RESPONSIBILITY IS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

[Bravebold]

RESPONSIBILITY IS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

 *Favour Adéwọyin,*
July 1, 2025

I like to start this article with a statement made by Dr. Myles Munroe in his book titled "The Spirit of Leadership" where he said "when oppression becomes a mental condition, physical freedom is not enough".

Before I go deep into this article I like to use some illustrations to lay the foundation for what I set out to do. There is no how we will talk about oppression that slavery won't come to mind. And, each time we talk about slavery, its either the stories of the negroes that will come to mind or, long before the negro, the story of the Israelites cannot escape one's thought.

[Bravebold]

[Facemirror]

The black people from Africans were uprooted like trees from their origin and carted away through the high sees to various countries of the world to go and work in the plantations.

The painful treatments that the white slave masters meted out to African blacks in different plantations in Europe, America and the Caribbean were captured in African literature of different genre - poetry, drama and prose. They are also captures different songs like raggae, jass, classical, etc.

After slavery came colonialism that afforded the slave masters to change their approach from direction oppression to governance. Instead of taking the black people to the countries of the oppressors to go a work there to develop the places, under colonisation, the oppressors came to the countries of the oppressed with a form of government to continue their oppression.

[Facemirror]

[Facemirror]

It was abrogation of slavery and independence that delivered the black people from the direct oppression of the white people, but while physical oppression ended, mental oppression has continued in neo-colonisation that afford the black men who the white has been planting as stooges, year in year out, to become the oppressors of their own people.

Today, both the black oppressors and the oppressed are working for the white oppressors who have gone back to their countries to indirectly control the politics and economy of their former colonies through their stooges. They are both tied to the appronstrings of western world and they are still under mental, psychological and emotional bondage, which means they were given fake independence when the white people left them some years ago.

Fake independence is mere deliverance that didn't bring about freedom because the process and price of true freedom have not been followed and paid.

[Facemirror]

[Facemirror]

Now, in the case of the children of Israel, they lived for 430 years under bondage in Egypt before they were delivered.

I deliberately refused to use the word "freedom" for the Israelites when they left Egypt because "freedom" is different from "deliverance".

Israel was delivered, they were not set free because freedom is not free!

"Deliverance" is the moment or act of being saved or rescued from suffering, oppression or something bad or dangerous. The focus of deliverance is liberation or salvation.

But, another dimension is that deliverance often happens on the instant or, let me say, it is momentary.

With some minutes or hours, deliverance can take place. For instance, the moment of lowering down of the British flag, the Union Jack and the hoisting of the Nigerian flag on October 1, 1960 was a moment of deliverance, though we have always mistakenly referred to it as independence.

We forgot to acknowledge that ndependence means "freedom". What happened to Nigeria and Nigerians on October 1, 1960 was not "freedom" but "deliverance".

[Facemirror]

[Facemirror]

Freedom" is to be independent. It is to have autonomy, liberty with an absence of constraints. The focus of "freedom" is the condition or status of being free, especially over time.

For example, there is freedom of speech and association, which are the fundamental rights of every citizen of any country or nation who recognised by the constitution of such country or nation.

Another example is that, a country can gain its freedom after many years of war. While deliverance is momentary, freedom is the ongoing state that may follow a process which always come after deliverance, on the condition that the price for freedom is paid or observed.

The children of Israel were delivered and they left Egypt physically, but Egypt which symbolises slavery mentality didn't leave them. Even though they were no longer in Egypt, they still behaved like slaves, thought and acted like slaves as they were longing to eat the food they were eating when they were slaves; they wanted to go back to bondage because they didn't want to pay the price of "freedom".

[Facemirror]

[Facemirror]

At this juncture, the question that requires answer is, what  is the price of freedom? Before I provide an answer, let me say that the same price to pay for freedom is the same with the price one would pay for success and greatness.

All of these show that "freedom" is not free. Again what is the price of freedom? Responsibility is the price of freedom. Responsibility is what freedom, success and greatness are waiting for before they can attend to any individual.

Now, coming to Ọ̀yọ́ State politics, it is clear that four regions out of five have been suffering marginalisation and exclusion for 34 years, out of 38 years. Ìbádàn has dominated the political space of the Pace Setter State for too long and it is time power begins to rotate from one region to another if true freedom will reign in Ọ̀yọ́ State.

But, where it is only the exclusive right of only one region, out of five, who is operating the principle of "born to rule", we cannot be talking of true, genuine and total freedom is such environment.

[Facemirror]

[Facemirror]

However, before freedom can be attained, there will be a kind of wrestling or contest for power. Power is not something that can be given free of charge. It has a price be paid and a sacrifice to make, which is where responsibility comes in.

Now, what is responsibility in the context we are using it? Responsibility as it is being used here is to be ready to pay the price or make sacrifice by giving it all it takes to get what one is looking for.

Without mining words, the common and collective desire of Òkèògùn, Ìbàràpá, Ọ̀yọ́ and Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ is to get one of them into office to occupy the Governorship seat in Agodi, Ibadan, Ọ̀yọ́ State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

But, as we all know, it is only one seat of power that all the five regions will always contend for. Ìbádàn that has been producing Governor is also interested because it the constitutional right of every citizen of Ọ̀yọ́ State.

For instance, Òkèògùn is interested, Ìbàràpá is interested, Ọ̀yọ́ is interested and Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ is also interested. So, the case at hand presents a puzzle of how will three persons share two things that there won't be argument and crisis?

But, in a case like this, we have the compromise and agree among ourselves. One region has to make sacrifice for the other in the spirit of agreement that the Yorùbá people often describe as: *"inú ò gbà l'àyè ò gbà".* Where there is love, twenty people can live in a room without causing trouble in line with the Yorùbá concept of *"l'óníyàré rébété ká jọ máa gbádùn, ó gba 20 boys ta bá fẹ́'ra dé'nú"!*

[Facemirror]

[Facemirror]

 Therefore, the main concern of the Stakeholders in Ọ̀yọ́ State is to gather round this matter of power rotation and discuss it in and with love. They should allow the wisdom of God and the spirit of love, patience, understanding and unity to prevail in all they do. They should know that Ọ̀yọ́ State is the only State we all have that we can refer to as our own and, unless we allow peace to reign, we are going to have serious issues on hand sooner than we can all imagine.

Therefore, before I end my article, I like to canvass that Ìbádàn should let go of power this time around for the sake of peace and unity of Ọ̀yọ́.

In addition, I also want to canvass for all the marginalised regions to agree that Òkèògùn should fire the next shot at Governorship and produce the Governor of Ọ̀yọ́ State in 2027.

Similarly, I also want to canvass that all the regions, especially Òkèògùn regions allow for unity to reign among them so as to attract the next Governor of Ọ̀yọ́ State in 2027 to the region.

Finally, I like to canvass that all the stakeholders should sit down around a table (what the Yorùbá people will describe as *"pé bíríkótó pé bìrìkòtò")* to discuss and work out a sharing formula modalities in favour of Governorship Power Rotation (GPR) in Ọ̀yọ́ State.

In conclusion, I pray that wisdom from above will attend to all of the stakeholders to make the right decision in the spirit of fairness, justice, equity, equality and inclusivity in all we are going to be doing from henceforth in the Pacesetter Setter because, as we used to sing in our anthem, *"Àṣíwájú ni wá, Àṣíwájú ni wá...".*

 *Pst. Favour Adéwọyin,*
 _a public analyst, social critic, writer, journalist, public relation manager, youth manager, leadership expert, teacher of the word of God and community leader._

[Facemirror]