Prof Adekunle Oloyede, former Vice-Chancellor and professor of medical engineering, has now offered a second, deeper coconut metaphor. After his first note — “the hard shell must be broken before the delicious prize inside is revealed” — he adds:
_”I think the hardest shell we have and the most unresolved question is that of how happy we are with our union as a people. This is an intangible, but ever present and confronting question that must be answered. Until this hard shell is broken by doing something about that SIGNIFICANT question we would remain GREEK IDIOTS, GREEK TRIBALISTS, and never create enough GREEK CITIZENS that would build something tangible that all/most of us would be comfortable with (the PRIZE). Our case seems to be similar to marriages in which things are not going well and the people in it continue to ignore the fact! I believe that we would solve 80% of the angst our various peoples have towards our country if we realistically break this metaphoric hard shell. As soon as we break it by addressing it truthfully, openly and squarely, we would see the soft inner brown skin of the coconut that wraps the white succulent delicious inner layer — i.e. A UNITED, DETERMINED, PURPOSEFUL AND RESOURCEFUL population that can create our desire(s).”_
This is Prof at his profound best. He has moved us from hard shell to hardest shell. From colonial shell and indigenous shell to union shell.
I agree. The hardest shell is not Sego GLE 350 with NURTW 001 plate — intimidation on wheels. It is not 1985 education still being taught for a 2040 world. It is not even the Electoral Offences Commission Bill that Senate passed in July 2021 and House killed. The hardest shell is intangible: Are we happy with our union as a people?
We have never answered it truthfully, openly and squarely. We continue like a marriage where things are not going well and both partners pretend all is well.
Greek Idiots, Tribalists, and Citizens
Prof’s Greek framing deserves to be unpacked.
In ancient Athens, _idiotes_ was not an insult. It meant private person — one who cared only for himself, his household, his generator, his Japa plan — not the polis. _Phyletes_ was tribalist — loyal only to his clan, “it is our turn,” tribe as race weapon in Lagos 2023. _Polites_ was citizen — one who participated in public life, who built tangible things all could be comfortable with.
Nigeria today has too many Greek idiots — “I am okay, my family is okay, make we manage.” Too many Greek tribalists — Sego is our boy, go back if you look Igbo. Not enough Greek citizens — who will form groups to defend votes of everybody as Barr. Femi Falana, SAN, warned last week, who will photograph result sheets and upload to IReV, who will demand that intimidation for political purpose — defined as terrorism under Section 1(3) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 — be prosecuted, who will insist that Canadian Federal Court ruling that APC and PDP violence meets terrorism definition matters.
Until we break hardest shell — how happy are we with our union? — we will remain idiots and tribalists, never citizens. And without citizens, no prize.
Marriage That Ignores Fact
Prof’s marriage analogy is apt. In marriage counselling, ignoring fact does not save marriage. It kills it. You must do truthful audit.
Our truthful audit: 1914 amalgamation without consent. 1960 independence without agreed national model. 1999 Constitution we did not write. 2023 election where voters were suppressed for looking Igbo in Lagos. 2026 where child in Taraba still sits on bare floor in school without roof for 10 years — Sahara Reporters documented. That child is not happy with union. Youth in Ijebu-Ode who finished Primary 1 in 2010, now voter in 2027, knows Shoprite does not produce food, knows Japa is not plan, but was told his vote is not needed — he is not happy with union.
Prof says if we break this shell, we solve 80% of angst. I believe him.
Brown Skin, White Succulent Layer
Prof says as soon as we break hardest shell truthfully, openly and squarely, we will see soft inner brown skin wrapping white succulent delicious inner layer — a united, determined, purposeful and resourceful population that can create our desires.
What is brown skin? Transitional truth. What is white succulent layer? New Nigeria.
Brown skin is admitting 2023 happened — voter suppression is terrorism, Sego GLE 350 is disqualification not celebration. Brown skin is admitting education shell — 1985 education for 2040 world fails our children. Brown skin is admitting who killed Electoral Offences Commission and why.
White succulent prize is what WITNESS 2026/2036 calls new national model — my book _NIGERIA NEEDS NEW NATIONAL MODEL_ (426 pages, nearly 100 pages on Fourth Industrial Revolution) argues Fourth Industrial Revolution demands new union based on ideas, not Agberos. 2040 TEST — one digital skill before secondary exit, touch computer in Primary 2, coding as basic literacy — is Greek _paideia_ — education that forms citizens for polis.
Terrain determines tactics — Sun Tzu. Old terrain: newspaper begged before publishing, Sego blocked road. New terrain: Sahara Reporters founded 2006 in small Manhattan room by Omoyele Sowore with grants, no government money, publishes Ijebu message same day in New York; BVAS/IReV in our hands; youth who know Shoprite does not produce food. Mic don comot for their hand. Old tactic of intimidation will fail in new ball game if we become citizens.
Our Hammer
How do we break hardest shell? Prof says different thinking and uncommon actions.
Different thinking: Ask — are we happy with our union? Answer truthfully even if answer hurts our tribe and benefits.
Uncommon actions: Use 5Cs as hammer — Conscience to reject tribe as race weapon, Character to refuse N5k vote selling, Capacity to demand Electoral Offences Commission now, Competence to know intimidation is crime, Courage to be Greek citizen at polling unit — document, photograph result sheet, upload, form groups to defend votes of everybody.
Delicious prize inside coconut is not just sweet white flesh. It is, as Prof says, united, determined, purposeful and resourceful population that can create our desires. That is WITNESS — people witnessing new Nigeria being born because we finally broke hardest shell by answering: How happy are we with our union? And doing something about answer.
With Prof’s permission to quote both coconuts — hard shell and hardest shell — we will continue broadcast tomorrow.
Richard Olanrewaju Odusanya is Convener of Africa Covenant Rescue Initiative (ACRI) / WITNESS 2026/2036 and author of NIGERIA NEEDS NEW NATIONAL MODEL (426 pages, nearly 100 pages on Fourth Industrial Revolution) and THE PEOPLE’S CURSE — odusanyagold@gmail.com — Ki Olorun Tun Ilu Wa Se — May God repair our nation
