LIFEPORT

Beyond Criticism – Ọmọ Àjànàkú kan kì í y’ara

“Ọmọ Àjànàkú kan kì í y’ara; ọmọ tí ẹ̀yà bá bí, ẹ̀yà níí jọ.”
Meaning: The elephant never births a dwarf; the child born of a blade will certainly answer to sharpness.

Ever since the release of Femi Otedola’s book, followed by the criticism on X and a few other platforms, I have been thinking of a better way to convey my view so that even the younger generation can grasp without losing the depth of the message.

Truth be told, Femi Otedola is from old money. Wizkid’s father was a politician (a fourteen-year APC Chairman in Alaba, Lagos State). Dangote is from a wealthy home and many more. If we are to look deeply into the generation of people whose stories are used to motivate and encourage young minds today, you will notice they are connected in one way or the other to someone who has tried, someone who would not give up during his/her time.

We have the right to bring this history up so as to ease the young men of unnecessary stress, but we all have forgotten that an elephant will never birth a dwarf, neither will a goat deliver a lion cub.

Like the sheet of rocks that add up, layer by layer with time, so is the effort of man — adding up from generation to generation.

I think the year was 2017 or 2018 when Dr. Dele Momodu posted an appreciation/congratulatory Instagram post for Femi Otedola. In his words (please note — not how he wrote it), he described how the business mogul bought a large number of his books and would add them as part of the souvenirs for people who came to visit him at his residence.
“Femi Otedola will never give up, and he wouldn’t allow people around him to give up as well” — my view, though.

What are we or our parents exchanging between ourselves whenever we meet up? The question is not to criticize our parents or ourselves, but a call to a deeper realm of reflection and thinking. Beyond Criticism.

I’m not saying that act alone made him, but it is part of what made his father, himself, and part of what will make his children and grandchildren. There are some solutions his children won’t need to find because their father already searched and found them. They will only need to ask their father “how?” And trust me, he will put them through.

When a man from the street makes his way into a generation full of wealth, there is always a fundamental shift in their lifestyle, no matter the level of knowledge they had acquired. They usually start something weird and we wonder — what is he doing again in school? Has he not made it on his own? And as if that is not enough, he now has direct access to billions of dollars?

Questions like that cross our minds, but the answer is that “he wasn’t there when others were having their classes — their fair share of knowledge.”

Like my mentor, Babatunde Oralusi, will say: “Normal isn’t allowed.”

Recently, I virtually met an Italian friend who happens to be a business consultant. His anthem is:
“If it is not challenging, then something is wrong. Maybe you are not moving. Maybe it is leading nowhere.”
It shouldn’t be going smoothly — but that is what we crave for, pray for on a daily basis as individuals. Yet we criticize people who constantly seek challenges, people who constantly hope for a “rough path”?

We are still missing something — in my own “opinion.”

My name is Adekunle Elekolusi from Efon Alaaye, a town that separates Osun and Ekiti State. On one or two occasions, I have met with people that want to know my origin after I pronounced my name. One will say, “From Efon, right?”
“Ara ile commissioner Elekolusi ni e?” (You are related to the then commissioner Elekolusi?)
Another one will answer rhetorically, “Are there two families that answer Elekolusi?”
“Se Elekolusi meji ni?”

Then I will smile.
In my mind, I will be like — “someone that I hardly hear his stories, not to talk of him.”

When I started reading the comments from the trend on Femi Otedola’s book, I analyzed a few things. He got inheritance from his parent — not just assets. He got knowledge, he got understanding, and traits. Either we like it or not, trait is included.

You can’t motivate who is not motivated.
You can’t advise who is not ready to listen.
You can’t train a goat to be a lion.

Back to Commissioner Elekolusi — sorry, I mean Elekolusi Adekunle, and that is me. If there is a breakthrough today, people will say stories that I barely know about myself just to water down the potency of my hard work and effort — but it is normal. Sometimes, it is just to get an excuse to run away from your struggles that are meant to be faced.

“Most people run from challenges while winners run towards it.”

In my UNI days, I had the opportunity — due to my struggles and interests to serve and get things done in my community — to meet with governors, senators, House of Rep members, people of value, captains of industries, and seasoned men and women, including vibrant young minds. I have organically built relationships with them (not parasitic but advantageous relationships).

None of those relationships came directly as a result of family — but I know trait is involved. That thing that wakes me up in the middle of the night is not ordinary. I didn’t read it or get it all from pages of books.

Beyond criticism, beyond excuses, beyond social media engagement, beyond fear and anxiety, and finally beyond running from challenges, let us reflect, understand, and meditate on issues so as to use situations to our advantage.
In every story, there is something to learn. It all depends on our minds and paradigmatic view.

If it is not positively adding to what we know, then it’s not worth it.

Writing to you again,
Adekunle V. Elekolusi