By Abimbola Adelakun
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First, let us get rid of the worthless argument that fallaciously equates the case of the self-appointed “Eze of Lagos” with the ambitions of Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, the woman who parades herself as the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria because she happens to be the daughter of the President. Pitching one against the other to make a case against the imposition of alien traditions on another culture is a rhetorical strategy called “false equivalence” because it is as clear as night is different from day that one is an internally empty position, while the other will be backed by the force of federal power. The Eze of Lagos will have no salary, no official recognition, and no subjects except perhaps for a few folks who consider him a ceremonial head and nothing more. I have attended Nigerian parties in the USA where they introduce the “Eze Ndigbo” of one US city or the other. No oyinbo goes around fretting over such because they know it is a self-designation that has no serious political meaning. Even in Lagos, the farthest the Eze Ndigbo can go is attending parties, settling disputes, and probably earning money from folks by performing simple tasks for them.
The Iyaloloja-General, on the other hand, can write an “official” letter to an Oba in her capacity as “the first daughter of Nigeria” to introduce her local iyaloloja appointee to them. Unlike the “Eze Ndigbo”, she can walk into their palaces in her capacity as the scion of the President and be granted an audience. Even when the Oba appropriately schools her on how their histories and cultures make the “iyaloja” title alien to them, she could still go ahead and impose her candidate in defiance of their traditions. Given how our politicians grovel before federal power, it is only a matter of time before her “iyaloja” is fully recognised. So, there is a practical difference between what one can achieve with the title and what the other cannot. One is a mere pretender to social relevance, while the other is backed by real political power.
On several levels, Tinubu-Ojo’s “iyaloja” title is a bastardisation of a title that used to mean something among the Yorubas. To be an “iyaloja” is an honour given to enterprising women, the breed who have demonstrated remarkable acumen and resourcefulness in trade and business management. They are usually women who, to varying degrees, forged new paths in their economic endeavours and lifted their community. In the case of the late Abibatu Mogaji, the adopted mother of Bola Tinubu, who bore the title, everyone knew her to be a businesswoman with a verifiable record of achievement in enterprise. When Mogaji died, Tinubu-Ojo—in connivance with traditional rulers who are ever seeking to please her father, who holds their destinies in his pocket—usurped the position. And that was how the title went from Mogaji, an actual tradeswoman, to someone who has likely never taken a path not already guaranteed to her father in her life.
From the “iyaloja”, an honour given to distinguished women who have made a significant contribution to humanity, it became an empty title that can be conferred on any pretender as long as they have some political influence. Tinubu-Ojo did not even stop at the “iyaloja-general” of Lagos, where her father has held sway for decades. As daddy’s political territory expanded, she also edited her title to cover a broader jurisdiction. Now, she has summoned enough temerity to go to Edo to impose an alien Yoruba culture on them. Tomorrow, she will probably head for Kano or Enugu to continue her agenda of Yoruba colonisation. I can assure you that by the time Tinubu-Ojo is done with the “iyaloja” title, it will either need redemption or will have become so problematic that it will be another aspect of Yoruba culture that needs to be consigned to the dustbin of cultural history. That is how traditions meant to promote meritocracy gradually die when hijacked by the clowns.
The Osaro Idah, whom the Oba of Benin asked to educate Tinubu-Ojo during her visit to the palace, made a critical point when he stated that the “iyaloja” title was unknown to them. He pointed out that what they have in their culture is the “iyeki”, who similarly functions as the “mother of the market”, although she also has spiritual duties. There is no “iyeki-general” because each constituent selects its own leader and takes her to the palace to be confirmed by the Oba. He said, “Iyeki is particular to each market. No one has the right to control the other in another market. The “iyeki” in Oba Market has no role to play in Ogiso Market.” But this is also how Yorubas typically choose their iyaloja until hustler-obas subverted tradition. Ideally, there should not be an “iyaloja-general” position because the role of iyalojas does not warrant an overall superintendent.
That was until Tinubu-Ojo was appointed one in contradiction to the spirit of the position. The bogusness of the title itself is very much reflective of its vacuousness and the pretence of the bearer (and even the conferer). “Iyaloja-general” very much reminds me of Ola Rotimi’s character in Our Husband has Gone Mad Again, who said being an “attorney-general” is preferable to a “chief justice” since “any village chief can do justice.”
The title of “iyaloja” was intended to be organic and independent, each market selecting from among themselves anyone they saw fit to lead them. The traditional societies that created that title thought it must be democratic like that for the role to be meaningful. What we have instead in the “iyaloja-general” is a grotesque manipulation that over-centralises the role of the iyaloja and robs the local market women of the initiative to select their own worthy representatives. This artificial creation has now assumed the role of a kingmaker, waltzing into palaces and thrusting an alien tradition with the soft-hard power of the “first daughter”. Even worse damage is how the title of “iyaloja”, which should promote enterprising women who have distinguished themselves in the world of business, now pushes forward charlatans and impostors who have probably never tried to understand market functions. By now, you would have noticed that Josephine Ibhaguezejele, whom Tinubu-Ojo introduced in the palace as the head of market women in Edo State, is frequently described as a “pastor”, placing religious profession over professional accomplishments. There is virtually little or nothing said about her experience as an actual market woman that qualifies her to be in that position. That shows how the title of “iyaloja” is losing organic connection to the market from where it purportedly derives its meaning.
It is also ironic that Tinubu-Ojo’s president father is one of those who has spent years canvassing for a more decentralised government. Today, they are in power and suddenly executing an agenda of power centralisation that runs every pipe in the social sphere straight into their gluttonous pockets. We, of course, know that he will not be restraining her. She is not only an adult daughter who can defy her aged father, but theirs is also a polygamous family where the interloping “first daughter” and “first son” are also keeping space for their respective mothers, who were not lucky enough to be occupying the “first ladyship.” Besides, Tinubu-Ojo can always pass this whole charade off as her contribution to building the Tinubu political dynasty, efforts that will pay off immediately as political mobilisation means in 2027.
The Punch
