My journey back home after several years over the weekend was an eventful one. It seems the burial of our Big daddy is a big deal all of a sudden. Driving from Lagos straight to Osun state was not an easy task, especially driving on a crazy road of ours. The most difficult part was the Lagos/Ibadan Express way which already has a wave of undulation like a stormy sea, now I support the Federal government sack of Babalakin (Bi-Courtney) from the job after several years of the award.
The journey to Ibadan was pretty slow due to extra bad road and Tankers taking over. Ibadan/Ife Express was not any way fair, potholes are found in most sections though not everywhere. Driving here is a bit calculative; maneuvering can only be done by professional drivers like us without bursting tires or running the car out of track. I still wonder why Ooni’s RCC construction was given part of Lagos/Ibadan express renovation considering the bad quality of work they did on Ibadan/Ife.*** On getting to Ife toll gate bypass, I decided to buy bread and Akara (Bean Cake) which has always been the tradition snack whenever we go home. The Akara hawkers gathered round the car like legion of ants with paper wraps of Akara almost breaking the car window but at last I was able to buy from a young lady who grin and say “thank you sir” with a dialectic tone. I got some bottled water for myself and those with me in the car before zooming off.
The journey from Ife/Osu bypass to Ilesha was smooth, I had to engage the jeep I was driving into an automatic cruise on a speed of 130km/h enjoying the refreshment and the softly oozing music of Wizkid. After I drove pass Ilesha I noticed my steering wheels was hard but I kept on with my drive. When I got to Owena after God slightly saved me from an accident around JABU University with a crazy oncoming trailer because I couldn’t turn my wheels in haste, I decided to check my engine thinking it was the transmission oil, little did I know that the fan belt running the engine had removed. Thank God the belt and Boris were lying on the engine floor; all I needed was a mechanic. After spending like 4 hours in the mechanic site, I was set to go, but I had to cancel my earlier planned journey to FUTA Akure because we are already running late for the Wake-keep ceremony.
After the candle light session, I started relating with my lost but found cousins and Uncles, we chatted a while before I moved to our family house. Nothing has changed in the house only that it is old. My dad’s picture in his prime and some of his siblings are still found hanging on the wall also grandma and grandpa’s pix during their chieftaincy days even after there several years of demise. The pendulum clock is no more working but still stand hanging, looking at it I could still hear its ding sound after striking every hour on Xmas when we are little kids, grandpa’s black and white television still sit gently on the stool dirty and wreck, so also the chairs. My aunty led us in praise and worship, my uncle a pastor led the thanksgiving prayer while my Dad cap it all with his prayer as the family head. We ate original pounded yam wrapped in leaf with okro soup and fresh vegetable with bush meat, it all brought back the memories of times spent here with our grandparents during Christmas with my siblings and little cousins, that’s the only time we usually come home. But after the death of both grand parents long ago, Christmas as always been celebrated at our individual place of residence.
Now here I am in my root, I still can feel the cold weather and fog in the morning, the ijesha dialect still flies around me even though I can’t speak but I enjoy hearing it, I still can see the goats littering the floor with their feaces and the chicken running around with their chicks, I still can hear the bell of St.Pauls Cathedral the family church we attend every Christmas period. The taste of the food here is fresh, I’m proud to be from this end. (Ipetu-Ijesha, Osun State.)
Yommybishop.....(4th December 2012)
