"Igbe Gburuu, Eebi Gburuu at KUDETI: Rivers and other Ibadan Water Bodies as Victims, Carriers and Transmitters of Cholera, 1970-1996" as presented by SMB Sesan Johnson

"Igbe Gburuu, Eebi Gburuu at KUDETI: Rivers and other Ibadan Water Bodies as Victims, Carriers and Transmitters of Cholera, 1970-1996" as presented by SMB Sesan Johnson
 
#Note: This is an abridged version of my paper remotely presented @ "Shaped By the Sea: Histories of Ocean, Science, Medicine and Technology" Conference @ University of Manchester, UK

Ikudaisi left Gege Oloorun early in the morning to make some heaps at his farm only to be proclaimed dead in the evening. Aghast, Ikudaisi's wives and children could not believe that they were seeing the 'dead body' of Ikudaisi. He was well before he left this morning. He was only complaining of vomiting the day before. Like a terrorist and a scourge, cholera had snatched life out of Ikudaisi declared Mogaji Ikulanbe, the family head. Cholera is presently ravaging the whole city opined the Mogaji. It's now becoming a case of 'je amala ni Oje, lo Shan Owo ni Adeoyo". This described some of the public health problematics of Ibadanland between 1970 and 1996.

It's clear that the present generation is faced with a series of unique environmental dilemma and public health problematic, largely unprecedented in human history. While the environment has been a perennial theme in human thought, water bodies (seas, oceans, rivers, lakes, etc) as subsets of the environment and how humans value and think about the environment has become a vital aspect of recent social history. On the one hand, the 1970s signalled a period of intense academic research into the processes of environmental appropriation. On the other hand, during the same period, the environment in Africa (particularly Ibadan) was experiencing a sea of effects from human actions just like other parts of the world. Within the realms of environmental problematic, Ibadan between 1970 and 1996 was characterised with open defecation by riversides (Ona, Kudeti, Ogbere, Ogunpa) and lakesides (Eleyele) and Asejire Dam; abysmal wastes disposal protocols (Gegeoloorun, Foko, Oja'ba, etc.); poor sanitation and illicit WASH framework.

From Lagos, cholera spread to Ibadan in December 1970. Cholera was considered a stranger and a scourge because of the quantum effects in terms morbidity and mortality rates.

Cholera remains a killer disease and a major public health problem in Africa. In the public health discourse of the Yoruba speaking people of Nigeria, "igbe gburuu, eebi gburuu" is the generic description of cholera symptoms, that is, severe vomiting and acute defecation.

It's was great serving as remote speaker/panelist alongside Dr Cristiano Turbil (University College London) and Elina Maanitty (University of Helsinki) at the ongoing "Shaped By the Sea: Histories of Ocean, Science, Medicine and Technology" conference at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine at University of Manchester, UK.

"Knowledges and Epistemologies: Professor Abimbola Adesoji and His 'The Politics of History'" - by SMB Sesan Michael Johnson

#ProfAbimbolaAdesoji #OAU #InauguralLecture

"Knowledges and Epistemologies: Professor Abimbola Adesoji and His 'The Politics of History'" - by SMB Sesan Michael Johnson

"A man can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it … One must learn from him who knows”-- G. I. Gurdjieff (c. 1866-1949) 

Abimbola Adesoji, an OAU professor of History and Howard Zinn (1922-2010) who was a historian, playwright, and activist remind me of the profundity, intentionality and complicatedness inherent in theme such as THE POLITICS OF HISTORY.

Drawing binaries and corollaries from the works of these two great historians; I begin to wonder if Adesoji will adopt Zinn's radical approach to historiography and the writing of history in his Inaugural Lecture, thereby providing a revisionist interpretation of the historian's roles in the making of a society and what the society thinks of its history. Markedly, History just like the Media is a variant of the 'technology of knowledge' use and abuse to control power and the people in every society. On the one hand, listening to Adesoji in class i got initiated into an epistemology that sees the study of history as a heterotopia and approaching historical writings premised on 'context in context' pedagogy. On the other hand, one approach I adopted from Howard Zinn was his pedagogy on the radicalization of history. In a nutshell, these two historians are thresholds pushers in historical scholarship. I 'twaley' them.

To know Abimbola Adesoji's historiographical methodology and to feel the imports and trajectories of his disquisition on #ThePoliticsOfHistory; make sure you witness the epoch inaugural lecture of this sagacious professor of History. He's well and globally published. Among other things, he's a Georg Forster Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitat, Frankfurt, Germany. He's one of the rarest teachers and practitioners of history I had come across in my short sojourn into historical scholarship. His fecundity, audacity and sagacity have continued to remain as eternity in my historicity and liminality. It's golden to listen to him speak.

#Venue: Oduduwa Hall, OAU Ife, Nigeria
#Date: July 9, 2019
#Time: 5pm prompt (OAU no dey use African time o)
See the graphic below for more details

"Dead on Arrival: The Carnage and Deadness of Our Conscience - The Dead as Victim & Weapon of Corruption" - as written by SMB Sesan Michael Johnson

"Dead on Arrival: The Carnage and Deadness of Our Conscience - The Dead as Victim & Weapon of Corruption" - as written by SMB Sesan Johnson

Wole forgetting that he is in Nigeria left ikorodu to attend a business meeting at VGC an hour to the time. He's to manoeuvre his way from Agbowa sub-hub. Realising the exigencies, he took an okada in order to get to the park in time only for him to be knocked down when the bike man was diving to beat the severe potholes on the un-tarred road. With a bang, the road was flooded with blood and skinned skins of humans and the air was filled with lamentation from passerby and horrific chants from chaotic hawkers by the road sides. A cab driver with early resistance agreed to take the accident victims to nearby hospital. He was cacophonously advised to speed up before the victims give up the ghost. However, bad road architecture couldn't make him deliver as promised. This was compounded by the little hiccups his cab had on the way. The car broke down but he managed to quickly apply the 'first aid' he could offer. After all, he's been the one repairing the cab, since, he couldn't afford to pay the 'mechanics' again. On getting to the hospital, the nurses and the doctors chanted 'dead on arrival'.

The above scenario typifies what Nigerians face everyday. The system is rotten with infrastructural decadence and policy imbecility. Things that were not working while I was young over 30 years are deeply entering into comatose. With billions of dollars spent by governments, the Nigerian system is not working. Name any sector that is not affected by this infraction on systemic development in Nigeria.

Not only is our system becoming dead; the deadening system is a product of dead conscience. Leaders of all shades are not activating the right side of their conscience to better our system. Do you know how the system ruptures many great ideas and policies?

Now, an ex-governor used billions of naira to bury the dead. Is that a constitutional assignment? What are we doing to better the lots of the sick so that they won't become dead? What are we doing to improve the health of the masses as they are already listed on the death list? The health status of Nigeria is killing Nigerians in instalments. Many sick people are working corpses. Many are just cheating death by the whisker.

It's becoming a continuous gory site to see individuals with chronic diseases that need urgent surgery to seek public and government interventions via the media. This is a pointer to the deadness the governance in the Nigeria.

Just as we have had cases of monkey and snake swallowing money, are we saying the dead too don dey swallow cash? Whereas, in recent time, the dead were appointed as members of boards. Not not forgetting the perennial cases of 'Ghost Workers' both at state and federal levels.
Whereas, Prof Osinbajo said this week that the issue of kidnapping is an exaggerated case. With this, I fear to conclude that political leadership is dead in Nigeria. The Super Falcons were refused their allowee. Same with the Super Eagles. Whereas, we are expecting the Nations Cup trophy. Abe, things are dead on arrival in Nigeria.

"I stand for Justice, Not for Biodun Fatoyimbo and Not for Busola Dakolo" - By SMB Sesan Micheal Johnson

"I stand for Justice, Not for Biodun Fatoyimbo and Not for Busola Dakolo" - By SMB Sesan Johnson

#COZA
 
#Note: Beware of the danger of a single story. Read before you bring out your dagger. Read with the lens of objectivity.

The Busola Dakolo case against Biodun Fatoyimbo is a complexity embedded with complicity and banality. It's problematic because of its heterogeneity. Here, we are imagining and figuring pastor-cum-member dichotomy, morality, criminality, gendering, priesthood, carnality, religiosity and Christianity.

Biodun Fatoyimbo's fashionista and Gucci brand with the frenzy of rape cum sexual assaults it had attracted is what an average person will want to lament about. So, I'm not surprised by the catalogue of attacks he's receiving presently. To many his imageries and exotic characterisation are confirming and accentuating his culpability for the rape accusation. However, we can not condemn anyone based on emotionality and subjectivity. Busola Dakolo and her lawyers should follow legal protocols to prove the rape allegation. Yes, Fatoyimbo too had responded with a press release debunking the accusation. He also hinted that he will file a court case against his accusers. One thing is sure, they both know each other. No doubt, spiritual father-spiritual daughter relationship had once existed between them. Their contact and relationship is traceable to Ilorin. Other people are involved (Busola's family, Mrs Fatoyimbo and church members). Time will heal the justice or injustice we all seek to address.

So, the public needs to wait for adjudication on this matter instead of taking laws into its hands. The public can not resort to jungle justice. The planned protest at the church premises by some activists should be done with civility and decorum. The protest should be well organised. If not, it could be hijacked by the enemies of the church in Nigeria (not just COZA). Hence, this will confirm the claim or fear that this is one of the orchestrations against the Church (Body of Christ) of God.
As it is for now, It's must be reiterated that this accusation seems not to be against COZA but against the personality of Biodun Fatoyimbo. So, members and leaders of the church must exercise restrains in this matter. The pastor should be advised to wash himself clean at the court of law because he's already condemned in the court of the public.

I will also love to see a situation whereby national Christian leaders will delve into this situation. They should ensure due spiritual and legal protocols are followed.

On the whole, the Dakolo-Fatoyimmbo saga has ignited critical conversation especially in public spheres. The people especially the youths are beginning to rethink and reconfigure their spirituality, religiosity and attachments to spiritual fathers/leaders. Does spirituality connote suspension of intellectuality? If your spiritual father ask you to 'open your legs', will you obey all in the name of obedience to him? Why will women and the girl-child continue to be vulnerable and credulous in religious settings? How can we curb sexual abuse in religious places? Youths are now rethinking and re-theorising the concept of 'touch not my anointed'. With continuous increase in absurdity from the pulpits, the youths are now demanding for scrutiny and critique of spiritual leaders and ecclesiastical orders in the country.

On the one hand, the rascality of some apostolos of Christian disciplinary has accentuated the impracticality of believability in the ecclesiastical order. If you are following the trend, same is applicable to other religions. On the other hand, we can not overwhelmingly conclude that all religious leaders are wolves in sheep's skin.

Busola Dakolo should not be condemned for speaking out, if indeed this rape occurred. This may help our society to rethink the 'culture of silence' on this kind of matter. Her antagonists should wait till when this case is proven as falsehood. In the Same vein, Biodun Fatoyimbo should be at least be given the benefits of the doubt to prove himself innocent.

By and large, this incident will help the Church, not only COZA. Perhaps, if Biodun Fatoyimbo is found culpable and charged. It may trigger a religious revolution that will help to sanitise the priesthood in Nigerian Churches. Whereas, if Biodun Fatoyimbo is found innocent. Then this will confirm that this is persecution of the Man of God anyway. Usually, the church become more stronger after each persecution.

In a nutshell, God is a God of JUSTICE, so I stand for justice.