From Obedient to Obidient: Words from Political Scene By Montell Benson

 

|•Date: Monday, 29th August 2022•

•Author: Montell Benson, Big Chief at Castlefern Nigeria•|

 

As more attention is shifted to the 2023 presidential elections and the Nigerian democratic polity becomes increasingly heated, it is important to keep an accurate record of all the words that are being frequently used in connection with it.

 

WARNING! This series is about words; specifically, it’s about words that have rapidly emerged, as we have witnessed, in the build-up to the 2023 presidential elections as well as some familiar ones that have increased in frequency. Keep in mind that there are words and definitions in the series which you will approve of and those you will certainly disapprove. For that, I make no apology. I am here to capture their essence and present them in unadulterated form. Moreover, so long as my job as a dictionary editor entails supplying the actual meanings of words and how they are used, I must not abandon any pretence of neutrality; there shall be no display of sentiment.

 

Welcome to Words from the Political Scene as we kick off with the word ‘’!

 

~ /ə(ʊ)’biːdiən(t)s/            []  ♦(n.)

▪[] a revolutionary political movement established and energised by well-meaning Nigerians to usher in an era of good governance, fresh political ideas and policies come 2023 through , the Labour Party presidential aspirant

 

~ /ə(ʊ)’biːdiənt/

[]

 

♦1. (n.)

▪[] a person who wholeheartedly, and sometimes aggressively, supports the presidential candidature of Peter Obi

 

•Obidients in Port Harcourt on Saturday held a two-million-man walk that bore some semblance of a street party.

 

 

▪[] collectively, all the individuals who support the politics and political aspiration of Peter Obi

 

•Admitted or not, the Obidients have become a constant source of worry to the opposition parties.

 

•Members of the opposition parties and their sympathisers have repeatedly accused the Obidients of organised social media bullying.

 

♦2. (adj.)

▪[ ] supporting the candidature of Peter Obi and, by extension, the Labour Party in word and deed

•As crowds of people poured into the street and the march swelled to more than two million, a carnival atmosphere swept through the Obidient rally.

 

▪[]

•Every member of his family is Obidient but Ade.

•Clearly, the Labour Party is saddled with the labourious task of getting a greater percentage of Northerners to become fully Obidient.

 

Etymology: [ – as early as March 2022: blend of and )

 

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Montell Benson is a dictionary editor, grammarian and IELTS instructor with an ocean of experience with Pearson and other reputable dictionaries.

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Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, in English or in other languages, without the author’s permission, is prohibited.

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