Of Babaism and Election Language

Of Babaism and election language

Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe must have made quite an impression on my father: in the days when I still had the pleasure of his company as a child, he always told certain stories of the erudite and oratorical prowess of the Owelle. As a tough political activist himself who mostly fought in the trenches for the actualization of the then Midwest state, and in his capacity as the then Secretary-General of the Midwest State Union, he presented a welcome address to the Owelle when he showed up in Benin City or Oleh (sorry folks, I can't quiet remember the name of the town). T'was in the year 1950 something and I was not born then. But I'm sure of this because I've seen the foto: my father was dressed in the traditional Delta costume of an Okpo, a Stetson, and a flowing wrapper draped across his shoulders. He was what you would refer to today as a lekpa or a letter ai. The Great Zik just stood there, a smile planted on his face as though captivated by the fiery calls for the creation of a Midwest state being made by the young 'un before him.