The lion is a special beast, a magnificent creation of the Almighty. It is special, regal and royal even by its appearance and clothing.
All animals come to this world with clothing except man. Man is the only one who comes naked. That is why man needs a clothing and even shelter.
The lion comes not only with clothing, a special skin with special design and coating to show its regality and majestic splendour in the animal kingdom. Today lion skin is highly valued and the raw material for expensive wool jacket desired by yuppies and and indulgent Gen Z.
That is the lion – kingly, royally and elegant. Have you seen a lion moves before? Leisurely, unhurried, with strength, confidence and assurance. And somehow other animals seem to recognize this kingliness of character in the lion, this superb royalty that comes from who and what he is. Royalty and majesty cannot be bought. It is God – given but you can earn it. I have seen men who are crowned kings but who lack the element of royalty; i have seen women who are of aristocratic descent but lack the element of aristocracy. And I have seen men of common origin and ancestry who are so regal and of such qualities of mind and soul and beauty of spirit that the world would have been blessed to crown such kings.
I am digressing.
The Lion is the undisputed king of the jungle. He is the royal beast. All ancient kingdoms accept this. All ancient Scriptures, inspired writings, folktales, sayings, proverbs, pithy sayings etc. confirm the Lion as the king.
Hence the metaphor of the lion is used to describe both bravery, boldness, majesty and immoveability. “The Lion in the fight”, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”…etc., to describe specific figures even in Scripture and Literature.
The Lion is bold, recklessly bold. It fears nothing and none and turns not aside from anyone or anything.
The Lion is also strong and strongly built. It is the strongest among beasts. It is not the biggest, not the fastest and not the swiftest but it is the strongest. The elephant, tiger and bear take the lead in those but none of them is as strong and as finely built as the lion. The Lion is a special creation of the Almighty.
One other thing about the Lion is its face – fearsome, frightening and dreadful. The lion’s face is never gentle. You probably have heard the saying:- “the gentility of a lion is not an excuse for togetherness.”
You must have heard of the expression “terrible as the faces of lions.” There was a contingent in the Army of David, the Gadites who were so mighty, and fearsome that their faces were described “as terrible as the faces of lions.”
The Lion is a spectacle to watch during a fight. I have seen a lion wrestled its way out of a pond with an alligator. No other beast dares that.
You can see why ancient Romans would line the Coliseum in Rome between the 2nd and 3rd centuries to watch Christians thrown to Lions to rend them in pieces to the amusement of demonised heathens and their demon- obsessed, wildly indulged emperors and senators.
I have my education about lions not only through books but through actual experience and encounters of two eyewitnesses.
Strange as it may seem the lion does not kill for fun. It does not take what it doesn’t need unlike the looters of Nigerian Commonwealth.
My informant was an old retired senior civil servant based in Okene, Kogi State in the 1970’s. He went on a hunting one Saturday and lost his way in the forest for three days. He was in the forest for three days before the emissaries and hunters raised by the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland to look for him finally found him in the forest and brought him out.
Think about that.
A Christian civil servant lost his way in the forest and a Muslim ruler raised men to go and search for him when the news got to him. This nation was once good and great. Nigerians were once good and noble before the enemies came and sow its weeds among us.
That man told me and gave me the very first lecture about the jungle and education about the Lion.
On the second night in the forest he had a direct encounter with the king of the jungle – the Lion. That day he realized that indeed the lion is king.
“Moses, when the Bible calls the lion king of the beasts, it is a fact”, he told me inside his house at GRA, Ilorin several years later.
“In the night all manner of beasts in the forest making noise. The forest is never silent. The birds singing, a cacophony of different noises and a babel of voices all chirping at once.
“Then all of a sudden the Lion would roar – WHOOAH… And there would be perfect silence everywhere. Even the birds would stop singing for a while…”
The king of the jungle has spoken, the Lion has roared. Whoever utters any voice pays the price – a terrible price.
That day he learned that the forest is not as disorganized or disorderly as people think.
That was in the Jungle where beasts dwell. There is order. Is there order too in the Nigerian Jungle where humans dwell?
A common expression I hear among the children of my people these days and especially among politicians is “Lion of Bourdillon.”
Throughout the election period you hear the expression of a “Lion of Bourdillon” who built Lagos and is coming to set NIgeria back on track. Everywhere is “Lion of Bourdillon”…
It is now almost two years since the Lion of Bourdillon transitioned to Aso Rock and jas there been any change?
The bandits are still wreaking their havocs, even much more than before. The terrorists have multiplied. Two new terror groups have emerged under the watch of the new “lion”. Benue State is still a killing field and the blood on the Plateau is still dripping and flowing. Even now more than before.
Kidnapping and ransom- taking have now become a lucrative trade according to even Government-owned Bureau of Statistics.
Tears everywhere. Wolves dogs and he- goats of Fulani terrorism are killing Nigerians in their houses and farms and all our “lion” could do is to whisper some condemnations and condolences through his spokesperson. Or even ignore altogether from his safe heaven in France and now London.
Lions roar, they don’t whisper. Lions make bold declarations through roaring that are recognized everywhere. And those who ignore the roar pay the price.
They rend to pieces those who disobey their orders. That is the Lion.
Today, inflation has ignored the roar of our own “lion”, insecurity has ignored his roar with contempt. The roar of our lion is nothing but a weak whisper that even terrorists do not fear and which does not even motivate or move the security agents to action.
This is the “Lion of Bourdillon” – their lion of Bourdillon. In just 14 days 144 Nigerians have perished in Benue and Plateau states and still counting. Yet our “lion” is not even in sight; he is crisscrossing from Paris to London, while dogs and bears are feeding on his cubs. He is not mad. His handlers are not mad or angry, either. Just waiting and strategizing for 2027.
That is not the way of Lions. Lions do not act that way. Lions get angry at insolence, at effrontery and irreverence or disobedience, at terror because they are the lords or terror themselves.
When George Bush roared after 9/11 did you hear anyone challenge him in the world? Even China and Russia and Europe and the troublesome Middle East kept silent. The Lion had roared.
Enough of crowning people with titles they don’t deserve or merit. Enough of flattering titles that has no bearing in action or reality.
The other day we crowned another from Daura as “the New Sheriff in town” within few days of his crowning only to discover after 8 years that he is neither new nor a sheriff. They branded him a “born- again democrat” clothed in borrowed robes only to discover that he is neither democrat nor even born- again.
Enough of this false and dubious titles. Let’s have some respect for the Lion please. I can’t see any Lion in Bourdillon. If there is one we would have known it by now. All Nigerians would have known. A lion does not advertise himself; his demeanour and kingly character will bear him out.
How many times did Abacha address the press or issue press statements? Yet he was in control of Islamic fanaticism and dealt bitterly and cruelly with it.
How many speeches did Murtala Muhammed give? Even his speeches are unusually short. But they are backed by actions and forces.
It is not many speeches and numerous press releases full of high sounding phrases ; it is about result, actions and bloody- mindedness.
It is Nigerians blood that is being shed, not the blood of their enemies. The killers are even bold enough to identify themselves. In a nation where there is a lion as king? No.
Lions act swiftly. With anger and resolution against adversaries. Let the killers of NIgerians bleed too. Let them pay dearly for their crimes. Else, allow Nigerians to bear military-grade weapons to confront their assailants themselves.
Let heads roll, sack people who fail to perform their task. Remove round pegs in round holes. Fire anyone who provide reasons instead of results.
Move. Leap. Jump. Roar. Run. Rend in pieces the enemies of the nation… That is what Lions do.
If there is indeed a Lion in Bourdillon Nigerians should feel it and should see these transform into actions and concrete results. Enough of excuses.
Like one tag I saw at Dunlop Office, Ikeja in those days: “Provide results not reasons.”
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