By Suyi Ayodele
At his coronation as the Deji of Akure, an old man, according to the legend, was asked to choose a regnal name.
Being a man who had advanced in age before he was named the Deji-designate, the would-be Oba chose the name, Òjìjígògún. That is a strange name.
The simple meaning of Òjìjígògún is I have ascended the throne with my shadow. The English Language equivalent of Òjìjí is shadow. Ògún or Ìmògún, in the royal dialects of Akure, Owo, and up to Benin, means throne.
The kingmakers present in Ìpèbí (seclusion) when the Deji picked the regnal name were shocked. Name is significant in Yoruba world outlook. Names carry meanings. So, they asked the new king to explain the meaning of the name he chose.
Picking his words, the Deji asked the kingmakers if any of them ever gave him the chance that he would one day be crowned the Deji, given his old age. They all answered him in the negative.
Then, the new Oba said, “Alright, I will explain the reason I choose to be called Òjìjígògún. Today, let it be known to all of you that it is not only me that has ascended the throne. My past, my present, and my future are here on the throne with me.” The new Deji stopped. Kings are known to speak in a few words; no room for verbosity with the royals!
The kingmakers and the Omo Owas (princes) present understood him. They knew that a man is made up of his past, his present, and his future. They equally knew that a man’s present is defined by his past (antecedents) and his future determined by a combination of his past and present. In totality, no man can run away from his òjìjí. Shadow reflects a man’s past, his present, and his future.
These three elements are significant in the Yoruba understanding of the concept of òjìjí, which is made up of a man’s Ara, the physical or material; that is, the body, represented by the shadow: Ọkàn (the mind) and Ẹmí (the spirit). Why then should a man be afraid of his òjìjí (shadow), his Ọkàn (mind-present), and his Ẹmí (spirit- future)?
Oba Òjìjígògún whose real name is Deji Aládégbùjì, the story says, was on the ancient throne of Akure for 30 years (1852-1882) as the 38th Deji and was one of the oldest monarchs of the kingdom. His reign, ~judged~ judging by his shadow (past), his present (while he was on the throne), and what he wanted the future to record for him, was one of the best Dejis of Akure.
He successfully resisted the incursion of Ibadan warriors to Akure Kingdom. Oba Òjìjígògún featured prominently in the 1877 Ekiti-Parapo War that ended all internecine wars in Yorubaland. He joined his forebears, leaving a lasting legacy for the Arakale Royal Family of Akure to cherish!
The Akure Kingdom prospered under his watch. Oba Òjìjígògún was never afraid of his shadow because he knew he had done well before coming to the throne. That was why he practically asked his people, represented by the kingmakers, to judge him by his deeds – past and present – and history has a positive portion for him!
Should a man be afraid of his òjìjí, the Yoruba word for shadow? The simple non-esoteric interpretation of òjìjí is a reflection. But it has a deeper spiritual connotation when we apply mysticism to the surface meaning of òjìjí.
One common feature of the phenomenon, òjìjí, is that it appears in the latter part of the day, or where there is a shade, a cloudy place or faded light. We see the shadow more in the evening times, and that underscores its spiritual dimension. We shall not be going into that today.
As children in the countryside, we played a lot with our shadow. One of the things we tried to do with our shadow then, especially when it appeared before us, was to step on it. But we could not achieve that as the shadow kept moving ahead of us, projecting far from the physical body.
At times, deep into the evening, the shadow appears behind us, trailing us. As children, too, we looked back, making attempts to get hold of it. It was also an exercise in futility.
At that stage, fear would set in. Shadow is phenomenal. It appears to follow us wherever we go. Yet, we cannot hold it physically. When it was getting late in the night and the shadow appeared, we used to take a dash into our homes, to the protection of our parents or any available adult. Shadow can be both pleasing and frightening!
Whenever that happened, and we got frightened, the exhortation we got from the elderly ones is that we should strive not to be afraid of our shadows. They would add that the only way to achieve that is to always strive to do that which is acceptable.
The elders then impressed on us that our shadows would be the witnesses against us on the day of judgement. Only a bad man, the elders further counselled, would be afraid of his shadow. How right were they?
We are no longer in the era of Deji Aládégbùjì Òjìjígògún. This is Nigeria of the Year of the Lord 2025. It is an era where those in authority are afraid of their past and present. We are in a season when leaders don’t want us to remember their shadows when determining their future. This is a strange time indeed!
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be seeking a second term in 2027, God willing. No, that is not the correct way to put it. Tinubu will not be seeking a second term. He has already had the second term delivered on his laps! No thanks to his acolytes, who have told us that the President is the best thing to happen to humanity after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.
They have said nobody else can do the job except Tinubu. This is why, from Gbonyin in Ekiti State to Malali in Kaduna; from Ekwulobia in Anambra State to the Kukuruku Hills of Afemai, Edo State, President Tinubu is harvesting second-term endorsements the way a maize farmer harvests his cobs of maize.
Ironically, the man whom all his promoters said had done wonderfully well is angry that a few Nigerians are asking for his assessment based on his òjìjí – shadow. President Tinubu is afraid of a shadow cabinet or shadow government. He does not want anyone to use his shadows (deeds) in the last two years in office as President, to assess him. He wants to be President again. But he does not want anyone to beam the light on his outings so far.
It is no news that Tinubu would do anything to stop the idea of a shadow cabinet or shadow government, as suggested by Professor Pat Utomi. Our President hates the thought of alternative ideas to the shenanigans his government represents. He would not have any of that. And he would advance any argument from the grandiose to the japery to kick against that.
One of the giddy points Tinubu and his clique are raising against the idea of a shadow cabinet is that it is a practice alien to the presidential system of government, they claim we are running. Funny, very funny!
Tinubu and his hangers-on are saying that the concept of a shadow cabinet is an exclusive preserve of the parliamentary system of government. The presidential system, they argue, does not envisage that concept. Though in their usual ways, too, they failed to tell us if the presidential system is also synonymous with bad governance and rudderless leadership, the hallmarks of the present administration.
To stop the idea of what could give Nigerians alternatives to the killer economic policies of the present administration, the Directorate of State Security (DSS) approached the court to stop Utomi from forming anything near a shadow cabinet or shadow government. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, the security agency asked the court to declare the planned shadow government an attack on the constitution.
The DSS argument is that “The defendant’s actions amount to an attempt to usurp or mimic executive authority, contrary to Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), which exclusively vests governance in institutions duly created under the constitution and through democratic elections.”
It therefore prayed the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, “his agents and associates from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a ‘shadow government,’ ‘shadow cabinet’ or any similar entity not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
What the heck (pardon my diction) is a shadow cabinet? Why can’t we have a shadow cabinet or government in a presidential system of government? If Shadow cabinet, by the definition of Tinubu orchestra is the exclusive preserve of the parliamentary system, can we ask where in any presidential system, all over the world, a president can sack a governor of a state and his deputy, dissolve the legislature and appoint a sole administrator the way Tinubu did in Rivers State? Why are the Emilokan apologists quick to refer us to the United States presidential system but will veil their eyes to see the letters, principles, and spirit of the system as being run in the US?
Ẹni tí kò sá bọtì, kii bẹrù òjò (he who does not spread millets outside, does not fear the rain), is a common saying among our elders. What is Tinubu afraid of? Why is he scared that a shadow cabinet that will give Nigerians alternative ideas to governance is being proposed? If he has done well, why is he afraid to compare notes? Is a shadow cabinet a threat to Tinubu’s presidency? I answer, NO! So, what is the issue?
Simple. President Tinubu is afraid of his own shadow. Because it is too dark and frightening! That itself is enough identikit to his performance as President. But for how long can the President run away from his òjìjí? I don’t want to sound impudent here. Otherwise, I would have asked President Tinubu to take a voyage back to his childhood when, like any other child of that time, he tried to play with his shadow or run away from it.
Our shadows follow us wherever we go. So it has been from the creation of the earth; and so shall it remain till the end of time. Whether he allows the shadow cabinet to be formed or not, Nigerians shall judge Tinubu in 2027 based on his shadow of today. He has two years ahead to make amends. He has 24 full months to lessen the burden. He has all the chances in the world now to change the negative narratives his government is to positive ones.
President Tinubu should stop chasing the shadow, thinking that Nigerians would be cajoled again. His libidinous manhood has raped us in a farm hut the first time because he called it a mansion. We shall not follow him on the same farm path leading to the hut he once projected to us as a mansion in his first violation of our womanhood. The shadow of his four years in office shall follow Tinubu to his bid for a second term. That will surely happen unless Nigeria is doomed!
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
