What is Politics?

"Politics should not be mixed with the safety and security concerns of our people. Politics should be completely taken out of it,” - Ooni of Ifẹ̀. 

I'm wondering the meaning of this statement. What is Politics? Is the Ooni using the word "Politics" here to mean "Party interests"? 

What is Politics in its true sense?

Can we separate issues that affect a citizenry from the Politics that is played by the citizens? I think this misconception can be excused for a layman, but for the Ooni, it shouldn't be acceptable.

There is a political process to taking decisions that affect the people of a particular place. In a democratic setting, one of this procedures is decision by popular opinion as seen in an election or a referendum or plebiscite.

In the moves that the FG wants to take about the security issue of the country, the major stakeholders are the masses who are being directly affected by the criminal elements. 

These masses have a way in which they want the matter settled. 

This is the political approach to settling the matter. Not some hidden agenda where the elites go into a meeting and decide what they think is right for the people.

The Ooni is wrong to make the statement that insinuates that politics cannot be used rightly to solve the security issues. The Ooni should be advocating for the right political procedure of ensuring that the government listens to the people and not admonishing the people to allow a government that has been criminally silent over the issue all the while to now take the decision on the same issue.

A decision by the masses to be sent to their state houses of assembly on the banishment of open grazing and outright expulsion of cow herders from the state forest reserves. Anyone who wants to dabble into the cattle rearing business in the state should purchase an expanse of land, fence it round himself and raise his cows.

This I believe is the stand of the majority. The only reasonable approach. This is what the Ooni should back - the voice of the people. Not to admonish them to allow the government take the decision. That's not democracy. That's bad politics. The sort of politics that doesn't listen to his people in creating policies. A politics that shows that the people's opinions don't matter. A system that reinforces the idea that the citizens don't have brains and that the elite class should think for them and execute policies on their behalf. The Politics where the elites take the decision and come to enforce it on the people through the use of force. 

The Ooni should speak what the people want to the government and stop being an instrument of government to attempt to quench a revolution whose time is ripe. 

Saying that he has told President Buhari and insisted that he shouldn't allow politics to be played with the issue of the security of the people is a vague statement. His statement ought to be "Mr. President, after due consultations with my people, this is how we have resolved to address the problems"

Shikena. 

The voice of the Yoruba must be one on this, and the Ooni must be the one heralding that United voice/aspiration. He must cut his ties with those who might have hidden agenda, if he has them. 

Let it not come to a stage where the Yoruba will lead a protest to his gate with the Calabash of Ìwà on their hands. I know Kabiyesi know what that means. 

The Yoruba people want a decisive action - Ban Open Grazing and Insist on Cattle Ranching for interested cow rearers. No provision for allocating free lands to former herders - only temporal leases. Every cow ranch would be registered and tied to the business owners whose national identity numbers would be known and whose employees will be well documented. 

By Ayobami Ogedengbe

Writes from Akure

February 2021.