It is in your rod: Politics, Cabinet, and Motherhood.

It is in your rod: Politics, Cabinet, and Motherhood.

It has been almost two decades since I opened my first email. Yet, it never ceases to amaze me why my spam is filled with messages on how to get bigger manhood. To my mind, this seems to be fueled by the belief that the bigger the rod, the more capacity to satisfy and keep a woman. I cannot ascertain the validity of this, except someone gives me Other People's Money (OPM, a.k.a grant) to venture into erotic studies. But the fact that almost every street in Lagos and other major cities has a corner where a man stands over some herbs or inside a dilapidated car shouting, "I dey shame, I dey shame but your manhood is getting smaller, I dey shame, I dey shame, you are dying in silence, come and meet the doctor to help' implies that there might be reasons to believe this. I dare to say that you are not living in a major city if you don't know or haven't seen this man. Added to this, the fact that this announcer's audience is primarily men suggests that people believe that the rod and ecstasy are related. But pardon me, that is not the rod I am after.

Those familiar with the biblical narrative of Moses' encounter with God know one of the questions God asked him was what was in his hand. Moses' response was that it was a rod/staff, something that most prophetesses/prophets imitate, including my biological mother, who has one she mostly took to church. Moses used his rod to separate the red sea and performed several miracles before Pharoah, like throwing his rod, and it became a snake to smitting the rock with this rod, and water gushed out in a time of thirst. Over time through the journey of the Israelites, we begin to hear less about this rod because what Moses seems to need to accomplish is symbolized by the rod. Later we see other rods, Aaron, and Ur, who held his hand in time of battle. Other times, it was men like Oholiab and Bezalel who had the skill to execute the vision for the Tabernacle. At other times it was the Deacons that his father-in-law advised him to employ (delegate) so that he was not overwhelmed.

Years ago, my PoP said it is not a coincidence that the rod (staff) and staff (human resources) are spelled similarly, even if they have different meanings. This similarity is so because what you can do most time is dependent on your staff/rod. Who are your rods? Your staff is people who help you achieve faster and more efficiently, which you cannot achieve alone. They are the army that you work with and that works with you. Everything is in your rod/ staff. I learned long ago that you are only as great as your rod (people /staff). You are only as effective as your support. Like Moses, what a leader can do with his staff or rod, like Moses turning his staff into a snake, depends on whether he can trust it enough to showcase it. My Marxist friends with whom I share affiliation may agree or disagree, but capitalism has survived because of its rod/staff (labor). Ripped it off its rod, and you see its limitations. It has thrived by the army of unpaid, underpaid, overworked lower and middle-level staff, not people flying private jets everywhere. It is the reason it will introduce palliative measures like a staff welfare program to keep you working harder while top executives smile to the bank because everything is in your rod.

My first staffs were my parents. My father, that fair, tall, hardworking young man who won my heart too early to give every other "applicant" a tough time. My other staff was my mother, who did everything to ensure we had a "good education" even when everyone told her to send us, hawking that we were "spoilt". My mother's response was always, "These are my tomorrow; these are my arrows into the future." I hope one day we become not just her arrows but her rod in the future she is not present to witness.

To be sure, what is true about rod for individuals and family is true for companies, institutions, and politics. Who are the next rods (cabinets) in the incoming government in Nigeria?

Today I celebrate the 3rd in command of my chief of staff/rods. The fierce rod (Aunty mi ko fe oshi), a mother, not a murderer. Florence Ajokeade Solomon Johnson. Iyawo Baba Onirin. Grief sometimes cripples me because I lost an irreplaceable rod.

Like Spyro, I ask, who is your guy? Who is your rod? This may and may not be the person whose dnck you worship for life, but at least one with whom you get the job done. Importantly, it seems to me that your rod should also be able to drag you into the corner and "ko doggy oro fun o"(call you to a corner and tell you the truth when you are not doing it right). We all need truth tellers, solid rods, not sycophants in our corner. I hope you find a rod and also be a rod to someone.

Again don't forget it is all in your rod.

Finally, remember my upcoming panels at LSA. Of course, I want you to attend every panel relevant to your interest, but one that should be on the top list is "On the Fringes of Fame: Confronting Ableism with Stories, Actions & Theories (SAT)."

Happy Mother's Day, People!?