It was indeed a question that bothered me, till I recalled that story about Tortoise and the Calabash of Wisdom. Perhaps you remember the story?

You see, Tortoise whom we Yoruba call Ijapa, decided one day, for some reason I no longer recollect, to gather all the wisdom in the world and go and hide them in heaven.

So, carrying his biggest calabash, he went walking for months around the world, gathering all the pieces of wisdom he could find, till finally he had them all.

Now the only place to hide the gourd, the safest place where no human hand could reach it, was obviously up the tallest palm tree.
Ijapa chose his moment carefully therefore. Very early one morning, when no one was yet awake, no birds yet stirring, nor insects buzzing, Ijapa tiptoed to the tree. Then, tying the calabash securely to his chest, he began to climb. The first leg…the next foothold…

Ah, picture the scene my friends! Our dear tortoise, a large calabash up his chest, trying to pull himself up the trunk of a tree!
Gbagam! He tumbled down! Sh! He kept still, not daring to breathe, his ears stretched out. But he heard nothing; no one had heard or seen him. Relieved, he breathed out again. Picking himself up gingerly, he resumed the attempt to climb the tree. And it was gbagam, again! And again and again! It was becoming more tricky each time stopping the calabash from hitting the ground and smashing to pieces…

Then as he stood up again for the umpteenth time, panting and sweating, he suddenly heard a voice from a hole nearby, where a small rat had been watching:

“Mr Tortoise,” called out the rat, “if I may offer a suggestion, sir, why don’t you bring down the calabash from your chest, and strap it to your back instead?”

Ijapa opened his mouth and could not close it. Such a simple idea and yet he had not thought of it himself! So, in spite of all his efforts, there was still some wisdom left in the world!?

He threw down the calabash in despair, abandoned the mission, and went away.

So the lesson is clear—the moment will never come in the world when wisdom will be totally exhausted. The more lectures we hear, the more in fact the lectures we will still have to hear!

The solution we need to solve some vital problem in our life may come from some quarter we have hitherto considered inconsequential.
That was mainly why I accepted to talk here in the end. For who knows, perhaps even after all that has been said here in previous years—perhaps my little voice may still have something to add to aid our collective quest for success and happiness in our lives.

The earlier lecturers spoke each from his area of competence. Thus the eminent social scientist, and Nigeria’s former Foreign Affairs minister, Bolaji Akinyemi, talked about governance, and specifically on ‘the social contract between the governed and the government’. Retired Lt.-General Dambazzau spoke appropriately about how to overcome Nigeria’s security challenges. And last year, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, then the Governor of the Central Bank before he became the Emir of Kano, spoke about the growth prospects for the Nigerian economy.

And so on. Well, as you have been told, I am a writer; and my province is in the creation and narration of stories.
Using different formats and in various genres, my business is to plunge into the realm of the imagination to craft out stories that I hope will be scintillating enough to capture your hearts and your minds, to give pleasure and information, joy and at times, disturbance.

Today therefore I have come with quite a handful for you, and I have told you two already. Well, here is another one, taken this time from a writer called Amos Tutuola. It is from his book, titled The Palmwine Drinkard, published in 1952, and the very first Nigerian novel to gain international acclaim…