By Ndubuisi Ekekwe
Governor Soludo: Remember Diochi, the village palm wine tapper, who is always reminded that he must not tell his fellow villagers everything he sees while on top of the palm tree. There is wisdom there because Diochi knows everything, from seeing women taking showers in the village stream to those having babies on the roads to farms (Uzoji).
On Nkwo, Eke, Orie and Afo days, as elders gather, Diochi is reminded to keep mute while they enjoy his free wine. Diochi is powerful, but he is also the only person in the village who prepays for the services of his kinsmen. Yes, because it is expected that one day, he will likely fall at work, he is expected to bring wine on specific market days, as a compensation to his kinsmen, who will likely burn work days looking for him in the farmlands. In Ovim, Diochi serves free wine on Nkwo day; other communities in the Igbo Nation have different days.
Why this message? Do not fight traditional rulers because of those they have decided to give traditional titles to. Like Diochi, it is not every power you have that you must use. Men respect Diochi because they know he knows everything but decides to keep mute. We also hope that in your unbounded power as a governor, the ancestral wisdom of Diochi will become evident.
Allow those traditional rulers to breathe; focus on why the Anambra people sang on the day you won election, “Soludo ga achi anyi” [Soludo will be our leader]
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