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Kampe and "Superior Politics" By Kampe is not an original Yoruba word, it is an acronym coined for dope, cannabis, marijuana, paya or Igbo. Some Yoruba people would say "O ti gba kampe" meaning he is under the influence of a strong dose of dope. It could also be imagined there is an amount of confidence derived from smoking kampe. The confidence could be real or from cloud cuckooland depending on the person who declared, "I dey kampe".
Chuba Okadigbo, on becoming the senate president started a scheme to impeach the president based on what he called "superior politics". He had a great confidence that the scheme would succeed. He needed to show the president and the whole of Nigeria that with his intellect and charisma he would supplant the general and punish him for prefering Enwerem, his Ibo kinsman to him for the senate ledership position. He had put all kinds of impediments to frustrate presidential bills brought to the floor of the senate by the presidency. He actually assumed a parallel executive position, awarding contracts and declaring the presidency was not competent to declare public holidays. He actually refused to attend state functions on the declared holiday, saying it was illegal. It could be rightly deduced that Okadigbo "dey kampe" because of the cofidence he displayed challenging the authourity of soldier general and the president of the Federal Republic of Niger ia. He could have been under the influence of a very srong variety of kampe from Obi-Aruku or is it the equally potent Nsukka cousin. Nevertheless he was quite resolved to puntuate our nascent democracy.
President Obasanjo on returning from one of his numerous and not so rewarding overseas trips declared in answer to the journalists questions on the impeachment plan that "I dey kampe". According to Fela, the original kampe man himself, question don jam answer. Obasanjo as a soldier who saw action in the Congo, frustrated some military coups, reduced the biafran army to rubbles until the cowardly Odumegwu Ojukwu ran off, the only general worth that name in Nigeria and the one who secured an unconditional surrender of the biafran army must know a little bit about kampe. Afterall we all know that kampe is a major indulgence and pastimes of soldiers up till today. Forget about being born again.
I also believe Chuba Okadigbo knows a liitle bit about this Fela's utmost obsession and pastime. The stage was set, the intellectual kampe is in confrotation with the soldierman kampe. But again as Fela said, "book sense different from belle sense". What would unfold is now a matter of history. In the battle between thes two kampe men, we know the loser, Okadigbo and the winners, Obasanjo and Anyim. All that remains to be said is "kampe na bad thing my brother", because a country whose presidency and senate leadership are kampe people is existing in cloud nine and not in the real world. Kampe na Kampe whether you call it seleke, tajutaju, kokopataki, or Indian hemp. You always need a stronger dope to "dey kampe" the next time around until you are declared an addict. The brain becomes less rational and decision are taken on the spirit of kampeism. Softly softly General. December 2001 |