'The African Condition' By Adesina Ogunlana

Men love mysteries or do I say mystery maketh men. As a specie, man is inordinately fascinated with the mysterious. Could be that way, because we are curious creatures always wanting to know everything about everything. I suspect our curiosity is tied to our security in that we feel or think our security is heavily dependent on the knowledge of and possible mastery of our environment.

What is that man does not want to know? A man not only wants to know all that can be known about his past, his present and his future, but whether and how his future can affect his past or when, where and how his present can be affected by his future? Are you confused here? If you ask me, to define what mystery is, I will simply give you our unbeatable definition to wit “Mystery is what is mysterious to man”.

Are you confused again or merely bemused?

A mystery is what Man does not know or cannot readily figure wit. When Man is in that state of mental bafflement he now substitutes facts with the suppositions (oft times fallacious) of his own inventions and ideas. Friends, this is how legends, myths and superstitious are born. So let’s have another definition of mystery, according to the Squib’s Dictionary of words-“A mystery is the product of the imagination of man, in a state of solid ignorance”.

So much, if not all, of superstition is hogwash. Baloney. But men are in love with superstition, much as they are captivated with mysteries. Of course superstition gives birth to taboos! Now this is serious.

Consider. Taboos (dos and don’ts of every culture, usually prohibitive of certain behavior with a guarantee of mystic sanctions or punishment for the taboo breaker) is the child of superstition. Superstition herself is mothered by mysteries, which in turn is fathered by ignorance which in turn is parented by Limited Knowledge. Wow!

So, Limited Knowledge is the great, great Grandfather. Ignorance is the Great grandfather. Mystery is the Grandfather. Superstition is the father. Taboo is the son. You need to ask whether taboo is the last of the generations of Limited knowledge, in other words does Taboo have any off-spring(s)? The answer is yes. But I will not disclose that worthy’s identity. Today.

Whether alone or in company, man sprouts superstitions. There is a superstition about everything and everywhere. We have superstitions, so many, that there are superstitions about superstitions! There is a superstition about numbers. There are so called lucky numbers as well as unlucky numbers. Unlucky numbers are believed to be not only harbingers of evil, but are, also treasurers of calamities. One of such numbers is 13. I have read it up somewhere that there are many cities or towns in Europe where street numbers do not include the number 13. Instead of having the dreaded number, the affected address will be styled 12A.

But is 13 really an unlucky number? I don’t think so, after all numbers, indeed numeracy is just one of those social inventions of main to cope with the challenges of living in society and making meaning out of lives.

Interestingly, Inmidun Akande J. the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State, was the 13^TH CHIEF JUDGE OF LAGOS STATE.

She came to the ‘judicial throne’ in September 2009 and left June 10 2012 making a total of 1004 days. Her tenure was epochal and outstandingly successful in seriously whittling down the overbearing influence of the Executive arm of government over the finances and developmental projects of the Lagos State Judiciary.

No matter what any one may say, the truth remains that under her watch, the Judiciary was more of a partner in power than ever before.

There was no abnormal incidents such as mass deaths or regular demise or uncommon dearth of prosperity.

And it could be said of her, that she did more for her staff, than all the Chief Judge’s before her in the last fifteen years. So what’s unlucky about her being the 13^th Chief Judge of Lagos. She came in pomp and left with greater pomp.

So are you still saying No 13 is an unlucky number? Bah!