Bananas are elongated, edible fruit, grown in tropical regions worldwide. This very popular food source is known for its sweetness and nutritional value.
Some older readers may recall the renowned Bini folklorist and Akwette King Musician, Sir Victor Uwaifo, and his Melody Maestros who reminded us of the sweetness of banana in the song “Sweet Banana Sweet”. The song made waves in the early seventies and the eighties.
‘Sweet Banana’ And Its Related Inclinations
Besides the sweetness of bananas, in many climes, it is synonymous with having fun and good times. The potential sexiness of the banana was something that troubled a portion of Victorian England in ancient times, as they believed that the provocative shape of bananas was so dangerous that the mere sight of a banana could immediately produce undesirable and illicit behaviours.
Strange enough, some citizens wanted bananas banned to protect the morals of the population as they could not depict bananas as part of a morally healthy lifestyle. Probably, the phallic look of the banana had some impact on this extreme proposition since there was no evidence that the sale and consumption of bananas could generate any form of unruly actions
Probably if those ancient Victorian England proponents had looked at the impact of what is left after the consumption of bananas, they could have won many supporters.
After the consumption of this staple of fruit, you discover that the peel can be thrown carelessly along the path. Even the toughest wrestler who slides unknowingly on a banana peel will most likely fall in a way that can bring very many unpleasant consequences. It is not surprising that the banana peel made its way into many legends and folklore around the world.
More than any fact or myth, bananas talks seem to stick around because bananas themselves have a hold on our imaginations. Mainly because they look funny and taste good. Besides, the impact of its left-over cover can cause serious issues.
Whether it is in politics, business, or social circles, “Banana peels” are erroneous actions, steps, or miscalculations that can lead to an embarrassing slip or total collapse.
‘Banana Peels’ At The National Assembly
Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan used the same term on his ‘X’ page while commenting onSen. Akpabio’s conflict with Senator AkpotiUduaghan.
Part of the post reads “Interestingly, the current Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been toying with the ‘Banana Peels’ in his almost two years in office.
“Now, he has, through the current allegations of sexual harassment, fully introduced the ‘Banana Sleaze’ into the lexicon of the Senate and the consequences are always inevitable.”
The crisis in the Senate between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has created a series of embarrassments for the National Assembly leadership as well as Nigeria. It started on February 20, 2025, when the senator representing Kogi Central had a shouting match with the Senate President over the reallocation of seats. Akpabio eventually ordered her out of the Senate chambers.
Shortly after that, Akpoti-Uduaghan granted a TV interview in which she accused the Senate President of victimizing her because she refused his repeated sexual advances. That introduced the banana peel twist into the matter. Afterward, she submitted a petition for sexual harassment against Akpabio. On March 6, she was suspended from the Senate for six months.
Akpoti-Uduaghan must have been unruly and recalcitrant in a matter that should have been resolved simply. But sexual harassment was the underlying factor in the whole brouhaha. Regrettably, the story that Akpabio had a case to answer having been accused earlier by a former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Dr Joi Nunieh.
Remember Dominique Strauss–Kahn
In Africa, Asia, or Europe, sexual harassment is one ‘banana peel’ that every personality brand should make every effort to avoid.
I don’t know how many people still remember Dominique Strauss-Kahn. For almost four years he led one of the most important institutions in the world, the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Previously, he was a French “super-minister” of Economy and Finance, and in 2011, even the office of theFrench President seemed within reach for the Socialist Party member. The multilingual economics professor was celebrated as a popular politician and in the wake of the global financial crisis as a “doctor of the world economy” – advising governments around the world.
But when he least expected it, his meteoric career was cut short by a startling sex scandal. There were signs before the slip. As early as 2008, as he began his work as IMF Managing Director, an affair with one of his employees was cause for excitement. By mutual agreement, the woman left the IMF shortly after and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, known in France as “DSK,” developed an excellent reputation at the institution and soon became one of the most influential men in the world.
Then in May 2011, the big bang came. The New York Police Department arrested Strauss-Kahn when he was already aboard a France-bound plane waiting for take-off. Handcuffed, he was thrust into the limelight of the press – an image that went around the world.
Nafissatou Diallo, a maid at the luxury hotel “Sofitel” in New York, had accused Strauss-Kahn of forcing her to have oral sex and sexual intercourse. The former director of the IMF was remanded in custody. A few days later, he resigned as head of the IMF, all the while stressing his innocence.
The investigation continued, however, and Strauss-Kahn remained on bail in a New York apartment for six weeks, having been banned from leaving the US. In July 2011, however, he celebrated the lifting of his house arrest with a visit to a restaurant. The criminal proceedings were terminated due to doubts about the credibility of the witness before Strauss-Kahn settled the civil matter with Diallo with an out-of-court settlement at the end of 2012. After the sweet taste of the ‘ banana’, slipping off its ‘peel’ can bring catastrophic consequences.
‘Banana Peels’ and the Political Class
Sex scandal is not limited to the business world. In America, onlookers would be forgiven for thinking that politics and allegations of sexual misconduct go hand in hand. Some politicians step down from their roles when scandals become public, while others do their best to ride the storm.
On average, people tend to punish politicians accused of sexual misconduct, while others stand by their party loyalty and vote for a candidate they like despite the allegations against them.
Existing research shows the impact of timing, and a scandal breaking during an election campaign can be more problematic for a candidate than an earlier disclosure. Whether a scandal breaks in the early stages of a campaign or towards the end can also impact a candidate’s support.
When news of a scandal is repeated over time, this can intensify the negative effects, but without repetition, its impact can be minimised.
Donald Trump could be described as a political brand that relishes the slide of banana peel,In2019, journalist E. Jean Carroll published an article in New York Magazine describing the time she claimed President Donald Trump allegedly raped her in the fitting room at Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s. She was not successful in court. Trump denied the allegations saying “it never happened.”
Carroll isn’t the only woman who has accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. During the course of the trial, two other women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, testified as witnesses for the prosecution, telling similar stories. And over the years, more than a dozen other women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Trump vehemently refutes these allegations. He is also on the record bragging about grabbing women by their privates. these allegations did not even slow down his political momentum during his last presidential campaigns.
Can Akpabio Survive The Slide?
Trump is far from being the only powerful personality to face allegations of sexual misconduct in America. Two sitting Supreme Court justices – Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas – have been accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment respectively, accusations which they denied. While some male politicians, like former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, have their careers derailed by allegations, many don’t.
It should be noted that the percentage of sexual assaults that are falsely reported is somewhere between two and 10, and the majority of sexual assaults are never reported to the police at all, according to the US National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). Yet the belief that women do, frequently, falsely accuse men of assault, misconduct or violence is pervasive, often tilting the scales in favour of men when the only evidence is competing, she-said/he-said testimony.
Will Godwill Akpabio bounce back like Donald Trump as he slides on this banana peel a second time, or will he go the way of New York Democratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo? Whether sex or financial scandal no personality brand should relish a slide on any ‘banana peel’.