“Àṣejù Baba Àṣetẹ́” – Ìtàn bi Ojúkòkòrò àti Ìgbéraga ti jẹ́ Àṣejù

In the olden days there was a man named “Igberaga”, he was born into a polygamous home and raised by the other wives of his father because his mother died when he was a child.  He migrated to Lagos (a big city) where he joined a Fishing company after struggling through his teenage life and obtaining Primary Six certificate.

He was prospering in his business, while his father died.  Igberaga decided to return to his father’s estate to claim his own of his father’s vast Cocoa Plantation.  He was able to acquire more plantation beside what was allocated to him as his inheritance.  Prosperity smiles on him more than any of his siblings.  Many of his half brothers and sisters relied on him for financial support.

After a while, he owned more houses and prospered more than anyone in the community.  Beside he continued to acquire more farms, till he acquired his siblings’ inheritance and making them to become tenants.  To crown it all, he began to use them as a labourer in the farm they once owned.  This did not settle well with his brothers as they were now reclined into beggars in their homes and servants to a younger brother.

According to a Yoruba adage, “Excessive behaviour is the father of Disgrace”.  Igberaga engaged in excessive behaviour as he did not stop flaunting his wealth, he was arrogant and flippant at all times, despite warnings from those that know and understand his upbringing.  He refused all the warnings by the elders.  Little did he know that, he was working towards his doom?   One day, he called one of his brothers whom he employed as a labourer, in his original farm and humiliated him because he was poor.  The poor brother lamented, by crying out that; “if you are God you go ahead with your plan, but if you are human like me, you will certainly reap what you sow”.

One morning, Igberaga woke up and could not stand on his feet, he became crippled.  Many attempts were made to find a cure for his illness but to no avail.  This circumstances forced him to sell all his properties and he ended up becoming a beggar.

Lessons from this story teaches that one should not equate wealth with one’s hard work alone, as if the others who are less privileged did not struggle enough.   According to Yoruba proverb “Wealth is not by hard labour or slaving away, but it is by God’s blessing”.

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