Asese tun se
ti a ba se yi tan, a o se mi si
asese tun se
(There would always be a repeat.
After this, you will have another event
There would always be a repeat.)
Pardon my crude translation of this Yoruba proverb but it was
the best I could come up with in the circumstances. A major part of
my growing up was spent supporting my dad who pastored our church
(a quite small one). My church had a self-acclaimed master talking
drummer who was always fond of playing with his talking drum the
above-highlighted proverb, usually used to sing the praises of
patrons and equally praying that such wonderful event would
recur.
Our talking drummer, however, met his ‘waterloo’ when he played
this proverb with his talking drum at the burial ceremony of a
40-year old man who had died in a ghastly motor accident. The rest
as they say is history! Such is the enormity of praise singing that
I rarely embark on it as it could lead to the opposite of one’s
intention. How else can you qualify the act of a woman singing “be
thou exhausted” while trying to worship God? Her intentions of
exalting God almost got Baba God exhausted. That’s on a lighter
note, sure we know Baba God can never get exhausted.
Writing about Dele Adesina SAN, could sometimes be seen as
praise singing by an average reader, but the fact is, one can
hardly be immodest while talking about the learned Silk. William
Hazlitt (1778-1830) famously noted that “the greatest offence
against virtue is to speak ill of it.” You would never find me
speaking ill of a man of virtue like Deacon Adesina SAN. One virtue
has particularly stood out in Deacon’s interaction with people over
time and this is the virtue of modesty. This coupled with his deep
understanding of the tasks ahead of him makes him a stand-out
candidate for the office of President of the Bar. It is not
uncommon for him to use phrases like ‘by the grace of God’, ‘God
willing,’ etc.
Against the background of easily the busiest and most
challenging period the NBA and the world at large has seen in
recent times, calmness and yet precision are unarguably key assets
the next NBA Boss needs to have. Talking about calmness,
candour, precision, integrity, experience and capability, the
learned Silk Adesina has them in abundance. He is not
flatulent (borrowing Prof Olu Obafemi’s word in the poem “Do
Gooders”) and his spot-on answers to questions posed at him depict
him as a reservoir of knowledge and as someone who is always
prepared.
His views on partnership as the future of the legal profession
amongst other views depict him as someone who aptly understands the
past, present and future of the legal profession. Bob Marley’s
famous song title “Who the cap fits” is apt at describing the
suitability of Deacon Adesina for this role. He is in the words of
Confucius, the great one who possesses a perfect virtue resonating
around ‘gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and
kindness.” He is who he is, the son of his father. I dare say that
praise singing is hard afterall.
Since awaiting NCDC’s daily update has now become a routine, I hope
and pray that Coronavirus will today afflict less Nigerians and
indeed totally exit the world soonest.
I am Adeboye ‘Seye Thompson and I am a member of the Nigerian
Bar Association.
Asese tun se
ti a ba se yi tan, a o se mi si
asese tun se
(There would always be a repeat.
After this, you will have another event
There would always be a repeat.)
Pardon my crude translation of this Yoruba proverb but it was
the best I could come up with in the circumstances. A major part of
my growing up was spent supporting my dad who pastored our church
(a quite small one). My church had a self-acclaimed master talking
drummer who was always fond of playing with his talking drum the
above-highlighted proverb, usually used to sing the praises of
patrons and equally praying that such wonderful event would
recur.
Our talking drummer, however, met his ‘waterloo’ when he played
this proverb with his talking drum at the burial ceremony of a
40-year old man who had died in a ghastly motor accident. The rest
as they say is history! Such is the enormity of praise singing that
I rarely embark on it as it could lead to the opposite of one’s
intention. How else can you qualify the act of a woman singing “be
thou exhausted” while trying to worship God? Her intentions of
exalting God almost got Baba God exhausted. That’s on a lighter
note, sure we know Baba God can never get exhausted.
Writing about Dele Adesina SAN, could sometimes be seen as
praise singing by an average reader, but the fact is, one can
hardly be immodest while talking about the learned Silk. William
Hazlitt (1778-1830) famously noted that “the greatest offence
against virtue is to speak ill of it.” You would never find me
speaking ill of a man of virtue like Deacon Adesina SAN. One virtue
has particularly stood out in Deacon’s interaction with people over
time and this is the virtue of modesty. This coupled with his deep
understanding of the tasks ahead of him makes him a stand-out
candidate for the office of President of the Bar. It is not
uncommon for him to use phrases like ‘by the grace of God’, ‘God
willing,’ etc.
Against the background of easily the busiest and most
challenging period the NBA and the world at large has seen in
recent times, calmness and yet precision are unarguably key assets
the next NBA Boss needs to have. Talking about calmness,
candour, precision, integrity, experience and capability, the
learned Silk Adesina has them in abundance. He is not
flatulent (borrowing Prof Olu Obafemi’s word in the poem “Do
Gooders”) and his spot-on answers to questions posed at him depict
him as a reservoir of knowledge and as someone who is always
prepared.
His views on partnership as the future of the legal profession
amongst other views depict him as someone who aptly understands the
past, present and future of the legal profession. Bob Marley’s
famous song title “Who the cap fits” is apt at describing the
suitability of Deacon Adesina for this role. He is in the words of
Confucius, the great one who possesses a perfect virtue resonating
around ‘gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and
kindness.” He is who he is, the son of his father. I dare say that
praise singing is hard afterall.
Since awaiting NCDC’s daily update has now become a routine, I hope
and pray that Coronavirus will today afflict less Nigerians and
indeed totally exit the world soonest.
I am Adeboye ‘Seye Thompson and I am a member of the Nigerian
Bar Association.