By Wale Ojo-Lanre
Whatever anybody executes while in power today will hunt that fellow for life. It is either good or bad or an admixture of both. None of these will escape the historical bank of posterity. It never forgets to store the act. The fact is that power, post and authority are transient, ephemeral, fleeting and unstable and never permanent.
Whoever holds the spectre of power today or in a position of influence should realise that nothing last forever. However, whoever relates to the post with every sense of utmost responsible shall be happy forever as the good testimonies shall follow the fellow forever while the fellow who allows stupidity of greatness to rule his mental region will have to battle with the tale of shame and ridicule.
The fellow will leave the post but the memory, history and posterity of his action will remain evergreen and resonate forever. Like this one, I am telling you about Erelu Bisi Fayemi, the wife of the Governor of Ekiti.State.
I believe I will still tell more by the grace of God. I just remember this day in history, something that transpired three years ago on this day 9th of July 2019, when I was the then Director-General, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture.
I now remember the Yoruba axiom ‘ina Ogun odun ma njo ni lowo (once forgotten silly act can rise 20 years after to torment the doer). It also reminds me of another axiom ‘ eni to su lo Gbagbe. Eni to ko le Gbagbe.
As the DG of Ekiti State Art and Culture, I realised that Ekiti State is blessed with raw talents in the area of arts and culture and I decided not only to identify them but hunt them for corporate packaging, positive enhancement and global exposition.
Also, one of the mandates given to me was the harvesting of Ekiti’s budding talents for corporate packaging and positive branding. And I set to work leaving no stone unturned with mad passion.
However, I never knew that it is one thing to have a passion to work and another thing for your passion to be enhanced, appreciated, strengthened, enriched and reinforced by the owners of the government.
Who Is Damilola D Combophonist Ajayi?
He is an Ekiti indigene, talented in the art of employing his mouth at conjuring melodies tunes with the Sax. He loves the Saxophone so well that he wanted one so badly. But his mother could not afford the price of a sax.
Determined not to be frustrated, Damilola thought of a way out, bought two combs, wrapped one with a discarded bread non-cover, and it produced the tunes sharper and ear-friendly better than the tunes from a sax.
And behold Damilola sauntered into the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture office, while I was the Director-General for the Council, Located at Phase 1, State Secretariat, and put his mouth to work on the comb.
Whoa! What? And the gathering, Rotimi Awelewa, the Mirage guy; Banji Adelusi, Director of Culture; Abiodun Dada (Sandoka); Jumoke Aladegbola, another talent. And I remember the super-talent hunter, the woman in the government house who believes every child counts, the First Lady, who shares the same passion as her husband that Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture should search, fish, nurture and harvest raw talents hiding in Ekiti and of Ekiti extraction; polish and brand them to spotlight
And a call to inform her Excellency, the first lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi Adeleye about the discovery of another talent and on the other end of the call was the soft voice of that Abiyamo
Abojagborogboro sounded.
‘Great! in 15 minutes” without no hassles sans tedious protocols at the office of Her Excellency, there she stood up with an assuring smile of an affectionate mother to her children who missed out on the fun of the birthday celebration of their mum.
As she motioned us to sit down, Damilola brought out the comb, blew out the birthday songs without an amplifier, in a thunderously melodious tune. Damilola, the combophonist blew the comb so well, so impressive, that our Erelu, the one with the blessed head who is not a sadist and who is capable of being excited by great work of arts; not one with a yagi head, not, the stone and rocky head incapable of being moved or being swollen by best brain, rose on her legs And danced to the birthday songs tunes oozing out of the comb and being blasted by Damilola thrilled us all.
And Erelu in her stride commended his skill, applauded his determination and appreciated his talents.
Ekiti Got Talents, Damilola, the combophonist is one.
Are you one? Do you know one? Our door is opened!
Thanks, Erelu. Thanks all.
*Ojo-Lanre was the Director-General, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture.
