It’s never been a crime to not know about something (but remember ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the Law) more so no one knows it all not even inventors or geniuses.
In Nigeria growing up in the early 90’s as a child the educational system was tough and so was the disposition of the teachers. Being academically challenged earned you generous strokes of the cane and the teacher goading your classmates to top off your humiliation with chants of Olodo Rabata Oju eja lo n mo je (Big dullard it’s only eye of a fish you know how to eat). In some cases, the victim might be forced by the teacher to dance as he or she is being taunted by the song.
Olodo which in the past was attributed to academic challenges due to undiagnosed learning disorders such as dyslexia, secondary school or university dropouts has mutated like a cartoon character in X-Men to include people who are ignorant due to not being enlightened.
Several instances abound such as a popular Pentecostal Church who has members in it’s congregation who have chosen to give testimonies that sound like a fantasy movie script , a popular pastor who shared a cup of tea with God who also magically ( the audacity of absurdist confidence) ensured that snow would not fall whilst the Pastor was going for a crusade in Canada.
Let’s be clear olodos aren’t found only amongst drop outs or semi literate as people tend to believe no thanks to their social prejudice, they can be found amongst graduates where you come across some who are not articulate, lack analytical thinking and thoroughly bungle every project given to them by their employers. What do we call those people?
What do we call lawyers some who are even Senior Advocates of Nigeria and when you hear half-baked submissions they make you would wonder how such a professional honour could be bestowed upon one so lacking in jurisprudential dexterity.
The judgments delivered by some judges are so disgracefully lacking in coherence, in-depth legal reasoning it would stir up doubts if the judge ever practiced before being appointed to the Bench. The Magistrate Courts are a different stomach churn.
The corporate bodies who budget millions of Naira to sponsor reality television programs with contestants displaying sexual behaviour, airing controversial views bordering on shallow social media herd fodder yet will give a cheque of N10,000 or some cringe worthy amount to the best graduating(first class honours) student of a faculty that has not had a first class graduate in 20 or 30 years should tell us why it seems there is an Olodo uprising.
Parents who do not take out time to study, understand and nurture their kids to realise their true self and gifts in order to generate wealth instead compare their children to their siblings, classmates or family friends are also in this category because that is an ignorant approach to parenting.
As can be seen the phrase Olodo pertains to different individuals in different social situations.
Adejumo Kester is a Lagos-based Attorney.
