The Ajaawa Declaration
Do not be chained by the past, focus rather on inspiring development and contemporary glories
Femi OGUNLANA
They were part of the declaration
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Generosity of mind is pivotal to achieving an elevated state. Life is fixed based on certain laws – it oscillates on the state of the mind, what occupies the mind, what propels it, what aspiration (s) simmer (s) in its space. The mind is key. It can’t exist in vacuity. It is the birthplace of either progress or retrogression. It is the source of ideas, it’s where civilisation originates, the crucible of the breathtaking technological and scientific breakthroughs breaking forth in societies. When the mind is occupied with unproductive ideas, negative thoughts, retardation ultimately is provoked. When contrarily positive vibes generously fill it, growth and development are elicited. Everything depends on what is nourished in the mind. Mind is everything.
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You wonder while some societies are advancing, forging ahead at a frenetic pace while others are dragging depressingly behind, the difference could be traceable to the thoughts that play in their minds. In Africa, Nigeria and parts of Yorubaland particularly, attachment to the past is preeminent. We glory and take pleasure in the achievements of the past, foreclosing our mind to taking on new challenges. Growth is stimulated when quagmire situations are subdued. Rather than being driven to and focusing on creating new conquests not necessarily in weaponised warfares, we are largely still glued to the achievements of our ancestors, we glory in them excessively and refuse to move on to crack new knots. It is one of the reasons we are at the deplorable stage we are.
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That is why l align with the declaration of the Alajaawa of Ajaawa His Royal Majesty Oba Thompson Adeyeye Oyetunji Olumole ll, during the townhall meeting held in his town last week by the Soun of Ogbomosoland His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III. Oba Oyetunji observed in his remark that we are so much attached to histories, practically chained by the deeds attained by the ancestors. He urged we should mitigate excessive focus on them and rather chart roadmaps to unfurling new and greater accomplishments to write our own histories. The permanent chairman of Ogo-Oluwa local government stressed that if we are stuck to the past flaunting stories such as this is what my progenitors accomplished, this is how they were born, this is whom they were, while refusing to stimulate our own victories that would bestow our own glories fitting contemporary times we will not progress. He was down-to-earth and meant his proposition. Ajaawa has a rich history too that can rival many others’ but he’s sagacious enough to understand that the community needs contemporaneous conquests, new successes to return to the forefront competitively. He understands that excessively dwelling on history shut out new aspirations.
Some however took him up having taken his words out of context or just motivated by entrenched prejudices. Truly we need to set and overcome new challenges to create new histories. I consider it laziness to persistently savour the accomplishments of our forebears, complacently not nudged or stirred to make our own achievements in consonant with the present age. It was once fantabulous flaunting crowns as triumphs, glorying in conquests and imperialism, thumbing one’s chest over the landmass won in wars. And so on. But all that are no longer remarkable or voguish. That l believe is the context Alajaawa spoke. The fad today is technological advancements, scientific breakthroughs, leap in AI, agriculture, infrastructure and so on. For how long shall we glory in the past claiming superiority on the basis of some crowns, on certain origins and mundane things like that in this fast-paced, digital age? Isn’t it clownish?
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The prevailing mindset in the advanced economies is a clear deviation from that. The Persians (Iran), Babylonians (Iraq), Greeks, Romans, Portugese, Britons, Egyptians, Chinese and so on who once dominated large swathes of land as a result of military conquests, are apparently no longer staking that as a basis for respect, it doesn’t interfere in their relationships in the contemporary time. Like the new Olubadan of Ibadanland His Imperial Majesty Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja noted last week that if America sneezes today the whole of Britain would catch cold despite the history of Britain colonising America for about 170 years (1607 to 1776). Greece under Alexander the Great, Rome under its emperors starting with Julius Caesar floated great empires with worldwide reach but today all that glory paves into insignificance. None shows off that today, such belongs to antiquity. What matters today is what the present generations are able to achieve? What inventions are they able to engineer?
They are committed to outdoing one another really. China recently while celebrating the anniversary of end of World War II exhibited its new arsenal of frightening weapons inviting its allies. It doesn’t sit idly, complacently claiming it once had a great empire when America was insignificant in the world. China and others are striving to outpace America today; they are all in some rat race to surpass one another and not vying for superiority on the bases of the accomplishments of their ancestors, past glories, histories. They relate, they meet, discuss robustly, irrespective of the axes they belong. No bitterness, not sworn-enemies, they still tolerate one another.
If they dwell on that they will certainly retrogress because they will be deprived of a generous mind, stunting developmental aspirations and fulfillment. Rather, they let old things pass away for new things to take preeminence in accordance with the biblical precepts, which the Alajaawa reminded us.
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Therefore we should not be chained by the past, we should recreate our mind, our desire for new aspirations to bring up new developmental breakthroughs befitting the smart age. That is the Alajaawa’s declaration – The Ajaawa Declaration.
We need this more than ever in Ogbomoso zone; through collaborative efforts, much more can be achieved. And if anyone prefers to go it alone, no problem, but no need to treacherously sabotage another. Town A can decide to outpace Ogbomoso metropolis by strategically taking steps to turn its community into an industrial area, a smart city, a model city, a megacity with all indices of modernity, things people yearn for, that are not within the ambit of their imagination. It is better than subversive tendencies and undermining of collective efforts. Are our communities in the best shape, in the vanguard of development? The answer stares us glaringly in the face.
On a final note, let’s be guided by The Ajaawa Declaration. We should allow it to be the turning point.
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