By S.T Olawande Esq.
Ado Ekiti
The emerging issues after the June 18 Governorship election in Ekiti state majorly between the APC, PDP, SDP and the role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) afterwards bring to my memory my late Grandfather’s radio set in which he played Sunny Ade’s Music, titled, “Ọmọde Omela“
King Sunny Ade is not just an entertainer but one of the great philosophers who ever liveth.
My grandfather was a hunter who in the later part of his life settled for counseling through storytelling both to the young and old in our community. He told stories of forests and the behaviors of animals. 
At a time, the king had just died and a successor must be named in 21 days according to tradition. Character, hierarchy, antecedents, integrity, and acceptability are the things to beam the searchlight on among the chiefs. The person with the highest pass mark would be picked by the hunters (Kingmakers), while the market women will attest to the qualities of the chosen chief at the marketsquare.
Being the oldest and highly revered for his wisdom, my hunter-grandfather would lead the exercise of picking the next king. For days, no activities were visible and the 21 days ultimatum was fast approaching, expectations were high, even that a very close Chief to the late king (Otun) had been boastfully parading himself as the next king.
He often go to the Market square for buyers and sellers to hail him ” Kabiesi ooo Obalola” Meaning Your Excellency, the king tommorow.
People were disturbed as many concluded that the hunters were confused and their knowledge and judgment could no longer be relied upon. Otun has succeeded in acclaiming victory to himself even while the hunters were busy beaming lights on everyone’s pedigree.
One evening, my grandfather as usual had just finished storytelling to the children. It was a story of Aardvark (Aferemojo), an animal that has a nose like a pig, ears like a rabbit, hands, and legs like the pouch rat, and tail like a kangaroo. It was a nice story.
Beyond the narrative, I was concerned about why the hunters had not named the next king. I asked my grand father and he laughed, he then told the story of the allied forces of the Hyenas, the allied forces of the lions’ pride, and the Royal Force of the Honey badgers as well as the role of the vulture in the forest.
According to him, there has been a long-time rivalry over who is to rule the forest between the Hyenas and the Lions. They two animals very strong and they live together in numbers, Hyenas live in clans, and lions in pride.
The Lions (Kiniun) have always claimed to be the king of the jungle. The Hyenas (Ikooko) boast as the most powerful, calling themselves “Ajeran jeegun ” the one that spares neither the flesh nor the bones for a meal.
The historical rivalry between Hyenas and Lions was very tensed in that the two animals are very strong, strategic and calculative in killing each others’ children for food.
Sometimes, One could not tell who is the most powerful because they move together in numbers and it is hard to see one lion and one Hyena of the same age fighting, but one can tell some behaviors that differentiate them.
Hyenas’feaces are always white and recognizable to any experienced hunter. That is why Yorubas will say “Iro Fun fun bi igbe Ikooko” a white lie like Hyenas’ feaces. Female Hyenas have a pseudo penis and pseudo scrotum which is why they are called amarphrodites.
It may be very difficult for a young hunter to differentiate a male Hyena from a female. They live in a clan of well-established social hierarchy, recognizable to all.
The natural color of their babies is black. They have the highest milk nutrients (Protein and fats) for growth but the milk is poisonous to human beings and no animal is safe from Hyenas’ attack as they are betrayals of their friend, even themselves.
They are backbiters, attacking their victims from behind, chasing, tearing, and eating them alive. The Hyenas are known for back door victory.
They are found hijacking, chasing away, and collecting the meats and proceeds of other animals. They laugh while they fight or eat and they sometimes fight other Hyenas from another clan since the strategies of each clan for killing animals and different.
Hyenas don’t forgive, they revenge, no matter how long, they are very sensitive and suspicious as they hate insults and criticism or being challenged by other animals.
Hyenas are known for toxic relationships in mating and their intercourse is done in a very secret place. They can withstand diseases more than the Lions.
On the part of the lions that claims the king of the jungle, it may be surprising to know that lions do not live in the jungle, they live in the Savannah. Jungles are deep forests with many big trees while Savannah is grassland with scattered trees. Lions are very strong animals with the semblance of cats when they are young.
Female lions enjoy having a pregnancy at the same time for them to nurture their children together. A baby lion can breastfeed by any nursing mother.
Their mothers are lackadaisical in caring for them, therefore they are vulnerable to attacks which makes them die young most times. Out of five baby lions, only two live to grow. In most cases, hyenas do not spare the children of Lions.
Lions do not hunt when they are not hungry they rest for 20 hours out of 24 hours a day. They appreciate luck more than hunting.
They live together in 16-40 in pride. They form semi-circles to hunt and attack when they are famished. They love to expel their growing male children who would be left to a lonely fate for years. 
The expelled male Lions wait to attack another pride after carefully watching the weakness of the leader of the pride which in most cases results into the death of the attacked or the attacker.
If the attackers succeed in killing the leader of the new pride, it will also kill all the young children to bear new ones which become his. It may be surprising however that the fear the lion commands, is not commensurate with its powers.
Infact, the roaring of a lion that many animal think shows its power is an expression of the lion’s fears as the roaring is only audible within 5 km of its immediate environment. Lions do not last more than 60 seconds while mating and their sperm are very weak.
Their powers begins to wane at the age of 10 and 16 years, no much strength is reserved in them again, then a young lion would come to chase them away and take over the pride.
Lions are good runners but they can not run for a longer time. It is a great mistake for anyone to run away from the sight of a lion, it will chase and tear apart such a person, just brandish a weapon and show the weapon with confidence, shout confidently just as it also roars then it will run away.
Both hyenas and lions live in allied forces and numbers and they look into the sky to trace the movement of vulture as a sign of a dead animal to feed on.
The vulture feeds on dead animals and gives signals to the two rivals at the occasion of a new luck of the dead. The first between the Hyenas and Lions to sight the movement of the Vulture would eat the dead animal. 
This rivalry continues until the simple, easy-going, humble, and peaceful honey badger was on his way to the beehive (afara oyin). This creature eats honey. It does not rely on dead animal or looks into the sky to trace the vulture as it hunts for what It eats. This calm creature is most cases underrated because it doesn’t brag.
It lives alone and not in the allied forces or numbers but it is a royal force. Honey badger is the most fearless creature on earth. It never runs away from a fight. It has hard skin like a bag from which it can change its position when it is held.
Wild animals like reptiles no matter how big, are food for honey badgers. Lions and Hyenas know this and understand clearly that no matter how hard they brag or bite the honey badger, it will never be discouraged. It will fight on to victory.
The worst that can happen is for the honey badger to faint for an hour, after which the attacker must be lying dead for eating after the Honey badger wakes up.
Honey Badgers have very sharp and strong teeth as well as nails which allow them to dig and break any hard substance to create an abode. ( Either in the tree, hole, or rock).
They can adapt and create enablement in any environment. They have pure white color on the upper side of their body and they are very sensitive to hearing smelling and seeing. It has a great insulator against external attacks.
Unlike Hyenas and Lions, Honey badger waits patiently, and hunts diligently for their proceeds but it doesn’t spare their attackers. It forgives them though when they run away.
The Lions would only be king of the jungle in their dreams, they lost their games. The allied forces of Hyenas are bragging because they can still trace the movement of the vulture to feed on the dead. They would only brag this season and cease soonest when vultures migrate Southward.
The Vulture must know that it season is almost gone.The October rain is always much with much cold. The Honey badger will make it proceeds come rain come sunshine.
The writer, S. T Olawande Esq is an Ekiti-based legal practitioner. He is a social and political analyst as well as an Advocate of Peace. Email: olawandetemitope@gmail.com 
So interesting.