The Elders Do Not Lie
“You do not say an elder is lying”!
Ironically, the first time I heard this statement, an elder was, in fact, lying. I was 14 and in SS3 when I first heard that statement and for a long time I could not understand why that was so.
A little back story
My friends and I were escorting another friend to jump through a part of the school fence so she could escape into town. We were in the boarding house and had been unable to deceive the gateman to let our friend through even though she had a really convincing lie. We were caught few steps to the fence. We could not escape because one of us was a prefect who the man recognised. This security man led us to his office and there we started our pleas. We kept repeating the same lie and since we had not gotten to the fence we had, technically, not committed any offence. We had a backup lie to defend the first lie. However, he was having none of it. Before long, someone who saw us begging asked him what we did and that was when he told his own version. He said he caught us on the fence. As expected, we were all shocked at this lie and all exclaimed. The woman then asked us if he was lying and I was very quick to say ‘yes’. However, my other classmates said ‘no’ and if I did not know better, I would have thought I misunderstood the question. But, I know I heard the right question. So, why will they try to incriminate us further by confirming a lie?
It was after we got out of the situation that my friends explained that you do not say an elder is lying even if they were lying. How does that even make any sense?
13 years after, I understand why the Yorubas say “the elders do not lie”. The elders are meant to be the symbol of dignity and direction for the young ones. The elders have seen life, made mistakes and are now at an age where they are not scared of speaking the truth because they have little or nothing to lose. They are supposed to be the ones who tell the truth even if it costs them. The elders are at a stage where they are willing to sacrifice it all for the younger generation to have it better. That is the reasoning behind that statement, at least, that is what it was meant to be.
Although, I understand the reasoning behind that claim, I have also seen old people lie unashamedly countless times. The most recent being the Nigerian Government elders.
After the END SARS/ Lekki massacre, we have heard all manner of tales and lies from men old enough to be grandfathers to the murdered youths. We have watched them try really hard to suppress the truth by weaving a web of lies. We saw the theatrics of an ‘elder statesman’ who miraculously found a camera weeks after the incident. We listened to the tales of a confused governor and how that quickly turned to kindergarten banter between him and the military. We have watched sanctions being served on media houses for doing their jobs. All because some elders are more concerned about holding on to power than speaking the truth.
Further study of the Yoruba language will reveal that the Yoruba language made exceptions to the dignified status of the elders. Therefore, most of the elders at the helms of affairs in Nigeria are the perfect definition of what the Yorubas call “agbaya”, “adagbamaronu”. “Agbaya” means a worthless elder and “adagbamaronu” means one who is physically old but remains a child in thinking. Therefore, when we say that “an elder does not lie”, these people are the exception to that statement for they are just elders in age but remain adolescent in thoughts and mannerism. This confirms what King Solomon said about the land whose king is a child. The events of the past years especially the past months confirm that our land is being ruled by ‘old children’ and our princes are gluttons who only care for their belly.
