The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sentry

  • Amaechi and his wit

    Amaechi and his wit

    It was recently in Lagos when former Transport Minister and two-time Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, made it clear he was a man of few words. Brevity, according to William Shakespeare, is the soul of wit. But the former minister’s laconic propensity that morning was intended to make him a great literary man, a poet even. Except that he laced it with malice and bile written into it.

    He said he had a flight to catch. He had come all the way from Abuja to honour Dayo Oketola, who was marking his exit as editor of The Punch with a book launch and his exaugural lecture at the Shell Hall of the Muson Centre, Lagos. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo would come later, but Amaechi had spat and left. He, too, would come later and boast about making money for the country and did not refer to his waste, including his white elephant of a library in Otta, Ogun State.

    So, the former two-time governor may be daily fuming and fulminating over his successor and present minister of the FCT, who is now his landlord, Nyesom Wike. But that day, he was fuming about democracy and the army. He was fuming about democracy as though he were a champion of the struggle. He walked up stage after he was serenaded for the baritone defiance of his voice.

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    Decked out in his typical cap and studded Rivers shirt, he told the audience that folks like him, that is politicians, should not be given the stage to talk in such a professional setting. If that was his philosophy, he should have turned down the chance to talk. He had honoured the man enough by showing up. He had walked out of his home, amidst his busy schedule. One wonders what a busy schedule would be other than classes he takes with leisure in a university. He is, after all, acquiring knowledge. And knowledge is wonderful especially if you want to know what to do after a big loss at the last APC primary into which he invested not a little. Other than that, he is more often working up a rage, for now an impotent rage, about how the man who is president should not be there, and he should be there instead.

    So, after saying he shouldn’t be allowed to talk but went ahead to talk, he surely got the attention of everyone for his laconic gift and the burst of bitterness. He said, somebody was just saying something to him about the struggle for democracy against the military. He then quipped. “Is it better now than it was then?”

    On that note, the political chieftain – we can’t call him APC or PDP chieftain right now – rushed out of the stage and out of the hall to catch a flight out of Lagos, more so as the venue was in the ambience of Bourdillon Avenue that reminded him of a person he dreaded for having humiliated him at the Eagle Square.

    So, why would Amaechi be talking about the struggle for democracy? Did he fight against General Sani Abacha and his goons in the topsy turvy era? Not quite. Was he on the streets under the shadow of death? No. Was he caught and thrown in jail? No. Was he ever in the newspapers or television as a voice? No. Was in NADECO at home or abroad? No. He was no more than a mere staff of former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili’s, a personal assistant.

    So, why was he so self-righteous about that era? He was trying to rig history as he probably wanted to happen at the primary when his ears could not stand the chorus of “Bola Tinubu” or “Bola Ahmed Tinubu” as the votes counted were announcing his political nunc dimittis.

  • How Better Life office complex sparked cold war between First Lady, predecessor

    How Better Life office complex sparked cold war between First Lady, predecessor

    Unknown to many, a quiet but bruising war is raging between the First Lady of one of the North Central states and her immediate predecessor over a battle for the control of the office complex of the state’s Better Life for Rural Women Programme.

    The office complex, built in memory of Mrs Mariam Babangida, the deceased former First Lady and wife of ex-military President Ibrahim Babangida, also houses the office of the state’s First Lady.

    As gathered by Sentry, the immediate past First Lady was reluctant about releasing the keys to the office complex many months after her tenure and that of her husband ended, in spite of the efforts made by the latter to get the keys released to her.

    Not even the intervention of the former First Lady’s husband in the matter could sway his wife’s resolve to hold on to the keys of the office complex.

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    Rather than heed her husband’s counsel, she was said to have reminded him that the new First Lady came into being only on the strength of the support he gave her husband to become governor, and to that extent, she remains the state’s de fact First lady.

    After all entreaties had failed, the new First Lady hit on a brilliant idea. She bought a new set of keys and nocturnally deployed some artisans to install them in the office complex after removing the old ones.

    The former First Lady was said to have been shocked to the marrow when she went to the office complex and realized that the keys she had on her could no longer open the gates. The matter, Sentry gathered, remains yet unresolved as the two women have since engaged in hide-and-seek.

  • Empowerment assumes new low in Bauchi

    Empowerment assumes new low in Bauchi

    In the heady days of the sour relationship between former Senate President David Mark and former Benue State Governor Daniel Ortom, the former once carpeted the latter for distributing wheelbarrows to farmers in the name of empowerment while Ortom’s Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, was busy commissioning roads and bridges.

    If only the former Senate President knows of the ridicule to which the concept of empowerment has been subjected elsewhere, he would probably go on his knees and tender a profuse apology to the former governor for underestimating the weight of his generosity.

    In Kano State, for instance, Governor Abba Yusuf reportedly empowered the people of the state with wheelbarrows and shovels. And while mouths were still agape as to the inherent lack of imagination the gesture suggests, the wife of a member of the House of Representatives from the state hit the ground running, distributing sugarcanes to the constituents as a source of empowerment.

    Not surprisingly, the gesture has drawn more condemnation than commendation as everyone wonders if sugarcane is the best gift befitting the constituents when the lawmaker gets hundreds millions of naira for constituency projects.  Wonders, surely, will never end!

    Edo governorship: Obaseki sees in Wike what others can’t

    Theirs is a case of the instability of human relationships. In the build-up to the second term election of Governor Godwin Obaseki four years ago, he was the best of friends with the current Minister of the Federal Capital territory, Nyesom Wike, who then was the governor of Rivers State and in the same political camp with the Edo State governor.

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    Today, the beautiful bride of 2020 has become a monster in the eyes of Obaseki, who has not spared any opportunity to lampoon him.  The Edo State governor has not only called for the redeployment of the state’s Commissioner of Police and the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state on the grounds that they are allegedly close to Wike,  he has been shouting the minister’s  name as the biggest threat to PDP’s success in  next Saturday’s governorship election. On Thursday, he directed his party and the governorship candidate,  Asue Ighodalo not to sign the peace accord brokered by the committee led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar because of the two Wike’s allies, among other reasons.

    The question on the lips of observers now is what does  Obaseki know about Wike that other Nigerians don’t ?  The FCT Minister is neither a member of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) nor President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. How then does he constitute a threat to PDP’s bid for success in the election? What is this Wike phobia all about? Does Obaseki believe there is a magic Wike is capable of when it comes to elections? Was it the magic that swung the pendulum for him four years ago? Is he living in fear of the timeless saying that what goes around comes around?

  • The expensive seat

    The expensive seat

    The sudden resignation of a senior adviser to a South-South governor, no doubt came as a shock to many, but certainly not to individuals who had an inkling of the silent war that had raged within the governor’s cabinet for some time.

    The former top aide had gleefully posted on social media after her resignation that she came, saw and conquered; a declaration that would be easily comprehended by those in the know of the running battle the former official of a global oil and gas company had with some other members of the cabinet.

    She was said to have fallen out with the people that called the shots in the cabinet on a day they had to travel with the governor in an aircraft andshe had taken her seat in Business Class before the arrival of the governor.

    But moments after she had settled into her seat, she was approached by some aides of the governor who told her to vacate the seat she had settled in. With her background in the corporate world, the request made no sense to her. Hence she was adamant and kept her seat.

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    Unknown to her, the unimaginable, the outlandish and the bizarre are the ingredients that make the political terrain tick. Needless to say that she entered the bad book of those who call the shots in the state government after committing a cardinal offence.

    The consequent witch-hunting and the frustration that attended it eventually compelled her to throw in the towel with the triumphant declaration that she came, saw and conquered. At least, she conquered in the battle for the expensive seat!

  • How official won gov’s heart, became his successor

    How official won gov’s heart, became his successor

    The Holy Bible is replete with very interesting stories. Among them was the spur-of-the moment vow that King Herod made to his stepdaughter who had impressed him with her dancing at his birthday party.

    Moved by Shalome’s dancing steps, Herod had asked the innocent girl to name whatever she wanted and consider it done. The naive girl ran to her mother and asked what she should request from the king.

    To King Herod’s shock, Shalome returned moments later and publicly demanded the head of John the Baptist as advised by her mother because the preacher had spoken against their union and was held captive for that reason.

    It was a request that Herod never expected but one he had to grant because he had promised.

    A former governor of one of Nigerian state recently found himself in a situation that was almost similar to Herod’s.

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    In the years he held sway as governor, he was said to have been so carried away by the prompt manner that one of the state’s officials in charge of the treasury was making money available to him that in a moment of elation, he told the state official that “one day, you will sit on this (governor’s) seat”.

    Not one to make an empty promise, the former governor took it upon himself to encourage the state official to run for the governorship seat at the twilight of his tenure and worked assiduously to ensure that the state official won the election and succeeded him as governor.

    As it later turned out, the former governor and his supposed protégé would later find themselves on collision path as the latter sought to become his own man rather than walk in the shadow of the one that helped him to become governor.

  • Operation Rice for Rice

    Operation Rice for Rice

    In the face of unrelenting onslaught against innocent residents of Lagos by criminals in 2002, the inimitable late Tafa Balogun who, at the time, was Inspector General of Police, came up with what he branded ‘Operation Fire for Fire.’

    He could not stand by while criminals subjected the people to intimidation, day and night. Such an affront to constituted authority could not be tolerated, he vowed 

    Pronto, he deployed a 2,000 strong anti-crime force in the metropolis to stem the tide of insecurity. The rest, as they say, is history.

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    Now, a different kind of clash of interests is playing out in Rivers State where Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and his estranged protégé, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, appear to be locked in a fresh struggle for the soul of the state. Political observers in the state aptly call it ‘Operation Rice for Rice.’

    Well, ‘Operation Rice for Rice‘ derived its tag from the thousands of bags of rice shelled out by the two gladiators for the people to have Christmas and New Year celebrations that would be remembered for many years on account of the goodies.

    Not only did Fubara distribute 100 branded bags of rice per ward, he also approved a generous bonus to civil servants, although some teachers are now wondering why they were left out.

    Trust Wike, he ‘returned fire’ with his own 2,000 branded bags of rice per local government area.

    And Rivers residents are silently praying that long may the ‘Operation’ last.

  • Why Emefiele remains in detention in spite of bail

    Why Emefiele remains in detention in spite of bail

    That embattled former Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, remains in prison custody 10 days after he was granted bail by a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is one puzzle that many Nigerians are finding difficult to unravel.

    Fools have tried and wise men have failed trying to decipher why the former boss of the nation’s apex bank and his coterie of wealthy friends could not muster a paltry N300 million to get him out of the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre.

    Could it be that the financial muscle of the former CBN chief renowned for dispensing gestures in billions of naira was overestimated? And if that were the case, what of his numerous friends and associates believed to have benefitted hugely from his alleged bouts of bonanza? Is it a case of him being abandoned by his friends at such critical moment?

    Reliable sources told Sentry that Emefiele’s continued stay in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre was neither because he could not produce the sum required for his bail, nor the case of his friends failing to rise to the occasion, but a deliberate ploy to keep him in prison for reasons based purely on self-preservation.

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    The detainee and his closest associates are said to have weighed the options of plumping up N300 million to gain his freedom from the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre, only to be picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) whose custody would be much more hostile than his present abode.

    The assumption is that the authorities somehow wish to keep the banker out of circulation for the time being. This is what’s driving the suspicion that EFCC would quickly grab him at the least opportunity.

    A source said: “It is laughable for anyone to think that Emefiele cannot raise N300 million to secure his bail from Kuje Prison. The truth is that he feels that he is better off remaining in the prison than being kept in the custody of EFCC which would not be as friendly as where he is now.

    “Besides, he is not yet a convict, so he would be treated as a VIP at the correctional centre. He would be able to receive guests, east what he pleases, whereas, at EFCC, he will most likely be kept in solitary confinement.”

    It’s a no-brainer therefore why the relatively attainable bail conditions haven’t been met.

  • How guber candidate in off-season election fell out with governor

    How guber candidate in off-season election fell out with governor

    The off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states have come and gone, leaving pieces of drama in their wake. Among the memorable ones is the manner one of the aspirants in the November 11 elections and a sitting governor in one of the affected states turned from friends to foes.

    Unknown to many, the aspirant who was a formidable opponent and threat to the governor’s favoured candidate during the election, was best of friends with the governor in the period preceding Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergence as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the presidential poll held on February 25.

    The governorship candidate and another friend of his, a prominent governor from the North, were said to have secured juicy business deals each as rewards for services they rendered to their party during a crisis period.

    But rather than execute the deals, the governorship candidate, then a loyal associate, chose to sell them off for billions of naira. He instantly turned into a moneybag, feared and worshipped by those who knew him in Abuja as a struggling “I’m on my own businessman.”

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    In the build-up to the last presidential election, the defeated governorship candidate was said to have approached the governor of the state where he contested election and demanded billions of naira with which he would mobilise some individuals to work for the success of their party’s presidential candidate. He said he would mobilise such individuals with ‘tear rubber cars.’

    That, however, became the sore point as the sitting governor, who was aware of the huge money the governorship candidate had already made from the sale of his business deal, turned down his request, fearing that he (governorship candidate) would become too rich and too powerful for anyone to control if his request was granted. “He would be richer than my state,” the governor was quoted as saying about the candidate, who had not disclosed his intention but known to be scheming against officialdom. 

    So, rather than give the candidate the money he requested, the governor decided to give it directly to the people listed for the mobilisation project. The move did not go down well with the governorship candidate who dismissed the governor as not trustworthy, and that marked their parting of ways.

  • Maku loses in bid to save ally’s head

    Maku loses in bid to save ally’s head

    Ever heard of a man whose cap was blown away while trying to save another person’s head? Well, that was the scenario at the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Wednesday.

    The occasion was the hearing of the appeal by Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, against the judgment of the Governorship Election Tribunal which declared the candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), David Ombugadu, winner of the election held on March 18.

    In solidarity with their candidate at the election, chieftains of PDP in Nasarawa stormed the Appeal Court in Abuja in their numbers to give Ombugadu the much-needed moral support. Numbered among them was a former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku.

    With judgment reserved in the case, PDP members who accompanied Ombugadu to court departed in high spirits, believing that the Appeal Court would uphold the verdict of the lower court.

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    That, however, was not the case with Maku who in the cause of solidarising with his party man had his phone stolen within the chambers of the Appeal Court. All efforts by Maku and his aides to recover the phone came to naught, forcing the ex-minister to return home without the prized asset.

    The incident has left many observers wondering how the phone of an eminent person would be stolen in the hallowed chamber of the Appeal Court without a trace. Does it mean there was no CCTV camera in the courtroom?

    The more radical observers are even calling on Maku to order the  arrest  of  court workers as prime suspects in the matter, believing that his phone would be released if they are properly grilled. After all, they argue, it is the step Maku would take if the theft had occurred in a supermarket or some other places. 

  • State where governor’s sisteris de facto chief executive

    State where governor’s sisteris de facto chief executive

    When the electorate in a Southwest state trooped out to elect a new governor about one year ago, the majority cast their ballots for a candidate whose only known credential was his ability to wriggle to any beat with such abandon that makes you fear that dancing might soon go out of fashion.

    Counsel from different political observers and analysts that the state needed an administrator and not an entertainer fell on deaf ears and a dancer was installed as governor. Almost one year after he assumed office, governance in the state has been at a standstill as the governor has practically yielded his seat and powers an elder sister who now bestrides the state like a colossus.

    Such is her grip on the governor and the state that she has ensured that the supposed chief executive not from the governor’s office in the state capital but in their family house in their native community. This is in spite of the billions the administration has spent on the renovation of the government house.

    And in their native community, the overbearing elder sister has ensured that the governor does not even stay in his own house but in an apartment in her own house where she issues directives to the governor on the steps he must take on a daily basis.

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    Reliable sources in the state’s ruling party informed Sentry that the Chairman must as a matter of routine make himself available for direction at her country home on a daily basis. On two different occasions, she was reported to have slapped two of the state’s commissioners for “poking their noses too much into the affairs of the state.

    It is also alleged that the governor, whose wife lives in a different town outside the state, must take permission before visiting her. The governor’s sister is also said to be the reason why he (governor) does not parade any of his wives as the First Lady because the wives are at daggers drawn with her in their bid to free their husband from her grip.

    As at today, none of the governor’s wives is allowed to attend official functions involving the governor for fear that they might clash with the woman.