I used to run for my House during inter house sports events.
I wasn’t much of a sprinter but I could hold my own; so you can imagine my shock, years after secondary school with two children to boot, when it was the parents’ turn to take to the tracks and prove their physical abilities at the inter house sports of my kids ..I could barely get on my knees.
That was my body telling me to wise up!
I do not want to get into the debate about APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s current health issues because I have come to understand that our bodies betray us especially as we age. And because we have no control of these things, like for instance, how the brain functions; why it chooses to shut down on some, why it chooses to make the eye see what doesn’t exist or why it tells the ears of noises no one else can hear or when the kidney or bladder or liver think they’ve had too much over the years to continue to work as they did and just piss off in public leaving you shivering or on your knees, depending on the severity of what ails you.
Like it or not, our bodies and our minds will not always cooperate with us and so when I see posts that mock Tinubu’s health or anyone’s health condition for that matter, I know it’s coming from a place of ignorance. I am no fan of Tinubu but mocking his health challenges is a display of lack of knowledge.
I watched on DSTV, recently, the documentary on Robin Williams, the American actor that committed suicide in October of 2014. While the world thought he was such a happy man it turns out the man was actually depressed and just got tired of the pretense; it turned out that he suffered from dementia with lewy body and this led up to his death. He was not in control of his brain, every part of his brain, in fact succumbed to the disease.
The documentary detailed the many changes Williams was going through in his body, his mind, his acts, even in the relationship he had with his wife. Nobody understood what he was going through, even after several tests and multiple hospital visits… until after his death an autopsy was conducted and the name of his ‘killer’ was revealed – dementia with lewy body. Many of these sicknesses come with age.
Today, Tinubu is being mocked by some who say he wet his pants, some swear he wears a catheter, some say his speech is slurred and so his senses are not sharp or fit for one who wants to rule a nation.
There are many sins attributed to Tinubu and I am not concerned about any of them but his health.
Life happened to him as it will to each and every one of us; Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is tired.
We don’t need to be his physician to know that the next few days, weeks and months will take its toll on him; will he be up to it?
Let’s pray so.
With campaigns kicking off, it will require not just his will power to show his critics that he is fit but body power, as test of things to come IF he gets elected?
He will be traveling from state to state, many times by road, visiting communities, party loyals, pan-Nigeria. He will be kissing babies and posing for cameras and answering questions faster than he can think. He will be exhausted, confused and maybe even disoriented from flying in planes and speeding off to the next meetings and he will be in need of constant rest.
His doctors, I’m sure have their hands full, otherwise, we will have another Buhari on our hands; one who goes every six months to see ‘doctors in London’ while our health facilities crumble. One who constantly needs to slow down because the crazy pace of running a country can be dizzying, leaving the unprepared sleeping off during meetings and needing support to walk even short distances.
Already that tone of going abroad “to rest” has been set, will the rest of the abuse we reserve for Buhari be visited on Tinubu should he win and be sick half the time he will be President?
While I agree that age is nothing but a number, our bodies are, as someone said, “bitches,” they betray us when we least expect, which is why I personally think Tinubu should remain at home bouncing his grandkids on his knees and enjoying the rest of his years in quietness and peace.
Has anybody considered this, what if Tinubu’s turn has passed? He may think emi lo kan, it’s my turn but what if he missed his turn, years back?
What if he ought to have been President in 1999 after NADECO days when he was a rallying point for everyone aggrieved against the military junta?
Tinubu was hot then, vibrant and a constant headache to the military authorities of those days…but he is no longer the man he used to be.
This argument might sound juvenile, almost naïve in fact because there are so wide spaces in between but since we are talking about this period being “his turn,” I think his turn may have passed.
Many parents for instance, when they find themselves unable to achieve their ambitions, for whatever reason(s), they pour their strength, effort, support into their offspring or mentees they see share same dream.
Tinubu should remain the king maker, rather than struggle to be king. He should remain the power behind the throne; rather than one who sits on it; he can be the voice of wisdom and reason, rather than one everyone mocks for being senile; he should be the one who when he sneezes in Bourdillon, Nigeria catches cold because he would speak truth to power.
Well, yes, he was thought to be the power behind Muhammed Buhari’s throne at the beginning of this current administration but we’ve all seen how that played out with Buhari turning right against him; maybe that’s why Asiwaju announced his intention to run for presidency by declaring, “emi lo kan,” meaning it’s my turn.
Is it-My turn to eat of the national cake? (Hasn’t that been depleted years ago?)
My turn to be called President? (Because I can do better or because we agreed to rotate within the party…that would mean someone from the South East, actually not Tinubu)
My turn to control Nigeria (because it’s the biggest cake in Africa)
To my mind, “Emi lo kan” is no call to action, it is selfish, coming from someone who is slowly losing control of his body…and before the missiles start flying, is a control we will ALL lose as we age.
Emi lo kan should be, “I will do better” but looking at who wants to “do better,” you shake your head sadly.
Emi lo kan should be a rallying call to order but it’s a mockery today…what if he doesn’t win?
Has it crossed the minds of those goading Tinubu to keep running?
What if he loses?
I agree no one’s health should be the object of mockery from kids whose noses need to be wiped as the mucus runs into their mouths, but as we say in Nigeria, Asiwaju will give a lot of people “talking mouth,” if he loses.
…and if/when that happens, emi o man, o!