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 spee ch community perform discourse structuring/patterning functions. Among the Yorb of Nigeria, for instance, the idiomatic mention of any defect at all can be used t o punctuate, accentuate or terminate conversational exchanges between well-forme d members. This paper examines fragments of naturally occurring speech containin g proverbs about members deformed details which are used by the general populatio n to strengthen talk about national problems in the hope of bringing about desir ed 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 la nguage in use, so as to validate the significance of these proverbs as theyre use d as discourse markers, explicators, and terminators in the discourse of reform. Keywords: Yorb; deformity; coherence; proverb; loss Members Deformities and the Discourse of Reform* 1.0 Introduction

Ogun gbotl k pa ar. Literally [English]: A war about which one has foreknowl edge never kills a cripple. English equivalent: Forewarned is forearmed. For some decades now, life and living in Nigeria has steadily gone from bad to w orse. Industrialists are divesting and going elsewhere for investment; infrastru cture decay has become a way of life; corruption is no longer roundly condemned; political office-holders use public resources for personal social uplift; the e lectorate celebrate appointments of relations to public offices in the hope of g etting their own share of the loot; annually, Nigeria loses a lot of funds to an d through government officials assigned to the improvement of the peoples well-be ing, etc. Applying the methodology of Conversation Analysis with that of Ethnography of co mmunication, this paper uses the concept of loss to exposes the social, political and economic life of Nigeria as a people, using the discourse of reform in gener al public talk as primary data. From this standpoint, the work is able to demons trate how the notion of loss seems to pervade our existence: loss of face when w e compare our nation with other nations; loss of standard of living when one con siders what the individual needs to do by himself or herself to live decently; l oss of national integrity in view of governments carefully designed deceptive pro grammes, and so on. Indeed, so enveloping is loss in Nigeria that not a single s egment of the nation is intact: health, economy, politics, education, welfare, a griculture, 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 pr ivate lives is plagued by loss.

However, given the logic 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 i n 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 loss. In other words, if we employ particular expressions to discuss certain social and political aber rations, there might be a fuller awareness about the patterns we would rather no t have in our society. Loss-based (or, deformity-inclined) proverbs serve this p urpose very well and are demonstrated in this paper as both explicating of issue s 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, r ickety legs, cleft palate, impotence, dropsy, baldness, barrenness, etc.; just a bout anything that the people in a society like ours would rather it happened to their foes! For the benefit of readers not familiar with the language of illustration, the p aper 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 with in the accounting powers of these nuggets of wisdom. In his study of American ab original languages, Franz Boas (1940) discovered many things that suggested to h im that languages served people, above all else, as classificatory devices for c oming to grips with their particular environmental and social realities. Among t he Yorb of Nigeria, a unique property of language that satisfies this description is the proficient use of proverbs by culturally attentive members. Thus, proverb s containing direct mentions of members deformities are used in the present discu ssion 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 the ir communal approach to life and living, a disposition extended to how members rel ate to any kind of misfortune in others. On account of this caring outlook, unne cessary reference to others handicap is greatly discouraged and especially forcef ully condemned when such features constitute aspects of childrens talk. In fact, whereas culturally mature adults would quickly look away from odd or peculiar fe atures like unnaturally large and bulbous eyes, children who stare at such thing s are instantly rebuked by the adult(s) present, e.g., by cautioning K, onwkuw! (Lite rally: Come on, you-gazer-at-strange-things Gloss: Come on, stop staring) someti mes accompanying the discouragement with a mild slap in the back of the head, or a twisting of the errant childs ear. Something about odd, malformed or defective physical features among the Yorb is th at, although no one hopes to live with a handicap or deformity, employing their mention in speech for conversational achievement sometimes underscores speakers c ultural 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 no one hopes to have one as child). In any case, despite the unsavoury situation of misshapenness, proverbs and idio ms that mention (especially physical) deformity have great discourse achievement potential. With due regard to tenor, age, relationship between speakers, passiv e participants present, and other features of conversational interaction, these expressions can be used to segment and augment talk. One proviso, however, is t hat 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 mesa n kaa (Literally: We do not count anyones nine toes if the person is present; Glo ss: 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). The point raised in the last paragraph touches on the concern of many western ac tivists, particulary in regard to how one talks about disabilities. Needless to say, the Yorb share the consideration of the western world for people with disabili ty which forbids that such people be referred to as disabled people but as challen ged just so as not to grieve them. One sad fact about such proverbs graphic conten t is that theyre never used appreciatively. Nevertheless, the cultural imperative to prop talk with proverbs allows the use that is, considerate use of these reso urces in interactive talk. By loss, this paper includes all indications of unwellness, handicap or deformit y e.g., madness, blindness, leprosy, paralysis/lameness, humped back, goitre, et c. 3.0 Stating the problem The Nigerian state has suddenly become an unwholesome institution, pandering to numerous disorders. These disorders (generally called loss in this paper) are exhi bited in the political, social, economic, religious and educational responsibilit ies of our leaders. As every perceptive Nigerian knows, there is something wrong with every facet of Nigeria: agriculture, energy, economy, education, faith, inf rastructure, and even governance. Over the years, however, the people have becom e rather complacent not questioning the disorders, but everyone playing governme nt in their own way: providing water by the themselves although they pay water r ates 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 natio nal budgets supposed to enable the government to provide all these things. This loss (of social, economic, political and personal power) requires a deeper un derstanding; 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: loss. Thus, this paper hopes to employ Yorb proverbs encodi ng 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 misdeme anour may be exemplified by a few urgent situations. 4.1 Social Justice For numerous years now, successive governments in Nigeria have regarded the publ ic as grossly insatiable and always advancing unreasonable interests. Thus, ther es always friction between representatives of government and leaders of the peopl e. Using fierce means to quell protests has become goverments choice modus operan di. This, to many social critics and analysts is an impolitic method of achievin g peace since the people have expectations arising from electing their leaders, as pointed out here: Fragment A

Olotu: Alejo: Olotu:

Alejo: n ni?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

y wa, eun pp t w sr t yi lon. K tp. Kd, in mi dn lati w nb. A d k ti rgbdyn t gba gbogbo l kan t wn lpa ti wn olgun fi tiptip l wa wl. B k, k l dra ni gbogbo y t wn NLC ti wn r l e. Tb knni yin r s si? eun. Lju mi, wa m ni wn lpa ti wn olgun h. t gbogbo nkan b dra tn, wn lpa ti wn olgun k ni

10. B mo e s, wa m ni. 11. un lwn b wa fi ns p A nj fj, j n ta l npariwo lhnkl un? 12. wn jba pp ne b almkan. 13. eb wa la fi wn sb, b wn ti gbgb ni? 14. Wn f, wn k, nlti j k wn m oun t l f ti y t wn k f. 15. B wn gb ti s, a k k m ongg p k gb tfun m. 16. n wn n dn p nkan l b e y k ma l? Gloss: Anchor: 1. Madam, thanks a lot for being our guest on this programme today. Guest: 2. Its nothing. In fact, Im delighted to be here. Anchor: 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 w ellintentioned in their actions. 6. Whats your own view of the situation? Guest: 7. Thanks. 8. To me, the police and the soldiers are ignorant. 9. By the time things take shape, wont policemen and soldiers hav e a good time too? 10. As I said, theyre ignorant. 11. Thats why our forebears say the fool attacks those fighting o n his behalf. 12. Our leaders, too, are ignoramuses. 13. Have they forgotten we put them in power? 14. Of necessity, they have to listen to what the people want an d dont want. 15. As the elders say, its not done for anyone to tell a person w ith goitre to swallow the bump in his throat. 16. Are the police and soldiers happy that things are topsy-turv y? The graphic content of expecting someone affected with goitre to swallow the bum p 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 l isten 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 spea ks is to be found in ones ability to detect a lie in others talk. This awareness c an be better honed if one is able to bring cultural properties such as proverbs to bear on ones interlocutors contribution to ongoing discourse. An illustration o f this is found in the deceptive discourse surrounding former President Shehu Ya r Aduas sickness and, 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 self-appointed lieutenants constantly told Nig erians 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 the ir lies were illogical: lran: 56. Mdm, ti gb n 57. nbo ni presdent wa w? 58. ti k ni tb- kl l gn? Onbr: 59. ga o, baba lran. 60. y ta tn gb ni p wn ti gbe pad d slu. 61. Wn s p w llf ugbn nl sk d lati fi gbogbo ara lran: 62. nkankan ti ri rr? 63. Ta l b sr n b j mta kan nsny? Onbr: 64. A gb p wn agbnus r s p wn i b sr lr n. lran: 65. e b wn ti tn s p nk wn onbl Green Eagles p k wn gbogbo agbra wn nn dje s t kj. Onbr: 66. yn nkan k; 67. wn kan ti s p wn i ba jun laro n. lran: 68. Hw! wd nl nyn. 69. j wo nb yi ni wn i ns fn wa pn kne k kan l w, 70. t wn so wy oriri m lr lrn. 71. Ah, ni t k l d e nkankan rr 72. t wn dkt nw bii ni maa k laarn j kan skejOnbr: 73. ti gb tnlran 74. ni t ti d m ti dogun fnOnbr: 75. un l dni tun tnkan j nj burdi tyin. lran: 76. r wn gb ni, 77. wn n adt soro mj, o fkan puro; n ngbt n lu m un Onbr: 78. r wn olselu un k kk y ar il. 79. lrun l my t a tn ma gb lla. lran: 80. wn agbnus le s fn wa p f wn dkt mf lt ntorp fi ndray. Onbr: 81. b tn! Gloss: Butcher: Customer: e to get back Butcher: Customer: just Butcher: es and ? Customer: 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. Madam, may I ask youwheres the president? Is he dead or- whats really happening? Thats a tough one, man. We hear hes been flown back into the country. News has it that hes rather okay but still needs a little tim to the best of health. Has anybody seen him? Has anybody spoken to him in the last few days? We hear that his spokespersons say they had a chat with him yesterday. Wasnt it also reported that he was encouraging the Green Eagl giving them his best wishes before last weeks match

Theres more; some say they had breakfast with him yesterday. Butcher: What! Dont be funny. Just a few days ago, we were informed that he was in a custo mised 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 timeCustomer: 73. Youre so rightButcher 74. A person that couldnt breathe by himselfCustomer: 75. Now somebody claims they had breakfast together.

Butcher:

76. The elders say, 77. that the leper talked about two things, one of which was a h uge lie; he said after he had slapped his child on the back, he also scratched him with his finger-nails. Customer: 78. No one understands these politicians at all. 79. Only God knows what theyll tell us tomorrow. Butcher: 80. His spokespersons might tell the public that he slapped six doctors because they prevented him from going to p lay polo. Customer: 81. Yeah, right!

The wisdom encoded in the proverb (at utterance 77) succinctly underscores the f ormer presidents lieutenants blatant disregard for public sensibilities. Not only were they lying 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 lif e-support machine (t wn so wy oriri m lr lrn (70)), whom the doctors were appr e at any time (t wn dkt nw bii ni maa k laarn j kan skej (72)), who could no elf (ni t k l d e nkankan rr (71)) and for whom breathing had become a herculean task 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? A lso, but for sheer inanity, who would consider it sensible to dine with anyone o n 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. Where as the features of loss in other instances illustrate physical and physiological repulsiveness, the sort observed in Nigerias banking sector is purely psychologi cal, bearing on the greed of the industrys chieftains. It is not within 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 banks numerous trading ventu res be allowed to get to the owners of the money in the banks trust as well as th e banks shareholders. This requirement is grossly discounted, leading in many cases to the liquidation of some banks and the acquisition of others by more stable i nstitutions. Depositors and shareholders alike are the victims, and the followin g conversational fragment is a true representation of how an individuals greed ca n be the vector of the misery of a whole group: r : Onw: r: Onw: r: Onw: r: Onw: r: Onw: r: Onw: r: Gloss: Friend : 4. tt ni p whl ti d fn il fowpams t ibi yin nl? 5. B a m se gb lr yi nyn o. 6. Lr kan, gbogbo ow gbyi t o fi pam nk? 7. Bi lkl l i j; 8. k e e k mln bi mj par f byn. 9. r burk. 10. Knni wn glg il fowpams n w ns o? 11. Wn s p k e sr di, wn n p lati yanj gbogbo 12. Ah! 13. w or ti bkt gb ni wn t nil fowpams gbogbo y 14. Knkan oo d j odindi il fowpams run! 15. bm nl ly j fnl i mi. 16. K mi ni wn nsr fn. 17. fi k nl poknso. 18. Mo gb p bi bln grun mj njba gb lw arbrin t d 19. ray lde? 20. Ow t gbogbo wa l pn k tn k! 21. wn gb ti sr, 22. ti gbl ahun kan. 4. Is it true your bank is facing liquidation?

Trader : Friend: Trader: e that! Friend: Trader: ve things. Friend: ! Trader: Friend: Trader: Friend: ra from Trader:

5. 6. 7. 8.

I heard it this morning. Hold on, what happens to all the money you have in the bank? Its still like a nightmare; I cant believe about eight million naira could just vanish lik

9. Incredible. 10. And whats the banks management saying? 11. That we should be a bit patient; and that, soon, theyll resol 12. Ah! 13. Sheer wickedness and utter avarice. 14. Incredible, that an individuals greed could ruin a whole bank My company will forever regret this. I quite understand. Id best commit suicide. I hear the government seized about eight hundred billion nai the woman that founded the bank? 19. Incredible! 20. Thats money that could go round everybody with lots to be lef 15. 16. 17. 18.

t over! Friend: 21. The elders have spoken, 22. wine stays in the misers home till its gone sour. 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 wo man that founded the bank (18) to share with the depositors and shareholders; th us, like wine in the misers home, everything becomes sour ultimately. In any case , the case described above is not isolated; its about the same story about many a bank in todays Nigeria: proprietors make away with depositors and shareholders mon 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 th e President could rule from any part of the country. By giving the public such in formation the Presidents kitchen cabinet kept prolonging their own authority rathe r than the Presidents constitutional powers and, thereby fulfilling the humpbacks delaying tactic, espoused in the proverb, K a ba l p nb, abuk n b n b k, k won ified below:

Bal: 15. w gb tuntun. Alhaji: 16. gby. Bal: 17. wn agbnus YarAdua f k y wa p president Nigeria l sfin ikbi t wun k w. 18. b ti j ltsibt n Saudi. Alhaji: 19. wn ar ib yi pl ynkin. 20. Wn k s f gb jba yi fn Jonathan. Bal: 21. r wn gb k n als; 22. wn n k a ba l p nb, abuk n b n b k, k won ti hn t fun Alhaji: 23. Ir nl. 24. b lsn nikn wn nd. Gloss: Chief: 15. Have you heard? Alhaji: 16. Im all ears. Chief: 17. YarAduas spokespersons would like us to know that Nigerias president can rule from wherever he is. 18. Even from a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Alhaji: 19. These people and their antics.

20. Theyd do anything not to hand over power to Jonathan. Chief: 21. Our forebears have indicted them; 22. they say that, in order to delay the process, the humpback p erson instructs that autopsy on him should start with hi s hump. Alhaji: 23. Thats a big joke! 24. Its all in their imagination. The significance of such a proverb (i.e., K a ba l p nb, abuk n b n b k, k won ce 22) points up a complex process characteristic of people aware of the dangers of relinquishing a present position of influence but employing every opportunit y to make transition hard or impossible. Ideally, an autopsy is performed on a d ead body by opening it up from the front. But for a hump-backed person to reques t that he be opened from the back knowing that the hump would get in the way sig nifies a lack of desire to aid the success of any such procedure. In fact, how e asy is it to get to the intestines from the back of a hump-backed person? Such i s the case of those in charge of the former Presidents health and the numerous elo ngating tricks they played in the hope of continuing their selfish hold on the li fe of the nation. 4.5 Political Appointees: Defending the Boss Political appointments are very highly craved in Nigeria, especially by the inte lligentsia. However, little do the intelligentsia know that they have been broug ht 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 go od 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 Preside nt, 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. r: 11. Kl d, Alga? Alga: 12. wn yn wa l pnyan lm. 13. K s nkan kan t yn l e, 14. wn r s ni. 15. Wo b gbogbo nkan ti r nil nsy. 16. Wo r subsidy y. 17. e Jonathan l d subsidy sl? 18. n un f d r a nsan subsidy fn wn kan dr 19. ojojm p tb aa ni. 20. Knni nkan t ne w gan an? r: 21. Knni w gan an ns? Alga: 22. Kl e t a k l s oj ab nko, t fi j p ni t w lr lf ni r: 23. Alga, ma j k b p l sl olr. 24. wn bb wa w wr ngbt wn s p n b f abuk ni y ru 25. By PDP l br subsidy o, by Abacha ni o 26. ni t w lj pn jba l m fara gbta. Gloss: Chairman: 10. Friend: 11. How so, Chairman: 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. This country is a basket case. Chairman? The people are so insatiable. No matter what you do, therell be something to gripe about. Look at the situation of the countrythis fuel subsidy removal for instance. 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 real issue with us as a people? Friend: 21. But what do you think, yourself? Chairman: 22. Why cant we face real issues, why must we always attack personalities? Friend: 23. Chairman, lets call a spade a spade. 24. Our progenitors were not insane when they said its whoever ma rries a humpbacked woman that will carry the child on his own back. 25. What does it matter whether its the PDP that started the paym ent of the subsidy or Abacha? 26. Let him whos in power face the music. As Friend advises at utterance 26, our leaders have to learn to accept the consequ ences 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 igni ted the anger of the public against President Jonathan, its little relevant who s tarted paying the subsidy in the first instance. What matters is, once a policy runs at cross-purposes with the peoples welfare, the person in power should brace up for any condemnation due to the incompetence of his predecessor. 4.6 Dead or Killed? From the pathos expressed now and again by Nigerians (for instance in the case of Chief M.K.O. Abiola and the events culminating in the iconic June 12 date now al most 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 similar documents in the newspapers should confirm that the peo ple are always 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 willi ng to empathize with the former Presidents family. Rather, as shown in Ajanis spee ch below (especially at utterance 10), the cabal had run afoul of public sympath y: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: Wasiu: Ajani: 15. K Gloss: Wasiu: 1. You need to hear the latest about President YarAdua. Ajani: 2. What more could those liars tell anyone? Wasiu: 3. The news is that YarAdua has been brought back to Nigeria. Ajani: 4. Lunatics! 5. Alive or dead? Wasiu: 6. Hes said to be being kept in a customized vehicle, with numero us tubes attached to his body. Ajani: 7. How timely! 1. 2. 3. 4. O w gbyi t wn tn nw npa presdent YarAdua. wo lwn pr yn tn f s fn wa? ryn s wp wn ti gb YarAdua pad w s Nigeria. wn wr. 5. Ly ab lk? 6. w nn kne k kan t wn so wy oriri m gbogbo ara 7. gby lr! 8. Lp, oj wn abj yi ja. 9. Mo gb b . 10. Lsn k ni wn bb wa s p n gb rn pamo kj oore 11. e wn m p dkt w nil ni? 12. nr wn ni. 13. K t rj kan s mj, wn a s p ti k. 14. Ha, m Adam! ttor ow ti ip s ay mlkej di y j, y j.

8. Before long, these evil people will be shown up. Wasiu: 9. I believe you. Ajani: 10. Our elders were not being frivolous to remark that anyone concealing a sickness has certainly sidelined the doctors reme dy. 11. Have they just realized that there are doctors in Nigeria? Wasiu: 12. Im sure they have something up their sleeve. 13. Give them a few days from now and theyll announce his death. Ajani: 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, t he politics surrounding the death of the former president leaves a lot to be desir ed, and for the sake of the deceased, the least said about the incident the best . However, Ajanis observation captures the selfishness with which we deal with on es anothers misfortunes: For the sake of money and position, we gamble with the li ves of other people (utterance 15). 4.7 Whose Standard? One disappointing practice in Nigerias governance is its leaders judgment when the re is a need to account for certain actions or to justify certain policies. At s uch times, the set practice is to base our existence on the experiences of other s in far-away lands. During the Occupy Nigeria protests of early 2012, for insta nce, 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 tha t a country cannot compare itself with other countries to justify some of its ac tions; the evil in such comparisons is our own governments shameless practice of comparing itself with countries smaller (in population) and less naturally bless ed (e.g. Britain) than it is. In other words, why must petrol, for instance, cos t 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 the se 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 a t one of the Occupy Nigeria rallies, our government is like a eunuch whose child ren are usually abroad never around him: Ara ilu kini: 38. y k m jy byi n Nigeria? 39. n, k spo; la, k sta. 40. Ojoojm, whl kan bmi ni tiwa. 41. wo r subsidy yi42. ngbt ti m wn t njw epo 43. wo w ni ti k ma fy j wn ar il? Ara ilu keji: 44. r nyn o. 45. K t w k t f, wn n epo wn jyn l n Ghana ti America. Ara ilu kini: 46. wn olrburk. 47. bwn olr America e ne jba re? Ara ilu keji: 48. ti p, kb k bm sts. 49. Bwo ni wa e f mye t wn ntepo lAmerica? 50. b wn n mo d Ghana r? Ara ilu kini: 51. Ju gbogbo l, bsibt America e r ni tiwa e r yi? Ara ilu keji: 52. Tb tt. Ara ilu kini: 53. ti par r, kb wn k bm sts. Gloss: 1 Citizen: 38. Do we have to suffer this much in Nigeria? 39. Theres a lack of one thing or another every day.

2 Citizen: ore 1 Citizen: 2 Citizen: .

40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.

Every day, theres an issue to tackle. Look at this subsidy removal issuesince the government knows the fraudulent ones, why punish the innocent citizens? Spot on. Their main argument is that petroleum products are m 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? 1 Citizen: 51. Above all, do hospitals look like this in America? 2 Citizen: 52. Or the roads. 1 Citizen: 53. Your summary is effective; their eunuch always has h is 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 hospi tals like this in America? Indeed, using foreign standards for ones own country i s, in the unbundling of the okobo loss-proverb, looking for specious and outland ish 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) si mple indicts anyone who makes the unavailable thing or object as the proof of hi s action. Perhaps one of the ugliest features of the Nigerian political system is its soph istry the attempt to make the worst argument seem the best option, and to suppre ss the truth by the force of eloquence and speech. For instance, one of the ways by which the government preys on the public is to allude to certain benefits whic h only those in government enjoy, e.g., fuel subsidy. Recently, the government t ried to make the people believe that the removal of the subsidy was all it neede d to provide basic things for the populace. For want of convincing arguments, th e 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 peopl e would suffer owing to the increase in the prices of basic commodities. 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 bea ring the etchings of social neglect. It is not too hard to see, however, that su ch people are paid for such a purpose. The two interactrants below quite affirm this observation: Atinuke: 87. possible kwn kan ma defend government lr r subsidy removal yi ? Ajayi: 88. mge, m doubt . Atinuke: 89. Wo wn students bi tiwa90. t wn d m gbogbo nkan t university wa lack. Ajayi: 91. By wn nr nkan gb lw government. Atinuke: 92. Many of them ni wn ti sanw fn lati w campaign against NLC. Ajayi: 93. In that case, bwn gb e ma ns, 94. taleinin b gb b k e elgb? Atinuke: 95. O ryn s. Gloss: Atinuke: 87. Is it possible for some people to defend the government on t

his fuel Ajayi: Atinuke: ack. Ajayi: Atinuke: NLC. Ajayi: Atinuke:

subsidy removal issue? 88. Girl, dont doubt it. 89. Look at students like us90. who are very much aware of the facilities our universities l 91. Maybe they get some benefits from the government. 92. Many of them have been paid to come and campaign against the 93. In that case, as the elders say, 94. who should the fly side with but the person with sores? 95. That explains it.

The two students (Atinuke and Ajayi) above seem to be miffed about a rather unus ual case of kicking against a popular view. While Atinuke keeps presenting reaso ns for which such a stance might be absurd, Ajayis use of the proverb (Ta leinin b gb b k e elgb? at utterance 94) butteressed by Atinukes own allegation at 92 clears up th eir displeasure, with Atinuke concurring at 95. The pragmatic value of the lossproverb here as well as others elsewhere in the discussion has the same "unknott ing" 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 everyb ody, not just a few. Indeed, when the government abandons the desires of the pop ulace and are sidetracked into certain seemingly personal matters, the people ar e quick to remind them of their sworn duties, as seen below: Aladugbo 1: 48. Eehee! Nkan m d ni twn Boko Haram y o. Aladugbo 2: 49. b wn tn ti gbe wn d? Aladugbo 1: 50. O tn ns. 51. ryn nfi y wa p wn tn ti ju bmb sn il jsn wn n Abuja 52. wn s pa gr nyn. Aladugbo 2: 53. Nlu t lba t njy? Aladugbo 1: 54. wn jba d k et ikn s gbogbo hlhlo yi? Aladugbo 2: 55. Albkt ni gbogbo wn 56. tt kan president fnrara . 57. j wo nb k la gb p nw b wn afin e ma e k lr oy? Aladugbo 1: 58. f jba lr wn k ni? 59. b wn k l fi j president? 60. T k b k nse wa wr, 61. tani k m p a k fi t sl pa lplp? 63. Ldr gbogbo nkan t nj w ny nil yi? 64. Gbogbo n tt l ti di fn; 65. gbogbo il i ni wn nkgb wl; 66. gbogbo sibt l ti dil fkpams; 67. wn d pp k r e, fi k wn ma dn. 68. K sw lp; b k, bkt dnk; 69. ow wa hn gan na nk? 70. K nmi kankan nn m. 71. Ls nn, gbogbo wa ti w g! Aladugbo 2: 72. Kd, Jonathan yi ti ft sl pa ynmynm! Gloss: 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 in Abuja, 52. killing many people.

Neighbour 2: Neighbour 1: Neighbour 2:

53. In a country with a government? 54. And the government disregards all this? 55. Theyre all indifferent 56. even the president himself. 57. Wasnt he recently scheming how the legislators would enable 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; 65. companies are folding up; 66. all our hospitals have become mortuaries; 67. even the youths are jobless, theyve all become robbers. 68. Theres rife poverty; nevertheless, the propensity to consume remains high; 69. and what about the naira? 70. Its lost all its oomph. 71. Without any doubt, were all in trouble! 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 th e lunacy foreshadowed at utterances 60-61: bad roads, industries divesting, hospit als turning into mortuaries, youth unemployment, widespread poverty and wide-ran ging desperation. To Neighbour 1, governments insensitivity to these things is ta ntamount 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 swattin g mosquitoes. The governments deliberate refusal to take any convincing steps about the carnage executed by the bloodthirsty Boko Haram sect is proof positive that its insensi tivity borders on a deliberate transgression of the electorates dream (cf. Uttera nces 58-59). Meanwhile, while people are decimated through daily bombings, the g overnment is concerned as the Neighbours realize with the issue of elected offic ers perpetuating themselves in office for six years. The natural question citize ns like the Neighbours would ask is, Six years giving assent to the Boko Haram an d others pillaging 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 Jon athan-led government came to power. To say the obvious, the protests were very s uccessful 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 se e 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 follow ing 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: Alabagbe: Baba Agba: 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Dgb dgb t nse b ni f j lul y, k Jonathan ra o. Bab, k l r? Afj gan an ryi t nb y. l m ly, baba. Nj k ti di j mta byi t wn il ti ns p wn na gbn d? Gbogbo a npj sjta ti wn agbgb b kkiri Nigerialsn lo p e? r l ns o, baba. Ljp or gbni yi k, y k m p tn-tn-tn bayi ni whl nl

nb sl. Alabagbe: Baba Agba: 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. b kl gbj l? Ta nm? m e o. N nkan t toj l n Tunisia, Egypt ti Libya. e y k lgbn laj sl k tlb k sin ? wn gb s p ntor adit lj fi ; ntor afoj l e k. K p, baba.

Alabagbe: Gloss:

Old man: 17. A crisis looms; Jonathan had better watch out. Tenant: 18. How so, sir? Old man: 19. Even a blind person can see whats ahead. Tenant: 20. Please make things clear, sir. Old man: 21. Havent the people been demonstrating their own discernment fo r some days now? 22. Look at the assemblies at Ojota and other areas across Niger ia23. are they for nothing? Tenant: 24. Good point. Old man: 25. If hes not thoughtless, he should realize that big crises usu ally have small beginnings. 26. By the way, why is he so audacious? Tenant: 27. Who knows? Old man: 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 elders say its for the sake of the deaf that the sky becomes overcast; its to save the blind that the thunder rumbles. Tenant : 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 specif ically the social and political unrest in the countries mentioned (Tunisia, Egyp t and Libya) where the leaders were toppled after a few months. Present in such upheaval is sufficient warning for other leaders, whether they are deaf or blind. Th e Old Mans proverb may not be taken as a literal call for Jonathans overthrow (as witnessed in the countries listed) but as forewarning, especially in the light o f 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 roa ds, constant energy, social security, employment, etc. In that case, is it too m uch to call for help from countries that our leaders go so frequently to enjoy t hese facilities? As captured by Alagba in the conversation below, beggars (that is, those who would like to do away with 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 nl wsn, t gbogbo nkan db ni p k til sjba? Alagba: 7. Hmm. 8. r kbt! 9. m mi, s burk l d b Nigeria. 10. Tltl, gbogbo nkan nl dradra. 11. m wn oll wa l da nkan r fn Nigeria. 12. Ol ti p j njba. 13. knjw pp nb plp wn yan wa j.

14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. Omo-omo: 22. Alagba: 23. ylnu 24. 25. Omo-omo: 26. Gloss: Grandson:

Bmi e ri, president wa ni k nikan e. Kk k ma fi ow ti ll wn yan f, knn s p k ma pe wn il kr k wn gbun? B wn baba wa e nw, algbe k ly. Pe wn on mnmn lti China, tbwn t ne tt lti lkil t wn k wn w. Ngb t j p a ma sanw fn wn tn n wn gangan lr wa. Kl w nj jba wa ly? l j fn mi. gbn r wn gb ni, nj tt a ma j ojo lnu. ny mi b.

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? Grandpa: 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 peoples money and efforts, 16. why cant he seek the help of foreign countries? 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 ma y come from. 20. Insofar as youll pay them21. thats all in fact, theyre the real slaves. Grandson: 22. But whys the government afraid? Grandpa: 23. Thats bafflement to me. 24. But then, the elders say, 25. even cold food would scald the timid mans mouth. Grandson: 26. Im beginning to understand things. As Grandfather observes, if you try and cannot make headway by yourself, try cal ling out for help: after all, beggars live well in Oyo (17). The relevance of th e proverb is not open to discussion: calling to advanced countries to help provi de basic things would not demean a nation; moreover, since youre paying for the s ervices provided, it is those countries that are the slaves. However, as Grandso n asks, But whys the government afraid? (22), Grandfathers reply clarifies the iss ue a bit: even cold food will scald the timid mans mouth (25). In other words, ta king a simple desirable step to ameliorate the suffering of the people would not cost the president his face. Furthermore, since the required resources are avai lable, our government should be bold to do whats needed for societys growth. 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, despite governments campaign about the nee d for the people to pay taxes, Nigerians remain skeptical of governments sincerit y. At such times, the people complain about failed promises and dashed hopes: po or roads, unavailable amenities, general insecurity, international stigma, pitia ble education, etc. Yet, the government keeps lying to the people about the divi dends of democracy. To the common man, however, the government always tries to k

eep the people in unending darkness, as pointed up here: Onryn: t, 1 Onw: 2 Onw: 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. k wn s m gba wn abj ly lti dl r. Ow or k, ow s ni. Gbogbo k k nju kr l ma m w l. Knni jba ti e fn ar l lti b dn kan t wn ti w njba? Ntt, mi l b nkankan w p k san ow or tb p k ti 103. Agbnus fn jba pnl na s wp lp, gbogbo nkan nb w 104. Lhn y, r gbogbo wn ar l p k wn ma san ow or b

Aldugb: pp. 2 Onw: 110. Mo gba t, j. Wn n, nn t t yn k gbd ma b bk. ma san ow or fn wn jba ajnirun wnyi? 1 Onw: 112. toj s mi. Gloss: Newscaster: he appropriate ountry. 1 Trader: 2 Trader: 103. The spokesperson for the state government says, very soon t situation in the country will become easier. 104. In addition, he implores the citizens to pay their taxes as 105. and not allow killjoys to destabilize the c

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 ye ar of their being in power? Neighbour: 109. In truth, I cannot implore anyone to pay any tax or even wi sh the government well at all. 2 Trader: 110. Good talk. Its said that if a man is plagued with low sperm count, still births should not be his lot. 111. What does anyone have to encourage him to pay any tax to th ese consuming locusts in power? 1 Onisowo: 112. Im overwhelmed. 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 designe d to bring the utmost good to the populace; yet, year in, year out almost nothin g gets done. The peoples circumstances hardly show any improvement and social ame nities decline further. Furthermore, from the little that the people have, the g overnment expects a lot in return! Thus, the two traders cannot be blamed for no t paying their taxes or for not willing to persuade anyone else to do so. Consider also, the following excerpt: Akw: 27. p l y kyn ma fn wn jba wa yi. Olk: 28. gbni, e k s? Akw: 29. Gbogbo ow or t wn ny loo y k y mi rr. Olk: 30. Wn s p un lwn fi ntnlu e. Akw: 31. mi r nkan t wn ntn e o. 32. e tt t nj mt b gb t mallam njob ni, tb il-w t k yt il-ran? 33. e a ti gbd s p a njba nlu yi? Olk: 34. Gbogbo nkan nb w dra. Akw: 35. Ojoojm l ngb yn. 36. gb wo gan an l f dra? Olk: 37. jba ngbynj, omi l p ju k l. Akw: 38. e s fnru yn. 39. Wn ni, afoj, m pran; n k d un lj, fi b n b to 40. w, dgb t gbogbo wa b br s gbdn k mi t gb p nkan ma da. 41. m n lwlw yi, mi n tanra mi j. Gloss:

Clerk: ent. Lecturer: Clerk: Lecturer: Clerk: kolanut, or eds? y? Lecturer: Clerk:

27. One should constantly put a curse on these people in governm 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. Man, whats the issue? All these monthly tax deductions puzzle me. But thats what they spend on fixing social amenities. I havent seen anything fixed. Is it the roads that eat up vehicles the way a mallam chews the schools that look no different from sh

33. Should we even acknowledge theres a government in this countr 34. 35. 36. 37. All will be well some day. Thats become a daily song. But when will there be a turnaround in our economy? The government is doing its best; its just the numerous issue

Lecturer: s. Clerk: 38. Why, you can say that. 39. Our people say the blind person was informed that his child has just killed an animal. He replied, Im not convinced until 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. People will continue to baulk at civic duties like paying ones tax for as long as they do not see the direct benefits of such duties. From the common market to c orporate and public institutions, people are constantly sceptical of governments seriousness about the fulfilment of the promises they made while campaigning for votes; thus, it becomes rather difficult for Teacher (at utterance 37) to persu ade Clerk that the government is trying hard to satisfy the people. Of course, b ecause of continual disappointment, the proverb (at 39) very much like the one a t 110 quite justifies anyones unwillingness 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 t he citizens to adopt a language style that recognizes our leaders characteristic defiance as a form of deformity or handicap and to use proverbs that create appr opriate graphic content, although without necessarily offending members exhibiti ng such incompleteness. In sum, in view of the displeasure with which members di scuss acts and situations warranting popular condemnation, it is not difficult f or anyone to agree that proverbs showcasing loss are much more apt than expressi ons which employ subtle pragmatic correlates. 6.0 Significance of study The language endangerment scenario characterising many African languages (partic ularly Yorb) compels the concerned linguist to investigate the forgotten linguisti c peculiarities and pragmatically advantageous features of many of these languag es. The Yorb case, for instance, calls to mind the robust appeal in the applicatio n of proverbs and similar sayings to educational, linguistic, religious, social, economic, medical and political experiences of the citizenry. Using a concept such as loss, through the application of proverbs containing ima ges of incompleteness, to illustrate the corporate and personal damage being eng endered by devious governance, this paper demonstrates the forcefulness and vita lity of Yorb as a language that is resourceful enough to employ one set of proverb s to discuss a nations 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 the y 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 langu age, our cultural heritage may be described as having started its journey into o blivion. 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 deploy the language 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/a rticles/Why_Learn_Proverbs--7.html Retrieved on 12 March 2012. Lau, K.J. et al. (2004). What Goes Around Comes Around. Utah State University Pr ess. 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 decept ive and unpatriotic acts of a cabal in charge of the health of Nigeria s former pr esident, 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 Unive rsity, Nigeria. His research interests include Discourse Analysis, General and a pplied Linguistics, Critical Discourse Analysis, Semantics, Pragmatics, Sociolin guistics, Text Linguistics, Computer Mediated Discourse and the Pragmatics of th e Yorb tongue.