Members Deformities and the Discourse of Reform

Adeleke A. Fakoya, PhD

Department of English Lagos State University Lagos, Nigeria E-mail: adelekefakoya@yahoo.com adelekefakoya@gmail.com Phone: +234 803 322 4440

Abstract Physical misshapenness and physiological or anatomical loss in members of a speech community perform discourse structuring/patterning functions. Among the Yorb of Nigeria, for instance, the idiomatic mention of any defect at all can be used to punctuate, accentuate or terminate conversational exchanges between well-formed members. This paper examines fragments of naturally occurring speech containing proverbs about members deformed details which are used by the general population to strengthen talk about national problems in the hope of bringing about desired reform but without any intention to invoke the disapproval of defective members. Anchored in the ethnography of the Yorb, the paper analyses several pieces of language in use, so as to validate the significance of these proverbs as theyre used as discourse markers, explicators, and terminators in the discourse of reform. Keywords: Yorb; deformity; coherence; proverb; loss

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Members Deformities and the Discourse of Reform*

1.0 Introduction

u bot a ar . Literally [English]: A war about which one has foreknowledge never kills a cripple. English equivalent: Forewarned is forearmed. For some decades now, life and living in Nigeria has steadily gone from bad to worse. Industrialists are divesting and going elsewhere for investment; infrastructure decay has become a way of life; corruption is no longer roundly condemned; political office-holders use public resources for personal social uplift; the electorate celebrate appointments of relations to public offices in the hope of getting their own share of the loot; annually, Nigeria loses a lot of funds to and through government officials assigned to the im roveme t of the eo es we -being, etc. Applying the methodology of Conversation Analysis with that of Ethnography of communication, this paper uses the concept of oss to exposes the social, political and economic life of Nigeria as a people, using the discourse of reform in general public talk as primary data. From this standpoint, the work is able to demonstrate how the notion of loss seems to pervade our existence: loss of face when we compare our nation with other nations; loss of standard of living when one considers what the individual needs to do by himself or herself to live decently; oss of atio a i te rity i view of over me ts carefully designed deceptive programmes, and so on. Indeed, so enveloping is loss in Nigeria that not a single segment of the nation is intact: health, economy, politics, education, welfare, agriculture, security, and immigration even marriage, religion and trade. However one looks at it, one would find that each of these areas of our national and private lives is plagued by loss. However, given the o ic of the talk about the need for reform in the country, it is easy to see that the people desire a true and positive change, particularly in governance. The position of the description in this paper, therefore, is that the way we discuss anomalous behavioral patterns can bring about a social change, particularly if we regard such patterns as indications of oss. In other words, if we employ particular expressions to discuss certain social and political aberrations, there might be a fuller awareness about the patterns we would rather not have in our society. Loss-based (or, deformity-inclined) proverbs serve this purpose very well and are demonstrated in this paper as both explicating of issues and constructive of social order. By loss, the paper adopts a comprehensive stance one that regards all wanton and unwanted social, political, religious, and economic behaviour as an example of loss or deformity, much like leprosy, blindness, humpback, goitre, cross-eyes, rickety legs, cleft palate, impotence, dropsy, baldness, barrenness, etc.; just about anything that the people in a society like ours would rather it happened to their foes!

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For the benefit of readers not familiar with the language of illustration, the paper provides a gloss of every fragment of talk analysed in Standard English.

2.0

The Place of Deformity-Loaded Proverbs

Considering the timeless conversational usefulness of proverbs, anyone would be right to assert that proverbs are a preeminent feature of language and culture. Hardly is there any situation however gross or appealing that does not come within the accounting powers of these nuggets of wisdom. In his study of American aboriginal languages, Franz Boas (1940) discovered many things that suggested to him that languages served people, above all else, as classificatory devices for coming to grips with their particular environmental and social realities. Among the Yorb of Nigeria, a unique property of language that satisfies this description is the proficient use of proverbs by culturally attentive members. Thus, proverbs containing direct me tio s of members deformities are used in the present discussion to highlight the relevance of the phenomenon of loss in our national life. Generally, the Yorb of western Nigeria are a very sympathetic people what with their commu a approach to life and living, a disposition extended to how members relate to any kind of misfortune in others. On account of this caring outlook, unnecessary refere ce to others handicap is greatly discouraged and especially forcefully condemned whe such features co stitute as ects of chi dre s ta . I fact, whereas cu tura y mature adults would quickly look away from odd or peculiar features like unnaturally large and bulbous eyes, children who stare at such things are instantly rebuked by the adult(s) present, e.g., by cautioning K, onwkuw! (Literally: Come on, you-gazer-at-strangethings Gloss: Come on, stop staring) sometimes accompanying the discouragement with a mild slap in the back of the head, or a twisti of the erra t chi ds ear. Something about odd, malformed or defective physical features among the Yorb is that, although no one hopes to live with a handicap or deformity, employing their mention in speech for conversational achievement sometimes u derscores s ea ers cultural and communicative competence. This ambivalence is aptly captured in one Yorb deformity-based proverb Wr dn w lj, sgbn k se b lm (Gloss: A madman is such a good sight, but no one hopes to have one as child). In any case, despite the unsavoury situation of misshapenness, proverbs and idioms that mention (especially physical) deformity have great discourse achievement potential. With due regard to tenor, age, relationship between speakers, passive participants present, and other features of conversational interaction, these expressions can be used to segment and augment talk. One proviso, however, is that anyone using any such expression would be culturally required to be mindful of the presence of any member exhibiting the deformity about to be used to carry out these discourse functions. As one Yorb proverb cautions, A kii toju onika mesan kaa (Literally: We do not count anyones nine toes if the person is present; Gloss: We do not allude to anyones deformity in their presence) a proverb echoed in A kii sr igi gbigb nibi tarugbo ba wa (Gloss: We do not talk about dry wood where the aged are present).
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The point raised in the last paragraph touches on the concern of many western activists, particulary in regard to how one talks about disabilities. Needless to say, the Yorb share the co sideratio of the wester wor d for eo e with disabi ity which forbids that such eo e be referred to as disab ed eo e but as cha e ed just so as ot to grieve them. e sad fact about such roverbs ra hic co te t is that theyre ever used appreciatively. Nevertheless, the cultural imperative to prop talk with proverbs allows the use that is, considerate use of these resources i i teractive ta . By loss, this paper includes all indications of unwellness, handicap or deformity e.g., madness, blindness, leprosy, paralysis/lameness, humped back, goitre, etc. 3.0 Stating the problem The Nigerian state has suddenly become an unwholesome institution, pandering to umerous disorders. These disorders ( e era y ca ed oss i this a er) are exhibited in the political, social, economic, religious and educational res o sibi ities of our leaders. As every perceptive Nigerian knows, there is something wrong with every facet of Nigeria: agriculture, energy, economy, education, faith, infrastructure, and even governance. Over the years, however, the people have become rather complacent not questioning the disorders, but everyone playing government in their own way: providing water by the themselves although they pay water rates to the government; providing their own energy by investing very excessively in the purchase of generators and fuel; mending roads in their neighbourhoods; sending their children to private schools and paying to buy school buses and to build classrooms; and so on. Add to these the numerous ways by which government levies the citizens for services not provided and even allows certain providers of non-existent services to exploit the masses. Yet, every year, there are national budgets supposed to enable the government to provide all these things. This oss (of social, economic, political and personal power) requires a deeper understanding; otherwise, the national complacency would continue. The purpose of this paper is to allow the citizenry to see both government inaction and public complacency as they are: oss. Thus, this a er ho es to em oy Yorb roverbs e codi various images of [physical, anatomical and physiological] loss to explicate the seriousness of the issues at stake. 4.0 Exemplars of the Thesis The thesis that we can strengthen our condemnation of social and political misdemeanour may be exemplified by a few urgent situations. 4.1 Social Justice For numerous years now, successive governments in Nigeria have regarded the public as grossly insatiable and always advancing unreasonab e i terests. Thus, theres always friction between representatives of government and leaders of the people. Using fierce means to quell protests has become overme ts choice modus operandi. This, to many
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social critics and analysts is an impolitic method of achieving peace since the people have expectations arising from electing their leaders, as pointed out here: Fragment A Olotu: Alejo: Olotu: 1. y wa, eun pp t w sr t yi o . 2. K t p. Kd, in mi dn lati w b. 3. A d k ti rgbdy t gba gbogbo l kan 4. t w n l pa ti w olgun fi tiptip l wa w . 5. B k, k l dra ni gbogbo y t w NLC ti w r l e. 6. Tb knni yin r s si? 7. eun. 8. Lju mi, wa m ni w l pa ti w olgun h. 9. t gbogbo nkan b dra tn, w a ti w olgun k ni gbdn nn ni? 10. B mo e s , wa m ni. 11. un w b wa fi ns p A j fj, j n ta l npariwo lhnkl u ? 12. w j ba pp ne b alm kan. 13. eb wa la fi w n sb, b w n ti gbgb ni? 14. W n f, w n k , nlti j k w n m oun t l f ti y t w n k f. 15. B w gb ti s , a k k m ong p k gb t fun m. 16. n w dn p nkan l b e y k ma l ?

Alejo:

Gloss: Anchor: Guest: Anchor: 1. Madam, thanks a lot for being our guest on this programme today. 2. Its othi . I fact, Im de i hted to be here. 3. We seem to have quite a lot to deal with these days, 4. with the police and soldiers forcefully keeping us indoors. 5. But then, one thinks that the NLC and the civil society are wellintentioned in their actions. 6. Whats your ow view of the situatio ? 7. Thanks. 8. To me, the police and the soldiers are ignorant. 9. By the time thi s ta e sha e, wo t o iceme a d so diers have a good time too? 10. As I said, theyre i ora t. 11. Thats why our forebears say the foo attac s those fi hti o his behalf. 12. Our leaders, too, are ignoramuses. 13. Have they forgotten we put them in power? 14. f ecessity, they have to iste to what the eo e wa t a d do t want. 15. As the elders say, its ot do e for anyone to tell a person with goitre to swallow the bump in his throat.
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Guest:

16. Are the police and soldiers happy that things are topsy-turvy? The graphic content of expecting someone affected with goitre to swallow the bump in his throat is a good illustration of resolve among activists. The pragmatic relevance of this imagery is that since the one is impossible, the other is no less so. Thus, as Guest points out at utterance 14, Of necessity, they have to listen to what the people want and dont want. 4.2 Politics, Power and Misinformation One of the advantages of being culturally alive as regards the language one speaks is to be fou d i o es abi ity to detect a ie i others ta . This aware ess ca be better ho ed if one is able to bring cultural properties such as proverbs to bear o o es i ter ocutors contribution to ongoing discourse. An illustration of this is found in the deceptive discourse surrou di former Preside t Shehu Yar Aduas sic ess a d, after so much concealment, death. For many weeks, Nigerians asked where the President was being kept, and everyone wondered if he had died, as a matter of fact. However, his selfappointed lieutenants constantly told Nigerians that he was responding to treatment and would soon be back in power. As the fragment below shows, not only were these lieutenants being untruthful, but their lies were illogical: ra : 56. Mdm, ti gb n 57. nbo i resde t wa w? 58. ti k ni tb- kl gn? 59. ga o, baba ran. 60. y ta tn gb ni p w n ti gbe pad d s u. 61. W n s p w lf ugb n nl sk d lati fi gbogbo ara gbdun. 62. nkankan ti ri rr? 63. Ta l b s r n b j mta kan nsny? 64. A gb p w a b us r s p w i b s r lr n. 65. e b w n ti tn s p nk w o b Green Eagles p k w n sa gbogbo agbra w n nn dje s t k j. 66. yn nkan k ; 67. w a ti s p w i ba jun laro n. 68. H w! wd nl n yn. 69. j wo nb yi ni w n i ns fn wa p n kne kan l w, 70. t w so wy or ir i m r r . 71. Ah, i t d e a a rr 72. t w d t w bii i maa aar j a s ej 73. ti gb tn74. i t ti d m ti do u f 75. un l d i tun tnkan j nj burdi tyin. 76. r w b ni, 77. w n n ad t soro m j , o f a uro; b t u m u lbr, n j lknn pt. 78. r w o se u un k kk y ar il.
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Onbr:

ra : Onbr: ra : Onbr: ra :

Onbr: ra Onbr: ra :

Onbr:

 ra : Onbr:

79. l run l m y t a tn ma gb la. 80. w agbnus e s fn wa p f w w n j k l gun in t fi ndray. 81. b tn!

d kt mf t ntorp

Gloss: Butcher: 56. Madam, may I ask you57. wheres the reside t? 58. Is he dead or- whats rea y ha e i ? 59. Thats a tou h o e, ma . 60. We hear hes bee f ow bac i to the cou try. 61. News has it that hes rather o ay but sti eeds a itt e time to et bac to the best of health. 62. Has anybody seen him? 63. Has anybody spoken to him in the last few days? 64. We hear that his spokespersons say they had a chat with him just yesterday. 65. Was t it a so re orted that he was e coura i the Gree Ea es a d ivi them his best wishes before ast wee s match? 66. Theres more; 67. some say they had breakfast with him yesterday. 68. What! Do t be fu y. 69. Just a few days ago, we were informed that he was in a customised vehicle, 70. with various tubes attached to his body. 71. Ah, a patient on the life-support machine, 72. whom the doctors fear might die within a short time73. Youre so ri ht74. A erso that cou d t breathe by himse f75. Now somebody claims they had breakfast together. 76. The elders say, 77. that the leper talked about two things, one of which was a huge lie; he said after he had slapped his child on the back, he also scratched him with his finger-nails. 78. No one understands these politicians at all. 79. y God ows what they te us tomorrow. 80. His spokespersons might tell the public that he slapped six doctors because they prevented him from going to play polo. 81. Yeah, right!

Customer:

Butcher: Customer: Butcher: Customer: Butcher:

Customer: Butcher Customer: Butcher:

Customer: Butcher: Customer:

The wisdom encoded in the proverb (at utterance 77) succinctly underscores the former preside ts ieute a ts b ata t disre ard for ub ic se sibi ities. Not o y were they yi to the public but their lies were not properly coordinated. For instance, how could anyone claim to have had breakfast with a patient on the life-support machine (t wn so wy
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oriri m lr lrn (70)), whom the doctors were apprehensive would die at any time (t wn dkt nw bii ni maa k laarn j kan skej (72)), who could not do anything by himself (ni t k l d e nkankan rr (71)) and for whom breathing had become a herculean task (ni t ati d m ti dogun fn (74))? Indeed, the proverb comes into its own by the image of the leper and the acts he ascribes to himself: how with his stumped palm he was able to slap his child and scratch him as well! Where did the nails come from? Also, but for sheer inanity, who would consider it sensible to dine with anyone on the life support machine? 4.3 Corporate Greed and Public Loss The banking system in Nigeria is one area with a puzzling feature of loss. Whereas the features of loss in other instances illustrate physical and physiological repulsiveness, the sort observed in Ni erias banking sector is purely psychological, bearing on the greed of the i dustrys chieftai s. It is ot withi the ambit of this paper to disclose the various shady practices endemic in the sector but one could be pardoned to request that proceeds from ba s umerous tradi ve tures be a owed to et to the ow ers of the mo ey i the ba s trust as we as the ba s shareho ders. This requireme t is ross y discounted, leading in many cases to the liquidation of some banks and the acquisition of others by more stable institutions. Depositors and shareholders alike are the victims, and the following conversational fragment is a true re rese tatio of how a i dividua s greed can be the vector of the misery of a whole group: r : On w: r: w: r: w: r: 4. tt ni p whl ti d fn il fowpam s t ibi yin nl? 5. B a m se gb lr yi nyn o. 6. L r kan, gbogbo ow g b yi t o fi pam nk ? 7. Bi lkl l i j; 8. k e e k ml n bi mj par f byn. 9. r burk. 10. Knni w il fow am s n w ns o? 11. W n s p k e sr di, w n p lati yanj gbogbo nkan. 12. Ah! 13. w or ti bkt gb ni w t il fow am s gbogbo y nh. 14. Knkan oo d j odindi il fow am s run! 15. bm nl l y j f i mi. 16. K mi ni w n ns r fn. 17. fi k nl o nso. 18. Mo gb p bi bl n run mj j ba gb l w arbrin t d il fow am s na sl. 19. ray lde? 20. Ow t gbogbo wa l pn k tn k! 21. w b ti s r , 22. ti gb l ahun kan.

w: r: w: r: w: r:

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Gloss: Friend : Trader : Friend: Trader: Friend: Trader: Friend: 4. Is it true your bank is facing liquidation? 5. I heard it this morning. 6. Hold on, what happens to all the money you have in the bank? 7. Its sti i e a i htmare; 8. I ca t be ieve about ei ht mi io aira cou d just va ish i e that! 9. Incredible. 10. A d whats the ba s ma a eme t sayi ? 11. That we should be a bit patient; and that, soon, they reso ve thi s. 12. Ah! 13. Sheer wickedness and utter avarice. 14. I credib e, that a i dividua s reed cou d rui a who e ba ! 15. My company will forever regret this. 16. I quite understand. 17. Id best commit suicide. 18. I hear the government seized about eight hundred billion naira from the woman that founded the bank? 19. Incredible! 20. Thats mo ey that cou d o rou d everybody with ots to be eft over! 21. The elders have spoken, 22. wi e stays i the misers home ti its o e sour.

Trader: Friend: Trader: Friend: Trader: Friend:

As Trader candidly observes, Thats money that could go round everybody with lots to be left over (20). Sadly, greed would not allow such bank directors as the woman that founded the bank (18) to share with the depositors and shareholders; thus, like wine in the misers home, everything becomes sour ultimately. In any case, the case described above is ot iso ated; its about the same story about ma y a ba i todays Ni eria: ro rietors ma e away with de ositors a d shareho ders mo ey, causing untold hardship and inflicting long-lasting penury.

4.4 Power Tussle: Delaying Tactics, Inc. For several months, the former President was kept away from public knowledge by his care-givers who, from time to time, kept telling the Nigerian people that the President cou d ru e from a y art of the cou try. By ivi the ub ic such i formatio the Preside ts itche cabi et e t ro o i their ow authority rather than the Preside ts co stitutio a owers and, thereby fulfilling the hum bac s de ayi tactic, espoused in the proverb, a ba l p nb, abuk n b n b k, k won ti hn t fun un, as exemplified below: Ba : Alhaji: Ba : 15. w b tu tu . 16. b y . 17. w a b us YarAdua f k y wa p president Nigeria l sfin ltibikbi t wun k w. 18. b ti j lt sibt n Saudi.
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Alhaji: Ba :

Alhaji:

19. w ar ib yi pl ynkin. 20. W n k s f gb j ba yi fn Jonathan. 21. r w gb k n als; 22. w n a ba b , abu b b , un. 23. Ir nl. 24. b ls i n w n nd.

wo ti h

t fun

Gloss: Chief: Alhaji: Chief: 15. Have you heard? 16. Im a ears. 17. YarAduas s o es erso s wou d i e us to ow that Ni erias president can rule from wherever he is. 18. Even from a hospital in Saudi Arabia. 19. These people and their antics. 20. Theyd do a ythi ot to ha d over ower to Jo atha . 21. Our forebears have indicted them; 22. they say that, in order to delay the process, the humpback person instructs that autopsy on him should start with his hump. 23. Thats a bi jo e! 24. Its a i their ima i atio .

Alhaji: Chief:

Alhaji:

The significance of such a proverb (i.e., a ba l p nb, abuk n b n b k, k won ti hn t fun un at utterance 22) points up a complex process characteristic of people aware of the dangers of relinquishing a present position of influence but employing every opportunity to make transition hard or impossible. Ideally, an autopsy is performed on a dead body by opening it up from the front. But for a hump-backed person to request that he be opened from the back knowing that the hump would get in the way signifies a lack of desire to aid the success of any such procedure. In fact, how easy is it to get to the intestines from the back of a hump-backed person? Such is the case of those i char e of the former Preside ts hea th a d the umerous e o ati tric s they played in the hope of continuing their selfish hold on the life of the nation.

4.5 Political Appointees: Defending the Boss Political appointments are very highly craved in Nigeria, especially by the intelligentsia. However, little do the intelligentsia know that they have been brought on board to carry the can for their political bosses. Thus, in a lot of cases, these appointees are the hatchet men for the government. They may be in the good books of the public for some time, but once they have been used to further an unpopular policy or action, their days in government become stained. At times, the object of attack may be the person at the helm of affairs, e.g., the President, and his loyalists may want to defend him; but members of the public may have a different opinion, as seen below: Alga: 10. r il wa yi toj s mi.
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r: Alga:

r: Alga: r:

11. Kl d, Alga? 12. w y wa l pnya m. 13. K s nkan kan t yn l e, 14. w n r s ni. 15. Wo b gbogbo nkan ti r i nsy. 16. Wo r subsidy y. 17. e Jonathan l d subsidy sl? 18. n un f d r a nsan subsidy fn w a dr 19. ojojm p tb aa ni. 20. Knni nkan t ne w gan an? 21. Knni w gan an ns ? 22. Kl e t a k l s oj ab n ko, t fi j p ni t w r lf ni gbogbo wa ma nnka s? 23. Alga, ma j k b p l sl olr. 24. w bb wa w wr ngbt w n s p b f abu i y ru m - r d b . 25. By PDP l br subsidy o, by Abacha ni o 26. ni t w j p n j ba l m fara b ta.

Gloss: Chairman: 10. This country is a basket case. Friend: 11. How so, Chairman? Chairman: 12. The people are so insatiable. 13. No matter what you do, 14. therell be something to gripe about. 15. Look at the situation of the country16. this fuel subsidy removal for instance. 17. Did Jonathan initiate the payment of fuel subsidy? 18. His efforts to prevent payments to a cabal 19. are daily met with curses and diatribes. 20. Whats the rea issue with us as a people? Friend: 21. But what do you think, yourself? Chairman: 22. Why ca t we face rea issues, why must we a ways attac personalities? Friend: 23. Chairma , ets ca a s ade a s ade. 24. Our progenitors were not insane when they said its whoever marries a humpbacked woman that will carry the child on his own back. 25. What does it matter whether its the PDP that started the ayme t of the subsidy or Abacha? 26. Let him whos i ower face the music. As Frie d advises at uttera ce 26, our eaders have to ear to acce t the consequences of being in power, one of which is to see extant policies as part of their own responsibilities. In the issue about the removal of fuel subsidy which ignited the anger of the public against President Jonathan, its itt e re eva t who started ayi
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the subsidy in the first instance. What matters is, once a policy runs at cross-purposes with the eo es we fare, the erso i ower shou d brace u for a y co dem atio due to the incompetence of his predecessor. 4.6 Dead or Killed? From the athos ex ressed ow a d a ai by Ni erians (for instance in the case of Chief M.K.O. Abiola and the events culminating in the iconic June 12 date now almost indelibly written in the consciousness of adult members), one could safely assert that the people sympathize with their own especially in death. A look at the obituaries and simi ar docume ts i the ews a ers shou d co firm that the eo e are a ways ready to share in the grief of the bereaved. However, having been deceived for so long by a sly sect of sycophants, not many Nigerians were willing to empathize with the former Preside ts fami y. Rather, as show i Aja is s eech be ow (es ecia y at uttera ce 10), the cabal had run afoul of public sympathy: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: 1. O w gb yi t w n tn nw n a resde t YarAdua. 2. wo w pr yn tn f s fn wa? 3. ryn s wp w n ti gb YarAdua ad w s Nigeria. 4. w wr. 5. Ly ab ? 6. w nn kne k kan t w n so wy or ir i m gbogbo ara . 7. gby r ! 8. Lp, oj w a b j yi ja. 9. Mo gb b . 10. Lsn k ni w b b wa s p b r amo j oore o . 11. e w n m p d kt w i ni? 12. nr w n ni. 13. K t r j kan s mj, w n a s ti k. 14. Ha, m Adam ! 15. K ttor ow ti ip s ay m kej di y j, y j.

Wasiu: Ajani:

Gloss: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: 1. You eed to hear the atest about Preside t YarAdua. 2. What more could those liars tell anyone? 3. The news is that YarAdua has bee brou ht bac to Ni eria. 4. Lunatics! 5. Alive or dead? 6. Hes said to be being kept in a customized vehicle, with numerous tubes attached to his body. 7. How timely! 8. Before long, these evil people will be shown up. 9. I believe you.

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Ajani:

Wasiu: Ajani:

10. Our elders were not being frivolous to remark that anyone concealing a sic ess has certai y side i ed the doctors remedy. 11. Have they just realized that there are doctors in Nigeria? 12. Im sure they have somethi u their s eeve. 13. Give them a few days from ow a d they a ounce his death. 14. Ah, humans! 15. For the sake of money and position, we gamble with the lives of other people!

As evident from the reports in many dailies and discussions by many Nigerians, the o itics surrou di the death of the former president leaves a lot to be desired, and for the sake of the deceased, the least said about the incident the best. However, Aja is observatio ca tures the se fish ess with which we dea with o es a others misfortunes: For the sake of money and position, we gamble with the lives of other people (utterance 15). 4.7 Whose Standard? e disa oi ti ractice i Ni erias governance is its leaders judgment when there is a need to account for certain actions or to justify certain policies. At such times, the set practice is to base our existence on the experiences of others in far-away lands. During the Occupy Nigeria protests of early 2012, for instance, the government was quick to tell Nigerians how much petroleum products (e.g. diesel, petrol and kerosene) cost in America, Britain and Ghana. It is not that a country cannot compare itself with other countries to justify some of its actions; the evil in such comparisons is our own over me ts shame ess ractice of com ari itse f with cou tries smaller (in population) and less naturally blessed (e.g. Britain) than it is. In other words, why must petrol, for instance, cost as much in Nigeria as it does in Ghana or in Britain? What are the criteria by which our own government wants to make the fuel cost as much as it costs in these countries? Does Nigeria enjoy the supply of energy as Ghana or Britain does? Do the people in these other countries ever have to protest the non-availability of amenities usually provided by governments? As captured by two interactants at one of the Occupy Nigeria rallies, our government is like a eunuch whose children are usually abroad never around him: Ara i u i i: 38. y k m jy byi n Nigeria? 39. n, k spo; la, k sta. 40. Ojoojm , whl kan b mi ni tiwa. 41. wo r subsidy yi42. ngbt ti m w t njw epo 43. wo w ni ti k ma fy j w ar il? 44. r n yn o. 45. K t w k t f , w n n epo w n jyn l n Ghana ti America. 46. w olrburk. 47. b w olr America e ne j ba re? 48. ti p, kb k b m sts.
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Ara i u eji: Ara i u i i: Ara i u eji:

Ara i u i i: Ara i u eji: Ara i u i i: Gloss: 1 Citizen:

49. Bwo ni wa e f m ye t w n nte o America? 50. b w n n mo d Ghana r? 51. Ju gbogbo l , b sibt America e r ni tiwa e r yi? 52. Tb tt. 53. ti par r , b w b m s ts .

2 Citizen:

1 Citizen: 2 Citizen:

1 Citizen: 2 Citizen: 1 Citizen:

38. Do we have to suffer this much in Nigeria? 39. Theres a ac of o e thing or another every day. 40. Every day, theres a issue to tac e. 41. Look at this subsidy removal issue42. since the government knows the fraudulent ones, 43. why punish the innocent citizens? 44. Spot on. 45. Their main argument is that petroleum products are more expensive in Ghana and America. 46. Miscreants! 47. Is this the way the government of America rules? 48. Well, the offspring of the eunuch are usually abroad. 49. How can we know how much fuel is sold in America? 50. Have I ever been to Ghana? 51. Above all, do hospitals look like this in America? 52. Or the roads. 53. Your summary is effective; their eunuch always has his children abroad.

As 2nd Citizen points out, why do the citizens of Nigeria need to know how much petrol is sold in America? In addition, as pointed out by 1st Citizen, are hospitals like this in America? I deed, usi forei sta dards for o es ow cou try is, in the unbundling of the okobo loss-proverb, looking for specious and outlandish explanations a gimmick constantly adopted by the government in deceiving the masses of Nigeria. In the literal sense of it, the proverb (at utterance 48) simple indicts anyone who makes the unavailable thing or object as the proof of his action. Perhaps one of the ugliest features of the Nigerian political system is its sophistry the attempt to make the worst argument seem the best option, and to suppress the truth by the force of eloquence and speech. For instance, one of the ways by which the government reys o the ub ic is to a ude to certai be efits which o y those i over me t enjoy, e.g., fuel subsidy. Recently, the government tried to make the people believe that the removal of the subsidy was all it needed to provide basic things for the populace. For want of convincing arguments, the government informed the public that the removal of the subsidy was its own way of punishing some unscrupulous members of the society who were benefitting from the payment of the subsidy. However, with the removal of the subsidy, the people would suffer owing to the increase in the prices of basic commodities.

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4.8 Paid to Sing What gets somewhat worrisome to many concerned Nigerians is the zeal with which certain disadvantaged people speak in praise of government chicanery despite bearing the etchings of social neglect. It is not too hard to see, however, that such people are paid for such a purpose. The two interactrants below quite affirm this observation: Atinuke: Ajayi: Atinuke: Ajayi: Atinuke: Ajayi: Atinuke: Gloss: Atinuke: Ajayi: Atinuke: Ajayi: Atinuke: Ajayi: Atinuke: 87. Is it possible for some people to defend the government on this fuel subsidy removal issue? 88. Gir , do t doubt it. 89. Look at students like us90. who are very much aware of the facilities our universities lack. 91. Maybe they get some benefits from the government. 92. Many of them have been paid to come and campaign against the NLC. 93. In that case, as the elders say, 94. who should the fly side with but the person with sores? 95. That explains it. 87. ossib e w a ma defe d over me t r r subsidy removal yi ? 88. m ge, m doubt . 89. Wo w stude ts bi tiwa90. t w n d m gbogbo nkan t university wa lack. 91. By w n nr nkan gb w government. 92. Many of them ni w ti sa w fn lati w campaign against NLC. 93. In that case, bw b e ma ns , 94. talei i b b b e e b? 95. r y s .

The two students (Atinuke and Ajayi) above seem to be miffed about a rather unusual case of kicking against a popular view. While Atinuke keeps presenting reasons for which such a stance might be absurd, Ajayis use of the roverb (Ta leinin b gb b k e elgb? at uttera ce 94) butteressed by Ati u es ow a e atio at 92 c ears u their displeasure, with Atinuke concurring at 95. The pragmatic value of the loss-proverb here as well as others elsewhere in the discussion has the same "unknotting" effect referred to as dnouement in dramatic literature.

4.9 In the Balance: Leprosy or Ringworm? Many times, the expectations of the citizenry are at loggerheads with the plans and policies executed by the ruling class. In Nigeria, at this time, the people want no less than what can make a transforming difference in the lives of everybody, not just a few. Indeed, when the government abandons the desires of the populace and are sidetracked into certain seemingly personal matters, the people are quick to remind them of their sworn duties, as seen below:
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Aladugbo 1: Aladugbo 2: Aladugbo 1:

Aladugbo 2: Aladugbo 1: Aladugbo 2:

Aladugbo 1:

Aladugbo 2: Gloss:

48. Eehee! N a m d i t w Bo o Haram y o. 49. b w n tn ti gbe w n d? 50. O tn ns . 51. ryn nfi y wa p w tn ti ju b mb s il j sn w lsin Kristi n Abuja 52. w s pa r nyn. 53. N u t ba t njy? 54. w j ba d k et ikn s gbogbo hlhlo yi? 55. Albkt ni gbogbo w 56. tt kan president f rara . 57. j wo nb k la gb p nw b w afin e ma e k un le lo dn mf lr oy? 58. f j ba lr w k ni? 59. b w k l fi j president? 60. T k b k nse wa wr, 61. tani k m p a k fi t s l pa lplp? 63. Ldr gbogbo nkan t nj w y i yi? 64. Gbogbo n tt l ti di fn; 65. gbogbo il i ni w n nk b w ; 66. gbogbo sibt l ti di fkpam s; 67. w d pp k r e, fi k w n ma d . 68. K sw p; b k, bkt dnk; 69. ow wa hn gan na nk ? 70. K nmi a a m . 71. Ls nn, gbogbo wa ti w g! 72. Kd, Jo atha yi ti ft sl pa ynmynm!

Neighbour 1: 48. What! These Boko Haram people have gone overboard. Neighbour 2: 49. Have they struck again? Neighbour 1: 50. As usual. 51. News has it that theyve just bombed a church i Abuja, 52. killing many people. Neighbour 2: 53. In a country with a government? Neighbour 1: 54. And the government disregards all this? Neighbour 2: 55. Theyre a i differe t 56. even the president himself. 57. Was t he rece t y schemi how the e is ators wou d e ab e him to spend a term of six years? Neighbour 1: 58. But can he preside over the dead? 59. Or was he voted into power by the deceased? 60. But for lunatics, 61.who would disregard leprosy and treat ringworm? 63. In spite of all the harsh conditions in this country? 64. All our roads are now ditches;
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65. companies are folding up; 66. all our hospitals have become mortuaries; 67. eve the youths are job ess, theyve a become robbers. 68. Theres rife overty; everthe ess, the ro e sity to co sume remains high; 69. and what about the naira? 70. Its ost a its oom h. 71. Without a y doubt, were a i troub e! Neighbour 2: 72. In fact, Jonathan has disregarded leprosy to kill mosquitoes! The listing embarked on by Neighbour 1 at utterances 64-68 is illustrative of the u acy foreshadowed at utterances 60-61: bad roads, industries divesting, hospitals turning into mortuaries, youth unemployment, widespread poverty and wide-ranging desperation. To Nei hbour 1, over me ts i se sitivity to these thi s is ta tamou t to discounting the serious for the frivolous. As the proverb suggests, serious problems deserve more immediate attention. To Neighbour 2, however, the situation is decidedly more laughable: disregarding treating leprosy and swatting mosquitoes. The gover me ts de iberate refusa to ta e a y convincing steps about the carnage executed by the bloodthirsty Boko Haram sect is proof positive that its insensitivity borders o a de iberate tra s ressio of the e ectorates dream (cf. Uttera ces 58-59). Meanwhile, while people are decimated through daily bombings, the government is concerned as the Neighbours realize with the issue of elected officers perpetuating themselves in office for six years. The natural question citizens like the Neighbours would as is, Six years ivi asse t to the Bo o Haram a d others i a i the country? Indeed, the saying (Akii fi ete sile pa lapalapa Gloss: No one ignores leprosy to cure ringworm) bears out the leadership of the nation as a complete basket case. 4.10 Taking a Leaf out of Their Book The Occupy Nigeria protests were the biggest show of social unrest since the Jonathanled government came to power. To say the obvious, the protests were very successful and were enough indication to the government that the people could be united against it if necessary. This observation should have given the Nigerian government a lateral view of events across the globe at the time. That is, to see relationships between what had happened in two or three other countries about that time and what was likely to happen in Nigeria. An examination of the following fragment of conversation should underscore this need to pay attention to the application of lateral thinking to global events: Baba Agba: Alabagbe: Baba Agba: Alabagbe: Baba Agba: 17. Dgb dgb t nse b ni f j u y, k Jonathan ra o. 18. Bab, k l r? 19. Af j gan an r yi t nb y. 20. l m y, baba. 21. Nj k ti di j mta byi t w i ti ns p w a gb n d ? 22. Gbogbo a npj sj ta ti w a b b b kkiri Nigeria23. sn lo p e? 24. r l ns o, baba.
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Alabagbe:

Baba Agba:

Alabagbe: Baba Agba:

Alabagbe: Gloss: Old man: Tenant: Old man: Tenant: Old man:

25. Ljp or gbni yi k, y k m p tn-tn-tn bayi ni whl nl ma nb s . 26. b kl bj l? 27. Ta m ? 28. m e o. 29. N nkan t toj l n Tunisia, Egypt ti Libya. 30. e y k l gb aj s k tlb k sin ? 31. w b s p tor adit j fi ; tor afoj e . 32. K p, baba.

Tenant: Old man:

Tenant: Old man:

Tenant :

17. A crisis looms; Jonathan had better watch out. 18. How so, sir? 19. Eve a b i d erso ca see whats ahead. 20. Please make things clear, sir. 21. Have t the eo e bee demo strati their ow discer me t for some days now? 22. Look at the assemblies at Ojota and other areas across Nigeria23. are they for nothing? 24. Good point. 25. If hes ot thoughtless, he should realize that big crises usually have small beginnings. 26. By the way, why is he so audacious? 27. Who knows? 28. Its a shame. 29. But he saw what happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. 30. Should any wise person allow dishonour to befall him? 31. The e ders say its for the sake of the deaf that the sky becomes overcast; its to save the b i d that the thu der rumb es. 32. May you live long, old one.

The calamity (dgb dgb) foreshadowed at utterance 17 is realized at 31 in the proverb meant to call attention to the significance of happenings in other lands specifically the social and political unrest in the countries mentioned (Tunisia, Egypt and Libya) where the leaders were toppled after a few months. Present in such upheaval is sufficient war i for other eaders, whether they are deaf or b i d. The d Ma s roverb may ot be ta e as a itera ca for Jo atha s overthrow (as wit essed i the cou tries listed) but as forewarning, especially in the light of the question at utterance 30: Should any wise person allow dishonour to befall him? From the look of things, it seems as if our government is unable to provide the basic things of life for its citizens: good healthcare, properly constructed roads, constant energy, social security, employment, etc. In that case, is it too much to call for help from countries that our leaders go so frequently to enjoy these facilities? As captured by Alagba in the conversation below, beggars (that is, those who would like to do away with

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their pride for a while) do not die in Oyo because there would be people who would have compassion on them: Omo-omo: 5. Baba wa, e by e r latil re? 6. T k snj, t gbogbo oj na r gbgun-gbgun, t ko s egbgi n wsn, t gbogbo nkan db ni p k til sj ba? 7. Hmm. 8. r kbt! 9. m mi, s burk l d b Nigeria. 10. Tltl, gbogbo nkan nl dradra. 11. m w o l wa l da nkan r fn Nigeria. 12. Ol ti p j j ba. 13. knjw pp nb p l p w yan wa j. 14. B mi e ri, president wa ni k i a e. 15. Kk k ma fi ow ti ll w ya f, 16. knn s p k ma pe w il kr k w n gb u ? 17. B w baba wa e nw, a be y . 18. Pe w o m nm n lti China, 19. tbw t ne tt lti lkil t wn k w n w. 20. Ngb t j p a ma sa w fn w n 21. tn n w a a r wa. 22. Kl w nj j ba wa y? 23. yl u j fn mi. 24. gb n r w gb ni, 25. nj tt a ma j ojo nu. 26. ny mi b .

Alagba:

Omo-omo: Alagba:

Omo-omo: Gloss: Grandson:

Grandpa:

5. Grandpa has it always been like this? 6. No food, all the roads are rough, no medicines in hospitals, and everything smacks of anarchy? 7. Hmm. 8. How perceptive! 9. My child, this is a woeful era in Nigeria. 10. Before now, life was smooth and orderly. 11. Our politicians are the real destroyers of Nigeria. 12. There are too many thieves in government. 13. Greed also trips up many of the citizens.. 14. To me, even the president lacks initiative. 15. Rather than waste the peop es mo ey a d efforts, 16. why ca t he see the he of forei cou tries? 17. As our fathers say, beggars do not die in Oyo. 18. Invite energy professionals from China, 19. or road construction companies from whatever country they may come from.
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Grandson: Grandpa:

Grandson:

20. I sofar as you ay them21. thats a i fact, theyre the rea s aves. 22. But whys the over me t afraid? 23. Thats baff eme t to me. 24. But then, the elders say, 25. even cold food would scald the timid ma s mouth. 26. Im be i i to u dersta d thi s.

As Grandfather observes, if you try and cannot make headway by yourself, try calling out for help: after all, beggars live well in Oyo (17). The relevance of the proverb is not open to discussion: calling to advanced countries to help provide basic things would not demea a atio ; moreover, si ce youre ayi for the services rovided, it is those countries that are the slaves. However, as Grandson asks, But whys the government afraid? (22), Gra dfathers re y c arifies the issue a bit: even cold food will scald the timid mans mouth (25). In other words, taking a simple desirable step to ameliorate the suffering of the people would not cost the president his face. Furthermore, since the required resources are available, our government should be bo d to do whats eeded for societys rowth. 4.11 Making the People Perform To the man on the street, government is all about taking from the masses and not doing anything to gratify them. Thus, des ite over me ts cam ai about the eed for the eo e to ay taxes, Ni eria s remai s e tica of over me ts sincerity. At such times, the people complain about failed promises and dashed hopes: poor roads, unavailable amenities, general insecurity, international stigma, pitiable education, etc. Yet, the government keeps lying to the people about the dividends of democracy. To the common man, however, the government always tries to keep the people in unending darkness, as pointed up here: Onryn: 103. A b us fn j ba pnl na s wp lp, gbogbo nkan nb w dr . 104. Lhn y, r gbogbo w ar l p k w n ma san ow or b e t , 105. k w n s m gba w a bj ly lti d l r. 106. Ow or k , ow s ni. 107. Gbogbo k k nju kr l ma m w l . 108. Knni j ba ti e fn ar l lti b dn kan t w n ti w nj ba? 109. Ntt , mi l b nkankan w p k san ow or tb p k ti gbr ire fnj ba pp. 110. Mo gba t , j . W n n, nn t t yn k gb d ma b bk. 111. Knni nikni ma s p nw u r lti ma san ow or fn w j ba ajnirun w nyi? 112. toj s mi.

1 On w: 2 w: Aldugb: 2 w: w:

Gloss:

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Newscaster:

1 Trader: 2 Trader:

Neighbour: 2 Trader:

1 Onisowo:

103. The spokesperson for the state government says, very soon the situation in the country will become easier. 104. In addition, he implores the citizens to pay their taxes as appropriate 105. and not allow killjoys to destabilize the country. 106. To hell with taxes! 107. All they ever do is request more giving from the citizenry. 108. What has the government done for the citizens in about a year of their being in power? 109. In truth, I cannot implore anyone to pay any tax or even wish the government well at all. 110. Good ta . Its said that if a ma is a ued with ow s erm cou t, still births should not be his lot. 111. What does anyone have to encourage him to pay any tax to these consuming locusts in power? 112. Im overwhe med.

This excerpt quite aptly illustrates the misgivings shared by many Nigerians on their duty to pay taxes and certain rates and levies. Annual budgets are designed to bring the utmost ood to the o u ace; yet, year i , year out a most othi ets do e. The eo es circumstances hardly show any improvement and social amenities decline further. Furthermore, from the little that the people have, the government expects a lot in return! Thus, the two traders cannot be blamed for not paying their taxes or for not willing to persuade anyone else to do so. Consider also, the following excerpt: A w : : A w : : A w : 27. p l y k yn ma fn w j ba wa yi. 28. gbni, e k s? 29. Gbogbo ow or t w n ny oo y k y mi rr. 30. W n s p u w fi nt u e. 31. mi r nkan t w n ntn e o. 32. e tt t nj m t b gb t ma am job ni, tb il-w t k yt s il-ran? 33. e a ti gb d s p a n j ba lu yi? 34. Gbogbo nkan nb w dra. 35. Ojoojm l ngb yn. 36. gb wo gan an l f dra? 37. j ba ngbynj, omi l p ju k l . 38. e s f ru yn. 39. W n ni, afoj, m ra ; d u j, fi b b to w. 40. w, d b t gbogbo wa b br s gbdn k mi t gb p nkan ma da. 41. m n l w l w yi, mi n ta ra mi j.

: w :

Olk : A w :

Gloss:
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Clerk: Lecturer: Clerk: Lecturer: Clerk:

Lecturer: Clerk: Lecturer: Clerk:

27. One should constantly put a curse on these people in government. 28. Ma , whats the issue? 29. All these monthly tax deductions puzzle me. 30. But thats what they s e d o fixi socia ame ities. 31. I have t see a ythi fixed. 32. Is it the roads that eat up vehicles the way a mallam chews kolanut, or the schools that look no different from sheds? 33. Should we eve ac ow ed e theres a over me t i this cou try? 34. All will be well some day. 35. Thats become a dai y so . 36. But when will there be a turnaround in our economy? 37. The government is doing its best; its just the numerous issues. 38. Why, you can say that. 39. Our people say the blind person was informed that his child has just i ed a a ima . He re ied, Im ot co vi ced u ti I taste it. 40. Sir, not until the good times go round will I believe there can be a turnaround in our economy. 41. In the meantime, I refuse to be fooled.

Peo e wi co ti ue to bau at civic duties i e ayi o es tax for as o as they do not see the direct benefits of such duties. From the common market to corporate and ub ic i stitutio s, eo e are co sta t y sce tica of over me ts serious ess about the fulfilment of the promises they made while campaigning for votes; thus, it becomes rather difficult for Teacher (at utterance 37) to persuade Clerk that the government is trying hard to satisfy the people. Of course, because of continual disappointment, the proverb (at 39) very much like the one at 110 quite justifies a yo es u wi i ess to perform their civic duties; after all, seeing is believing. 5.0 Conclusion This paper is a tentative attempt to see governments weaknesses and inaction from the perspective of loss. The need to apply deformity-oriented proverbs is for the citizens to ado t a a ua e sty e that reco izes our eaders characteristic defiance as a form of deformity or handicap and to use proverbs that create appropriate graphic content, although without necessarily offending members exhibiting such incompleteness. In sum, in view of the displeasure with which members discuss acts and situations warranting popular condemnation, it is not difficult for anyone to agree that proverbs showcasing loss are much more apt than expressions which employ subtle pragmatic correlates. 6.0 Significance of study The language endangerment scenario characterising many African languages (particularly Yorb) compels the concerned linguist to investigate the forgotten linguistic peculiarities and pragmatically advantageous features of many of these languages. The Yorb case, for instance, calls to mind the robust appeal in the application of proverbs and similar sayings to educational, linguistic, religious, social, economic, medical and political experiences of the citizenry.
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Using a concept such as loss, through the application of proverbs containing images of incompleteness, to illustrate the corporate and personal damage being engendered by devious governance, this paper demonstrates the forcefulness and vitality of Yorb as a a ua e that is resourcefu e ou h to em oy o e set of roverbs to discuss a atio s harsh conditions. Perhaps the use of the loss imagery may be the best way that a language can point the way forward to its speakers if they hope to get out of the woods, as it were. Thus, the discourse of social reform can be enhanced by such a linguistic style. Yorb linguists would admit that unless we revitalize our own interest in our language, our cultural heritage may be described as having started its journey into oblivion. A language remains alive only for as long as it is consciously put into communicative use by dynamic speakers an example of which is done in this paper. If we constantly de oy the a uage in a manner like the one presented in this paper, then we will be able to preserve it for a long time.

7.0 Bibliography Bada, S.O. (1970). we Yorb ti dl Wn. Ibadan: Oxford University Press. Boas, F. (1940). Race, Language, and Culture. New York: Free Press. Dougall, D.M. (2012). Why Learn Proverbs? Available at http://www.lingo24.com/articles/Why_Learn_Proverbs--7.html Retrieved on 12 March 2012. Lau, K.J. et al. (2004). What Goes Around Comes Around. Utah State University Press. Schipper, M. (2003). Never Marry a Woman with Big Feet. Yale University Press. Wodak, R. (1996). Disorders of Discourse. London: Longman.

*This paper was born out of a personal reflective consciousness about the deceptive and unpatriotic acts of a cabal in charge of the health of Nigeria's former president, Alhaji Umoru YarAdua who, for several months before his death, had been merely reported ill at various undisclosed hospitals abroad. The selfish antics of the personnel in charge of the former Presidents health open the can of worms, as it were, about political and social circumstances in the country. -------------------------------------About the author Adeleke A. Fakoya, PhD is an Associate Professor of English at Lagos State University, Nigeria. His research interests include Discourse Analysis, General and applied Linguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Semantics, Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics, Text Linguistics, Computer Mediated Discourse and the Pragmatics of the Yorb tongue.

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