By Abraham Ogbodo
Before I get started, I have a confession to make. In my little
way, I try to avoid the friendship of big men. I will explain. Big men and
(women too) can hardly appreciate the worth of a small man. They cannot
initiate a short telephone conversation with the small person to say ‘I am just
checking on you my friend.’ If they manage to do, it is not to say hi but to
complain, most times bitterly, about some matter that a small man didn’t handle
to their ultimate satisfaction; or reel out more directives after which they
recline to their exclusive economic zone and wait for when the unfortunate
small man will become useful again.
 |
| *Garba Shehu, Femi Adesina and Laolu Akande |
The big man thinks his bigness, and the fact
that he allows some social access more than compensate for every effort the
small man puts in to sustain the relationship. As a Christian, I asked God to
give me the wisdom to manage big men and women. He told me to stop pretending
to be a big man’s friend. The application of that wisdom has never failed me. I
have just offered free of charge what took me days of fasting and prayers to
secure from God.
I have had to give this background so that my
friends in Aso Rock Villa, who however became big men on May 29, 2015 or
thereabout, will understand why I have somehow maintained a safe distance. They
are Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu and Laolu Akande. All three are evidently big men
by any interpretation. The first two are my senior colleagues; they became
editors of national titles long before I did. Laolu Akande is my junior in
every sense.
