By Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Nations. Ibrahim holds a Doctorate from the University of Cambridge.
To a realist, only power is currency; nothing else matters. In historic times, it was unmistakable: King Henry VIII of England ordered the beheadings of his close allies and principal advisors, Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell.
In France, King Louis XIII is best known for executing a trusted confidant and favourite of the Crown. In 1642, he authorised the arrest and subsequent execution of his close associate and “minion”, Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars.
In those traditional days, realists primarily served as power brokers, and issuing orders to eliminate subjects did not elicit notable alarm. The subject had no choice in that historic, classical era when the king’s religion was the subject’s religion: “Cuius regio, eius religio”.
It was even law then, with no option, originating from the Peace of Augsburg (1555) in the Holy Roman Empire, where political interests and authority mattered before the creation of the modern state in 1648 by the Peace of Westphalia, after the Pope lost power in the Thirty Years’ War.
The monarch was not obliged to possess the capacity or comportment necessary to kill a chicken; rather, he could simply issue an order for a human execution. Consequently, if a subject manages to evade the brutality of the king outside the town, he may claim A Y E D A T I W A!
This indicates his understanding of what it takes to escape the tyranny exemplified by King Henry VIII of England or King Louis XIII. It is unnecessary to provide empirical evidence of Henri Coiffier de Ruzé, Marquis of Cinq-Mars’s treatment; it requires a resolute mind to challenge anyone ascending to that throne, to challenge King A Y E D A T I W A, who consistently declares, “I am the Governor.”
Beyond the mundane daily occurrences where he affirms his role as Governor, it would require extraordinary training for the current liberalist Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, to adopt a realist outlook on the power dynamics involved in the praxis of King Louis XIII. I trust he can never!
But does that trust mean anyone can undermine his power as the hegemonic leader of a subnational government? What does Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa mean when he says, “I am the Governor”? Is there any authority that conflicts with the Governor in the same state?
I hear a further warning from Oluwatoyin Ojagbemi, a descendant of Ikale (I think): “Mabaja o, maba binu…” Probably Toyin is a student of the history of revolution (don’t laugh), or a student of modern war studies; her earlier warning is better than testing the King’s war instruments.
Toyin should be reminded that King Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547, at the age of 55 in the Palace of Whitehall, London; unfortunately, his health failed him after years of severe physical decline. King Louis XIII died from extrapulmonary tuberculosis (Maybe God was not with them)!
Sometimes, the public describes a liberalist like Governor Aiyedatiwa as a realist, especially highlighting his frequent assertion, “I am the Governor”.
Despite his straightforwardness, they often dismiss his approach to collaboration and cooperation in shaping state policy for everyone’s good. If we overlook these efforts, the alternative of using power currency is inevitable, God forbid!
Even at the peak of his power, Governor Aiyedatiwa is gradually returning to an appreciation of the praxis of liberalism, as Ondo needs more collaboration and cooperation in sharing collective resources; even if the Ilaje people take more, who cares, and if they take little, who will fight for them?
Does performance mean power to Governor Aiyedatiwa, or is “I am the Governor” an announcement of new authority in town? Is Governor Aiyedatiwa a neo-realist or a classic realist?
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