his wife, Mobike, have been childless for years and they will be glad to bring up the child as theirs.

Out of compassion for the innocent child, Gbonka decided to hand over the child to him.

On getting home, Ogundele narrated to his wife, Mobike how they were blessed with the child, while Gbonka reported at the palace at Kutuje that he had accomplished the task of killing the child.

Many years later, Odewale who had grown to become a man, was running away from Ijekun Yemoja to avoid the fulfillment of the prophecy that he got wind of. He never really knew that the hunter and his wife whom he had known to be his biological parents were not his parents.

On his journey, precisely at a spot near the village of Ede, he met a caravan that indicated royalty. As he was trying to meander his way, the king that was traveling with his servants spoke to him disrespectfully. The king abused his tribe.

Because of the above development, an altercation ensued that resulted in a fight. Both parties invoked their different gods, and in the end, Odewale prevailed. King Adetusa who was actually at fault died instantly, while his servants managed to escape when they recovered from hypnotism.

Realizing the gravity of the murder that he committed, Odewale ran to a distant village called Kutuje, a village that was suffering so much oppression by the people of Ikolu, their neighbour.

Odewale, who was angry with the high level of oppression, led the people of Kutuje to resist attacks by Ikolu, and in the end, they defeated Ikolu village.

The resounding victory made the people of Kutuje crowned the supposed stranger Odewale their king. By their tradition, when a king dies and leaves his wife, his successor automatically marries the queen. So, Queen Ojuola was given to the new King Odewale. Both of them had four children: Adewale, Adebisi, Oyeyemi, and Adeyinka (two sons and two daughters).

Events took a twist when epidemic and other calamities began to befall the village. After much divination and spiritual activities, it was revealed that King Odewale, was the same child that was sent to the forest to be killed and the Queen, was his biological mother.

Queen Ojuola who was unable to bear the shame went into her bedroom and committed suicide, while King Odewale gathered the four children he had with his own mother and left the village of Kutuje to avert more calamities.

THE POSITION OF PROF. OLA ROTIMI ABOUT THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR

Prof. Ola Rotimi like Prof. Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka were vehemently opposed to the civil war. Some of them even joined other prominent Nigerians to do diplomatic shuttles to some countries to appeal to them to prevail on the General Yakubu Jack Gowon led federal government to stop the pogrom in Biafra land.

In the midst of the war, the federal government that was supported by United Kingdom, Soviet Union, Egypt, Sudan, Niger, Chad, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Norway, Bulgaria and Poland who gave them MiG 15 and MiG 17 fighter jets and other bombers, pilots, armoured tanks and critical military hardware blamed France, Tanzania, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Haiti and Israel for supporting Biafra to rebel against the Nigerian state. Biafra on the other hand, blamed the world powers for supporting the federal government to carry out pogrom and ethnic cleansing in Biafra.

Prof. Ola Rotimi who called the foreign or external powers “Gods” told the Nigerian government and Biafra to stop blaming the gods who came into the conflict to separate the fight between brothers.

He argued that if there was no fight, the external powers who all came with their respective individual motives would not have gotten opportunities to actualize their agenda.

He summarized and concluded that the Gods Are Not To Blame.

THE PRESENT BAYELSA STATE

We knew how there was so much bitterness, hatred and disunity among the political class, their supporters, and the average Bayelsans on the streets of our towns and villages.

The body language and political culture of Gov. Douye Diri would have eliminated or perpetuated the old order.

But as a humble, focused, visionary, peaceful and people and development-oriented leader, he chose to jettison the old retrogressive order and in its place instilled a new political order that is centered on love, unity, mutual respect, teamwork, inclusivity, rapid socio-economic and political growth and development.

He lowered his ego. Remember, it was ego that caused the civil war.

He controls his temper in the midst of provocation. Remember, it was uncontrollable anger that made Odewale to strike King Adetusa, his father, to death.

We can attest to the political tensions that usually surround Bayelsa political atmosphere, but today, everywhere is cool and calm.

Gov. Douye Diri believes so much in consensus building. No section of the state and political class can talk about exclusion or marginalization. The above applies to development.

Today, besides the area of Security that other states are learning the Community Policing Strategy of Bayelsa State that is adjudged as the SAFEST STATE in the country and Sports that Bayelsa State is competing neck to neck with Delta State, other states are beginning to learn the unique political culture of Gov. Douye Diri.

Who will believe or explain that despite the issues that happened during the election and post-election era of 2019/2020 that Chief David Lyon and Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo will one day become the strongest supporters of Gov. Douye Diri?

People with spiritual eyes and proper sense of discernment know that what played out is not ordinary. It was divine orchestration.

Even though Christ was sent by Almighty God to fulfill the will of Almighty God, Judas Ischariot, Pontius Pilate, the Pharisees, and Sadducees who played different treacherous roles, all have their inglorious places in history till eternity.

Unlike the case of Ola Rotimi’s “The Gods Are Not To Blame”, in Bayelsa State, ‘The Gods Are No Where To Be Blamed’.

Some of the supposed gods entangled themselves and fizzled into political oblivion, while others excused themselves because they could not accept the new political order that deemphasizes disunity, exclusion, retrogression and gross underdevelopment, while amplifying and emphasizing love, peace, unity, humility, selflessness and rapid socio-economic growth and development.

In concluding this piece, it is my fervent prayer that God will strengthen Gov. Douye Diri and enable him to finish very strong.

– Hon. Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli
Technical Adviser to the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State on Media and Public Affairs.