The year 2016 cruised as fast as the breeze at the top of the Obangogo hill. Ambitious dreams preceded passionately audacious scheming that is reminiscent of the hustle our ancestors endured while they camped on the peak of that fortress of old.
Comrade James Folorunsho put his brain and material resources to work to ensure the necessary grounds were covered, while Mr. Ben Kabba Owoleke busied himself strategizing and chucking admirably well thought-out ideas here and there. Contacts were made, letters were dispatched to locations un-imaginable, and the constituted committee toiled industriously to be sure Obangogo ’16 will be etched in our collective memory for a long time.
The battle has to be won; history has to be witnessed – again!
The date 27th, December 2016 isn’t one to be forgotten in a hurry for all the warriors-without-border. Apparently, the road leading to the hill has taken a new shape – that is if you didn’t mind the blinding dust fettered to a biting harmattan that had ground creepers like me looking white like back to the future Neolithic aliens. Save that, not much trouble on the road. As expected, the ground at the base of the hill had been cleared allowing shelters to be erected to accommodate the massive population that was present; and, what a crowd we had!
As it were, scaling the heights of the bold hill was of paramount interest to everybody. After all, we have to experience the miracles of Obangogo, first hand! Animated feet sprinted jubilantly up boulders; dusted faces grinning from ears to ears cradled assorted provisions as they conquer the hills with absolute excitement; and stories and stories of the valiant resistance of our forebears rang out through the mountain, to the delight of wide eye tourists from far and near – as their appreciation to God and our ancestors echoed beyond the frigid cloud. What more? History has to be re-visited!
And yes, history was indeed revisited. From the zenith of the hill, we relived how our fathers, who from that vantage point, rolled rocks upon rocks on their enemies down below, smashing their heads in to give each one of us the future we relish today. From that point, we saw the ingenuity of our ancestors. We appreciated the harsh sacrifices they had to make to keep us living, and we were grateful for the future they bought for us with their blood – the blood that is represented at every point on the hill to serve as a reminder of their ultimate sacrifice that paved the way for the present existence we enjoy!
Again, our forebears gathered us together as different people with a common story to tell. They likewise didn’t forget to invite people from Nasarawa, Kaduna, Lagos, in and around OweLand and diaspora. It was our prayer from last year. The result was more than evident this year. We knelt to pray on that spot again, and drank from the eternal spring of water that refreshed our ancestors, and was left for us. It is still refreshing! We are assured it will remain so till next year and many more years to come. It wasn’t easy to ascend that hill today as it wasn’t easy for our forebears to dare in the years gone by. But, in the end, “it was worth it”.
Obadofin and Obajemu of Oweland on Obangogo
Security Adviser to Kogi State Governor, Navy Commodore Jerry Omodara and the Majority Leader Kogi House of Assembly, Hon. Kolawole Matthew
