Once upon a time, time time! There was a man and his name was BAT and so he BATified his people, he protected them and provided for them as best as he could. It was words on the streets that BAT looked out for his own and many thought that he had good intentions, especially for those that worked on a plantation that he took ownership of. He was the king of the plantation, and everyun, not really everyun, deferred to him when it came to the affairs of the plantation. 

If you didn’t work on his plantation and were just there to look around, catch cruise or even take away from the plantation, BAT made sure you paid dearly for it. You must directly or indirectly contribute to the success of the plantation or else, you would have offended BAT and the eruku.

The eruku was a retinue of young uns, whose command was his wish at all times; and this was supported by a solid structure which would come in handy from time to time. This structure is predicated not only on the eruku of all forms, including both literate and illiterate, men and women, highly and lowly placed but also on the muscle of the bullion. He had that connect! These uns would even put their lives on the line for BAT.

As a young man, BAT joined forces with like minds to fight renegades in uniform, who took the opportunity to pillage the plantation from within and without, and did according to their whims. Once the renegades were chased out, BAT went on to populate the grounds of the plantation with what we shall call milk and honey. Mind you, we should admit that no one preps milk and honey without tasting. It’s the name of the game. To present quality products, you must taste what you make. And they all did! So if you must accuse BAT and his loyal entourage of tasting too much and cornering the entire milk and honey, think again and think critically. He did his best to make the plantation what it is today. At least, that is what narrative went on the streets, peddled by both the lower and higher echelons of the loyal men of the plantation.

What was important was that BAT, the strategist, the people’s man, the go-to politician and connects-man, made the plantation lush and plush and everyun loved it. Go and verify! There’s no doubt about that. From all over the world, people of all colours, races, religions and professions came to take part of the largesse that was booming on the plantation.

Who would not want BAT to continue to be in charge to make the plantation serve everyun, not everyun, at least most uns? 

However, in spite of his bandied good intentions, the written law at the time would not permit such continuity. In his wisdom and having taught many of his eruku in the act of lushing and plushing the plantation, all he had to do was to prop one loyal eruku up after another, one after another to that exalted position of king of plantation, while he pulled the strings for the continued lushing and plushing of the plantation. And not surprisingly, they all seemed to have done well but one, in the reckoning of BAT. And he was removed, he probably was indeed useless, who knows? BAT became an oracle. King to Oracle! Or maybe BAT always had all the shades of a great man in un. He saw the future and he knew what was best for the plantation. Init?

All of that aside, it’s all about the plantation and the metamorphosis of BAT!

One thing that clearly worked well for BAT was his decorum. Year in year out, you’ll not catch BAT stray out of his throne in his palace built with gold, sweat, blood and some paraphernalia of grandeur. He lived with his eruku, empowered them and this he did beyond the reproach of common men or the pangs of elements meant only for the commoners, who in retrospect methinks don’t merit empowerment?

In any case, BAT always made sure never to lose his stoic silence when not necessary. But when needed, he would throw his weight out of his throne and into the midst of events and situations. And his weight, as huge as that was, always yielded situations and events in his or his eruku‘s favour. Such was the situation at some point in history when BAT rallied support round the idea of change, with grandiose promises that were clearly beyond achievable, or altruistic, if in any way could be achieved.

For change, BAT threw his weight behind a man not of his plantation to become the king of a larger plantation. This was apparent strategy, irrespective of whose ox was gored in his plantation. What mattered was the ultimate capture of the throne of the larger plantation for self. When BAT heard the words of this foreigner who he did everything for to gain the throne, that he was “for everyun and for no un”, he immediately went back to his stoic silence to bid his time. It had always been about him. Who would have a hoe and not hoe the grass towards himself?

Had this ever been about the people of his plantation, even the loyal uns, or about the propping of self to the exalted throne of the larger plantation?

It was likened to the game of a throne, rocking endlessly at the plantation and beyond aimed at simply settling to face the most lush and plush side of the plantation for self! It was about the larger plantation and the metamorphosis of BAT with the continuum that was self.