By Bala Ibrahim
In their attempts to remind us not to take any condition for granted, times without number, motivational speakers have used the quote, “No condition is permanent”. Indeed there are numerous reasons for the phrase, including the fact that no situation, good or bad, lasts forever.
Since Monday, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned to the country, after a little duty trip to Europe, the political atmosphere in the country has been charging and changing.
While he was away, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of the Vice President, resigned from his position. Insider sources said he sent in his resignation letter on Thursday, 3rd of April, 2025.
Before his appointment, he was the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, the organization that made name as an unapologetic attacker of the Tinubu administration.
He changed position from being the attacker of the government to that of the defender of the government. And again, the vice versa. Yes, because of the precariousness of the presumed permanence in positions, he has changed stance twice, within a short period.
According to Patience Johnson, the world’s renowned German-trained cosmetic dermatologist, “In politics there are no permanent friends, and no permanent enemies, but permanent interest.”
This means, wherever the interest moved to, so shall one move to, in politics. There is also the issue of the reason behind the push for positions. Why do people seek power? Surely, people fight for power or positions due to a variety of reasons, including the need for self-respect, recognition, and the desire for influence.
Of course some people may fight for power in order to assert themselves, prove superiority, or gain attention. Comfort and the luxuries of life are among the key ingredients of power. And in the pursuit for power, which is the main interest, all manner of hard and screwed bargaining are engaged.
This is called horse trading in politics. It involves the use of money, a huge amount of money, because the major denominator of trading is money. That’s why Gertrude Stein, the American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector, said, “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to shop.” If you have money, the right kind of money, you can change all the calculations in politics.
That is why those who want to play politics, especially in third world countries like Nigeria, they are burdened by the need to imbibe the virtue of the patience of waiting for when it is “your time”. Leo Tolstoy, the Russian writer, said, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” This goes to suggest that patience and time are powerful tools for the achievement of goals and overcoming challenges.
In the battle of politics, to lose patience is to lose the battle. You are expected to have the patience of understanding the precariousness of the assumed permanence of positions. In short, you should know that no condition is permanent.
In the wake of the gale of defections hitting the opposition parties, especially the trending defections of the entire PDP political structures in Delta state, and the rumour that more governors are putting finishing touches to joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), no one should underrate the position of interest in politics.
Although sometimes, I have small issues with that concept. I am APC in roots, stem and branches. I am happy that my party is growing in strength, while my President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is going brighter in hallmark and political robustness.
But I also have people that are my political friends and carrier counsellors, who, because of how things are politically skewed, have been schemed out from the centre of politics. This is giving me serious concern. If I say I am not overwhelmingly distressed by some of these happenings, its a lie. I am happy my party is gaining control in more states, but I am heartbroken because some of my friends are being side-lined.
Each time my emotion tries to pull me down because of the displeasure of these political scheming, I take solace in accepting the meaning of patience and the story of Rahul Dravid, the famous Indian cricket player, with his fascinating tale on the Chinese Bamboo tree, where he said:
”You can take a Chinese bamboo seed and plant it in the ground, water and nurture the seed for an entire year & not even see a single sprout. In fact, you’ll not see a sprout for 5 years. But suddenly, a tiny shoot will spring from the ground. And over the next 6 weeks, the plant can grow as tall as 90 feet.
“It can grow as fast as 39 inches every 24 hours. You can literally watch the plant grow. What was the plant doing during these 5 years, seemingly dormant period, it was growing its roots. For 5 full years, it was preparing itself for rapid, full growth.
“Without this root structure, the plant simply couldn’t support itself for its future growth. Some would say the plant grew 90 feet in 6 weeks, I would say it grew 90 feet in 5 years & 6 weeks.”
So, patience can also pay in politics. Those side-lined today, if they can understand the meaning of interest, political interest, and appreciate the virtue of patience, can get payment tomorrow. After all, in his song, the Heathen, Bob Marley, the late Jamaican legend said:
“As a man sow, shall he reap
And I know that talk is cheap
But the harder the battle
A the sweeter Jah victory
Rise up, fallen fighters
Rise and take your stance again
Is he who fight and run away
Live to fight another day.”
