Lessons from Aparo by Dr. Waheed Ogunjobi

Lessons from Aparo:  Hide Your Glory, Stay Alert, and Don’t Get Caught and why the World Love Someone like Aparo.

By Waheed  Ogunjobi 

There is a popular Yoruba adage that says: Eniyan Bi Aparo, Lo mo Araye, N fe . Meaning,  the world does not like you to progress and appear flashy, if you don't hide it, they will help you to achieve it or drag you down to their level.

The Aparo, or  bush Guinea fowl, is more than a bird in Yoruba wisdom. It is a manual for surviving this world. When you put all the lessons together, Aparo becomes a complete philosophy: How to grow, how to hide, and how to stay alive.

Lesson 1: The Cloth — Cover Your Glory, But Don’t Be Stagnant

 

Aparo wears one dull, brown, dusty “cloth” all year. It never looks new or flashy. 

Meaning: This is the wisdom of concealment. Wise people “wear aparo cloth” in public. They don’t announce every blessing. New car? Old car to market. New shop? “We are managing.” Why? Because the moment you shine too bright, “hunters” appear — envy, evil eyes, competitors, and wicked supervisors. 

But the second side is this: Don’t remain in one dirty cloth forever. God didn’t bless you to stagnate. Progress quietly. Let your real “new cloth” be seen only by God and your trusted household.

Illustration: My friend during his PhD never dressed flashy to see his supervisors. He knew academia has hunters. If you look too comfortable, they can delay you or demand more. He wore his “aparo cloth” until he finished and collected his certificate.

I have another friend, elderly man who has a lot of peppery, sent his children to private  University and possesses a lot of  landed property, but he dresses simply and most times carelessly.  You can never spot him. All his children are successful, but he never post nor flaunt them. Only close family allies knows the truth about his family and his children and their progress. He hides everything  and his outwards appearance belittles his real worth.. He has learnt the secret of the 'Aparo". He knows what the world wants or likes and he gives it to them. Who knows, he might have learnt that from maybe his father  mother, relative or someone closer. Himself and his children by so doing are less susceptible to attacks and public scrutiny- Be Wise!

Lesson 2: The Alert — You Can Find Their Eggs, But You Can Hardly Hunt Them Down

Aparo is restless. You can stumble on their eggs hidden in the bush, but catching the bird itself is hard. The moment they hear a twig break, the whole flock scatters.

Meaning: This is the wisdom of awareness. The world wants you like hunters want Aparo. Once you rise, people are watching, plotting, and waiting to trap you. So you must not be careless. Be spiritually and mentally alert. Don’t expose your location, your plans, or your full strength. Move wisely. Be hard to catch.

Illustration: Two businessmen get a big contract. Mr. Flashy tells everyone, posts the LPO online, and celebrates early. By next week, “hunters” have tied his contract in court, and competitors have undercut him. Mr. Aparo collects the contract quietly, executes it, and only talks after the money has landed. You found his “egg” — the result — but you could not hunt him down.

Lesson 3: The Watch — They Never All Sleep at Once

This is Aparo’s most powerful lesson. In the wild, guinea fowls sleep in a group, but one of them always stands guard with its head up. While others rest, the watchman is listening. If danger comes, it raises an alarm and the whole flock escapes.

Meaning: This is the wisdom of vigilance. In life, you must never be 100% asleep. If you are a family, a team, or even just one person with many battles, keep “one eye open.” Have a watchman: prayer, wisdom, trusted counsel, or discernment. Don’t enter deep sleep when enemies are roaming. 

Illustration: A family that is “all asleep” is the family that gets kidnapped, defrauded, or destroyed quietly. But the family with an “Aparo watch” — one person praying at night, one person checking accounts, one person asking hard questions — will hear the twig break early and scatter the plot before it lands.

The Total Aparo Principle Summed Up

So Aparo teaches you three things at once: 

1.  Hide your glory so hunters won’t mark you. 

2.  Stay alert so they can’t catch you, even if they find your “eggs.” 

3.  Keep a watch so you never sleep your way into danger. 

In one sentence: Be ordinary on the outside, sharp on the inside, and always awake to danger.

Because in this world, if you appear too flashy, they will come for you. If you are careless, they will catch you. But if you live by the Aparo, you will grow in secret, escape their traps, and finish your race in peace.

Dr. Waheed  Ogunjobi, journalists,  writer, Author, Public Relations  Speciakist and Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Abeokuta  and can be reached on 08035004741.